Weight Check and Doctors Appointment

Yesterday, Allie went to see her GI doctor for a regular check-up and weight check.  I am so happy to report that Allie weighed 27.4 pounds - yeah.  She gained almost a pound this past month.  I'm so excited to see that she actually gained weight.  Maybe taking her off the blenderized diet for a little bit was just what Allie needed.  I will keep her on the formula for a little while longer - we go back for a weight check in a month so we'll see how her weight is going then.

We talked to her GI doctor about Allie's recent diagnosis of Gastroparesis with solids.  He said there are many things that can cause this including: post infections, diabetes, autoimmune issues, metabolic issues, neurological issues, inflammatory GI issues, food allergies, celiac disease and many more.  At this point, we do not know what is causing Allie's stomach to not work properly but along her medical journey, the doctors have been checking specific "markers" which would red flag some of the items above if there was an issue with them.  So, for now we don't know the cause but hopefully down the road, we will find out.

Dr. Brown also indicated that Gastroparesis can come and go with some patients.  Sometimes viral infections can slow the stomach from emptying, etc.  However, he doesn't feel that is the case with Allie - he has a feeling her tummy hasn't been working properly for a while.  So, we are all hoping her new medication from Canada will work wonders.  Another positive is that Dr. Brown stated many children with Gastroparesis outgrow it.  Of course, nobody knows if Allie will outgrow it but it's just nice to know it's a possibility.

To be honest, my motherly instinct is telling me that this is not Allie's underlying issue.  There are just too many things that go without answers if this is her underlying problem.  For example, how come Allie didn't grow "normally" in utero - she was born small for gestational age.  In addition, if her stomach works okay with liquids, how come she never drank a significant amount of breast milk or formula as an infant?  There are just a lot of unanswered questions but at this point, I'm just happy that we received an abnormal test result and we can finally move forward!!!!!!

And now for a super silly picture of Little Miss......

Allie wearing "clean" underwear on her head while she is getting a feeding -truly a silly girl.

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Food Change for Allie

Since Allie is always struggling to gain weight, I decided to switch things up again with her.  She has been on a blenderized diet since January 2010 (almost a year now) and she gained weight when we initially put her on it. For the past couple months, Allie has really been struggling with her weight, even with her tube feeds.  So, I decided to put her back on formula and see what happens.

Allie is now getting 4 feedings a day 4 oz each.  She can only handle 4 oz of a liquid feed at a time otherwise she will vomit.  It was very interesting because the day I switched her back to formula, her gagging started back up.  She has now vomited about 5 times with the liquid.  There is no doubt that Allie's tummy cannot handle the liquid volume like the blenderized volume.  However, if I do her tube feeding really slow and don't exceed 4 oz., she typically keeps it down. 

Allie is once again on the Boost Kid Essentials 1.5 cal.  I'm anxious to see how her weight is since switching her off the blenderized diet. We see her GI doctor this afternoon so she'll be getting a weight check.

I have to admit it doesn't feel good giving Allie formula again, but it is just a trial.  I plan to go back to the blenderized diet shortly - I just wanted to see how Allie gains weight with the formula again.  It could be the boost she needs.

In addition, since getting Allie's latest gastric emptying test results (with solids) I want to give her tummy a rest from having to work too hard to digest anything.  I haven't seen an change in Allie since switching her back to liquid formula - I don't think she cares what she gets as long as she's getting fed and fed on her terms of course.

Here are a couple pictures of the girls at the Christmas parade in Wausau.

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