I keep going to do or find things today and realize that being gone almost the whole week has made me feel lost in my own home and space. So here's the update of the last week for those that didn't know. (We'll keep it to the abbreviated, no frills version!)
Katlyn had an appointment with Ava's GI first thing Tuesday morning. I know this doctor and knew she wouldn't like how tiny Katlyn was, but I figured she would start somewhere along the line of allergy testing, restricted diets, etc. Well, I underestimated her.
She came in-- Hey how you doing? How's Ava?- while she walks behind me and cleans up as Katlyn pukes all over the floor. She talks to me for a couple of minutes, lays Katlyn down on the table--looks at her---looks back at me with her look of, "I don't like what I see"--tells her nurse to fill out some paperwork with me and says she'll be back in few minutes. Five minutes later, she comes back in and informs me that Katlyn will not be going home today.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
She says, "I can't in good conscience send her home. I've called Children's and they are getting a bed ready for her to be admitted. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I can't give her any medication that she won't throw up, it's pointless, and I don't really even want to start doing anything until we get some weight on her."
So off we went to Children's. They placed an NJ tube that afternoon (through her nose, bypassing her stomach and ending in the jejunum of the small intestine). And then, we spent the rest of the week there while they established constant feeds and did a bunch of preliminary blood work to rule out the usual major offenders. She is currently being fed breast milk ( I have been on a top 8 elimination diet for the last 6 weeks) and if she can't tolerate that, she will likely be moved to Elecare.
She got to come home late Friday night on a feeding tube that I am told will be in for a minimum of 4-6 weeks depending on what happens from here. (if she gains weight properly, can tolerate oral feeds and meds, etc.)
She will be five months old in a little over a week and weighed 7lbs. 6 oz. upon admittance. She gain a whopping ounce and lost it and was discharged at 7 lbs. 6 oz----and that is what she still weighed today. Colonel Mustard and I are a little fearful that we have another Ava on our hands, but at this point we need to figure out how to make her grow and be healthy.
Any prayers are appreciated and please don't forget Allison. Right before we left, the GI looked at Allison and said, "I may need to see her as well, but let's take care of the emergency and then we'll have to have a talk about her." Allison is weighing in at 9 lbs. even as of a few days ago at the hospital--and while she looks like a heifer next to her sister, she is still very tiny for her age.
Katlyn chilling in her bed.
Playing toys with my sister at the hospital.
Miss Allison weathered the storm pretty well. We had to wear hats and fuzzy jammies cause the hospital was a little chilly.
"Okay, I'm over it. Can we go home now?"
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