Faith will be turing 1 on December 5th. This picture is from the first party that we had for her.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Birthday Celebration #1 of ? 11/18/12
Faith will be turing 1 on December 5th. This picture is from the first party that we had for her.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Update
Surgery Tomorrow
Faith will be having surgery tomorrow at 10:10am to have a G-Tube placed. She should be able to go home in 2 days. The reasons she needs it is because her blood tests show signs of dehydration and she is falling off her growth curve. She is still a peanut at just 15 lbs. 7½ oz. People with kidney disease require 20-30% more intake and most Nephrology patients require a G-Tube.
Here is Wikipedia's definition:
A gastric feeding tube (G-tube or "button") is a tube inserted through a small incision in the abdomen into the stomach and is used for long-term enteral nutrition. One type is the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube which is placed endoscopically. The position of the endoscope can be visualized on the outside of the patient's abdomen because it contains a powerful light source. A needle is inserted through the abdomen, visualized within the stomach by the endoscope, and a suture passed through the needle is grasped by the endoscope and pulled up through the esophagus. The suture is then tied to the end of the PEG tube that will be external, and pulled back down through the esophagus, stomach, and out through the abdominal wall. The insertion takes about 20 minutes. The tube is kept within the stomach either by a balloon on its tip (which can be deflated) or by a retention dome which is wider than the tract of the tube.
Faith will be having surgery tomorrow at 10:10am to have a G-Tube placed. She should be able to go home in 2 days. The reasons she needs it is because her blood tests show signs of dehydration and she is falling off her growth curve. She is still a peanut at just 15 lbs. 7½ oz. People with kidney disease require 20-30% more intake and most Nephrology patients require a G-Tube.
Here is Wikipedia's definition:
A gastric feeding tube (G-tube or "button") is a tube inserted through a small incision in the abdomen into the stomach and is used for long-term enteral nutrition. One type is the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube which is placed endoscopically. The position of the endoscope can be visualized on the outside of the patient's abdomen because it contains a powerful light source. A needle is inserted through the abdomen, visualized within the stomach by the endoscope, and a suture passed through the needle is grasped by the endoscope and pulled up through the esophagus. The suture is then tied to the end of the PEG tube that will be external, and pulled back down through the esophagus, stomach, and out through the abdominal wall. The insertion takes about 20 minutes. The tube is kept within the stomach either by a balloon on its tip (which can be deflated) or by a retention dome which is wider than the tract of the tube.
Gastric feeding tubes
are suitable for long-term use, though they sometimes need to be replaced if
used long term. The G-tube can be useful where there is difficulty with
swallowing because of neurologic or anatomic disorders (stroke, esophageal
atresia, tracheoesophageal fistula), and to avoid the risk of aspiration pneumonia. However, in patients with
advanced dementia or adult failure to thrive
it does not decrease the risk of pneumonia.
MRI Results
The results from Faith's MRI were not what we had hoped for. It showed that the cyst pressing on her brain stem is larger. She had surgery to fenestrate (poke a hole in) it in July. For some reason, the cyst is not draining. She will most likely have to have another brain shunt placed that will drain the cyst. The good news is that she has no symptoms (i.e. trouble breathing and/or swallowing). They did order a Swallow Study but it could not be scheduled until December 27. We hope that they have a cancellation or add appointment times so she can have that done much sooner.
We are also very happy to say that the shunt she has now (which is the 3rd one they placed) has been in and working wonderfully since February 14! Maybe the 3rd time is the charm! :)
She is doing very well otherwise and is a very happy little girl. It is hard to believe that she will be 11 months old on Monday. Please keep the support and prayers coming.
With Love and Appreciation,
The Sunde's
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