Tuesday, June 16, 2009

What's Wrong With Barclay's Tummy (They Think...)

Right now I am feeling 2 very strong emotions. Fear and Joy. Joy for the fact that I feel validated. No one believed me when I said something was wrong with Barclay. He's too healthy looking, he's too chubby, etc. I know he's healthy and chubby and cute, but I KNEW something was wrong.
I had to push and push the pediatrician, I had to push and push to get an appointment with the GI specialist earlier than a month away, I had to push for them to send me there, push for results. And now I feel validated.

This is what they found with the upper GI scan. Well what they didn't find. They were unable to locate the valve that controls acid from the stomach. I don't know exactly what it is called. They said that either:
a.The scan was wrong and there was a mistake made.
b.He has a hernia where part of his stomach is in the chest cavity so the valve is basically not being used because of this.
c.He doesn't have a valve or it is to the side or too small to show up.

Pyloric Stenosis was ruled out.

This is very raw and not very educated, but this is what I heard today from the GI specialist.
He reassured me over and over not to get to worried about it.

So on July 1st we are scheduled at 6 am for an endoscopy to verify what is going on. Then we will have a stomach emptying test (where they put something in his milk to make sure his stomach is emptying correctly). If they tests come back and show that there is a problem with the valve or lack of valve, then surgery is next. Of course surgery is last on my list and last on their list.

I am soooo relieved. I felt like if they told me that the scan was clean, I would just crumple in a ball on the floor and give up. Because maybe I was crazy after all. But I feel validated today that I was a good mommy and never gave up, even though no one believed me.

I'm pretty sure the doctor was in shock with the results. He was constantly saying annoying things like, "You're just faking it for your mama to give her a hard time aren't you? You're too fat to have tummy problems...etc."
Well...Maybe Barclay was supposed to be REALLY fat, and because of this he's just pleasantly plump...who knows Don't judge a baby by his fat rolls! I always say.

I am also feeling fear. Fear after reading about how they have to put him to sleep for the endoscopy, fear about possible surgery, fear about my baby being in even more pain.

All in all, I'm grateful that I persisted and that we are on the road to recovery.

3 comments:

  1. I'm not glad that Barclay is hurting, but I am glad that they are finding out what is wrong with him.

    Mostly, though, what I wanted to say is that the doctor was really uncalled for in his comments. That's the exact kind of thing that we're taught NOT to say in school. Good example of how to say the wrong thing to a patient.

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  2. I would advise you to read those doctor journals about what they do to Barclay in surgery when you're in a very optimistic mood. It can be scary but remember that they know what they are doing and even if they don't, God is still going to take care of your little baby and He won't let anything happen to him that He hasn't planned out for your good and Noah's and Barclay's.

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  3. So happy to hear that something can be done to fix the problem! I will definitely be praying about the endoscopy, and if need be, the surgery. Thank God we live in a time and country where these things can be detected and fixed!
    Keep on updating...

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