Jaron
Jaron had his follow-up visit with the GI doctor. I came home and cried while I made up some Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothies.
He's fine, I'm frustrated.
 |
| Sweet Avocado Frozen Yogurt, Yum! |
I didn't feel like he had any problems, but I couldn't deny that he had only gained 8oz in the 3 months since his 12 month appt. So we agreed to see Dr. S, a GI (Gastrointestinalogist).
It took us 6 weeks to get an appointment and in that time Jaron gained 1.5lbs.
Dr. S still ordered an x-ray and urine and stool samples (can't say how thankful I am that Jaron decided to potty train when he did, made getting those samples so much easier!). He told us to try and up Jaron's calorie intake and asked to see us again in 6 weeks to see where we were.
Upping the calories was interesting, Jaron just wasn't interested. We tried milkshakes - he would drink a few sips and then nothing else. We finally started giving him some juice again, just to keep him hydrated, he won't drink much of anything besides juice, breastmilk, and milkshakes IF he's in the mood.
In the past 6 weeks he gained a total of 3 ounces. Dr. S was not impressed.
Granted, I guess I could've tried harder. But I really don't think anything is wrong. It's hard to be motivated to fix all these special meals when I know that tiny kids run in our family, when there are NO other factors that indicate that anything is wrong. (His urine, stool, and xrays came back normal.)
I guess I'm motivated now. I have exactly 8 weeks to pack 2 lbs onto Jaron's little frame. If he doesn't gain 2 lbs by then Dr. S wants to do an endoscopy and extensive bloodwork. On the upside, he wants to draw the blood while Jaron is under anesthesia for the endoscopy.
We'll see what happens, I still don't think anything is wrong, but I doubt myself. I also know that there is wisdom in going through the process of ruling out other causes for him not gaining; I am just terrified of letting them put him under general anesthesia. I need to find out if I'll be able to stay with him or not, if I can I'll feel a whole lot better.
Prayer and thoughts are appreciated, as well as quick, easy, tasty high-calorie snack ideas. We tried avocado, but have to sneak it in (plus they're pricey), he does eat quite a a bit of cheese and whole-milk yogurt.
 |
| This was before he stood up... |
Aedyn has a had a pretty good week, despite trying to run straight through a sliding glass door at a friend's baby shower this past weekend. The funniest and saddest thing that's happened in awhile, poor kid. He would've laughed it off if he had been awake, but he was about 3 minutes out of a very deep nap, and really not sure what happened.
Between stunts like that and his climbing adventures this week, I'm just waiting for our first ER trip.
Us
If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!
Aww Jaron is such a peanut. Follow your instincts mama, they're usually right.
ReplyDeleteI'd go with your gut on this one. Anesthesia is not something to mess with when there is no "real" medical reason for it. Have them run the blood tests first and check thyroid levels, etc. If he is following a steady curve as he grows and doesn't lose or stop growing altogether, there isn't usually anything to worry about! I was 28" and 28 pounds for 2 straight years! lol
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, if nothing else I've got 8 weeks to really pay attention to him and decide exactly what I do think!
ReplyDeleteHi, Heather,
ReplyDeleteYou are likely right about Jaron, since his height is okay. I would also ask for just a blood workup before I did endoscopy. Have they checked for celiac yet? Edison does not have Celiac Disease, but he is severely gluten intolerant, which was the cause of him stopping growing for a year. He fell off the growth charts for height and scared us to death. The GI dr. didn't see any significance in a high IgG response alone to gliadin (gluten protein), but he later acknowledged he'd been wrong when we went gluten-free anyway and saw major improvements within 3 months. Sometimes idiopathic small stature is the only symptom of a gluten problem in kids. It would be worth knowing for sure, but make sure you look at the labs yourself in case your dr. thinks like mine did. As far as high calorie stuff, I use avocado in smoothies, too. I also use coconut milk and coconut oil to cook with, both very good sources of healthy fats.
Thanks, I'm requesting his records so I can see for myself what is going on. I do cook with coconut oil, but I'll pick up some coconut milk and see how he likes it! Thanks!
ReplyDelete