STOMACH VIRUS/GTUBE ISSUE AND PRAYER REQUEST

Max has caught a stomach virus...we think. But unfortunately he is giving mixed messages, so we are not sure at this time if he is not feeling well OR there is a "mechanical error," i.e. the Nissen coming undone. Hmmm....it has not been a very good 12 hours to say the least.

It started last night...he was acting very fussy and it wasn't the usual tired cry, it was that of pain. While I was holding him and trying to comfort him, he vomited and then I noticed his abdomen felt hard and bloated. Venting him did not work, so finally I just decided to completely remove his Gtube to provide some relief. That opened up another can of worms because upon removal, I noticed fresh blood in that area. I'm glad I have developed a strong stomach because there were many, many "bodily fluids" going on.

The vomited continued throughout the night but the majority of it was mucous. Sorry for all the details everyone, but welcome to Max's world!!!

So I have talked to several of the "professionals" involved and we are now in the "wait and see" mode to see if this vomiting stops. We have stopped his feeds completely and now just giving Pedialyte to prevent dehydration.

It is never good for a child to vomit, but it is even scarier with a baby with a gtube and one with weak lungs. 1) When a baby is fed via a Gtube, they cannot tell you when they are feeling dehydrated and need more to drink. You as the caregiver must "guesstimate." 2) Every time he vomits, we must worry about aspiration.

We'll see. I am actually hoping it is a bug, because if it is a mechanical misfunction of the Gtube/Nissen, that will require surgery...and we DEFINITELY don't want that unless absolutely necessary.

I just feel sooooo bad for him when he is not feeling well. It just breaks my heart. Fortunately he has had a month of really no major "problems" and it is has been sooo wonderful to have stability. "Stability"...such a magical word in the special needs community!!!

Just yesterday we were at his doctors for the weekly checkup and we were both cheering each other on about how great it is that he has stayed out of the hospital. AND we were delighted with the recent weight gain...he is now 14 pounds, 5 ounces. He had really slowed down for a few weeks and that was worrisome. So we were all really happy to see him putting some weight back on.

And I also was talking with the nursing agency yesterday (always the fear of having nursing cut by insurance) and the coordinator said sweet Max is one of the very few little kiddos under their watch that has not had to go back in to the hospital...so she said, whatever you are doing, keep doing. Thanks Jodi! :) (She is also an avid Mighty Max blog reader!)

I will keep you posted...but for now please keep him in your thoughts.

*SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST*
And also, I wanted to ask that everyone keep a special lil' girl in your prayers. Her name is Bella and she was recently born to a friend of a friend. She was born with some serious special needs and their family is struggling to understand the "who, what, why" and it tears my heart apart. Quite honestly, it brings me back to last summer when we were learning all that was "wrong" with Max and it was so incredibly scary. Please keep Miss Bella and her family in your thoughts and prayers...give them peace, comfort and strength as they face this challenge.

Thank you everyone! We have such an incredible prayer network via this blog and I deeply appreciate your help!!!