Inevitable

Abby had a HORRIBLE day.  The NG tube was a disaster.  She violently wretched for hours with it in.  We tried to begin the gastric emptying study, but after only 15cc in her stomach she began to vomit in the machine lying flat on her back.  I've mentioned before that she has to be physically held forward so she doesn't choke.  The nurse and I pulled her out from under the scanner as her face turned beet-red.  It was awful for all of us.  It just wasn't safe to continue the test.  She stayed sick all day, even with nausea medicine.  She certainly had gastric emptying, just the wrong way. 

Which brings us to theory number...I'm not even sure where we are there.  The surgeon that we saw originally (and I didn't particularly care for) walked back in to my life today.  He was better today, although still a surgeon.  They are trying to decide if Abby has developed an intestinal blockage while here in the hospital even though it was originally ruled out.  The other possibility is she has been without food so long that the intestinal motility has slowed down so much that her belly just isn't moving.  Apparently food takes the path of least resistance which for Abby might be up and out at this point. 

This much is clear, we probably will not leave the hospital without some sort of surgery.  If she has an intestinal blockage, it would need to be resolved.  She will almost certainly need a g-tube, reflux and hernia repairs.  If this is a motility problem from the virus we will just have to make her system begin to work correctly.  We would start with very slow feeds through the g-tube and keep the TPN going until she could tolerate feeds.

She'll have an upper GI in the morning to check for blockage if she can tolerate the barium she'd need.  Absolutely nothing happened today to makes me think that's possible.  We aren't putting the NG tube down tomorrow right before the test and taking it our immediately after the barium is in.  She's still refusing all food. 

Today is 2 weeks since she got sick.  I was trying to remember what I fed her the last time she ate.  What was for dinner Monday evening as she began to feel bad?  I know she didn't want to eat, but I pushed as usual.  Now everything has changed and I'll bring my girl home, but not the same.  I miss her already. 

I know you are all praying and God is in control.  I'm taking a deep breath and waiting for tomorrow to come. 

Oh and I have a huge praise to...man I wish I would begin with praise!  Our AC went out and we thought is was the compressor ($5200).  OUCH!  Turned out to be...I can't remember what.  All I remember is $150.  Thank you Lord for removing that huge stress and cooling my Emily down.  My northern friends may not know that it is hot in Florida and we need our AC in February.