Two Steps Forward…

Two steps forward, one step back.

I could tell the Dr. didn’t want to give me his recommendation for Eli’s constant throwing up and the latest x-ray results (which we had done today around 2pm). He even wanted me to step away so Eli didn’t overhear. He said, “The x-rays showed that Eli’s stomach and upper intestinal tract is very swollen. Filled with fluids and gases and not really moving. This could mean an actual kink in his intestines, but that is pretty rare, it’s probably just too much pressure and backed up. Most likely, if we can relieve that fluid, the intestines will start functioning again like they should. We were all excited to get him eating on his own, but I don’t think he was ready for it and now we know why. My recommendation, with your permission, is to put an NG tube down his nose and suck out that fluid and gas so that the swelling will go down and his intestines can resume their function. We’ll repeat the abdomen x-ray tomorrow morning. If the NG tube doesn’t work, we’ll do a CT Scan tomorrow to see if there is a physical reason why things are backing up.”

He said the part about the tube really softly so Eli didn’t catch it. 🙂 Eli was actually off ALL breathing tubes AND was off isolation because nothing grew in the cultures they had taken 5 days ago. He even made it to the playroom once today as well. However, now he is back in bed and the NG tube is siphoning out liquid at an incredible rate. In fact, it had taken out 400 CCs in less than 2 hours. Everyone was kind of shocked, but it made sense since they described his stomach as looking like a blown up balloon from the x-ray. He was so brave about having the tube shoved down his nose. He just had lots of questions about it, but didn’t try his usual negotiations to delay it. Unfortunately the tube installation made him gag and throw up some more. However, since putting the tube in, there has only been one small throw up episode. He is so good about knowing when it’s going to happen and telling me so I can grab the bucket and he always says he feels better afterwards. For now, he’s back to watching Smurf videos from YouTube via the Wii on the big Samsung TV in his room. The “Crying Smurfs” episode usually makes him laugh, which is always nice to hear.

For lunch today, I officially replaced my favorite place to buy a Gyro. It was the Iowa State Fair for many years, but now it’s the cart on 69th and York Avenue in NYC. 🙂 Not only is it better than the ones at the Fair, but it’s half the price! $3.50 as opposed to $7. Granted, it’s a bit further away from Ames than the Fair, but for anyone visiting Manhattan, I recommend finding a Gyro cart and trying it out! If you’re not a lamb eater, the chicken looked really good as well!