A long day gets longer

(I apologize for my scattered thoughts before you start reading this!) We have been noticing that Eden has been spitting up more often. We were hoping that it wasn’t another milk allergy or lactose issue but then she stopped soiling her diapers too. We started putting corn syrup in her bottles to loosen the constipation and did back and heel rubs and leg pumps. We brought her to the doctor last Thursday and it was suggested that she might have reflux. They did give us a referral to the Pediatric clinic down in Wyoming, but said we probably wouldn’t need an appointment because she will most likely get better by sleeping with her head elevated. I called anyway to make an appointment before we left for Park Rapids and they said that she should see Dr S. and his next available appointment was July 7th. I decided not to make an appointment because she would be better before then anyway! So we started our way up north. She was sleeping a lot and eating less and less throughout the weekend. She was down to about 10-12 ounces a day and sleeping 7 to 10 hour stretches. She would spit up a lot but not as much as she was because she was not taking in as much. She did have one soiled diaper and so we thought maybe she needs to be cleaned out and then she would start feeling better. On Monday she seemed somewhat better; eating and awake a lot more after we switched her to a sensitive formula but still throwing up. On Tuesday morning she was up at 5:30 and then the boys were up at 7:30. We were all lounging around when I decided to get up and call the doctor’s office to see if I could get the number for Dr S’s other clinic in case I could get in any sooner.                 Here is where God comes into full view!

The receptionist says, “He is here today and there was a cancellation for a 9:30 appointment, can you make it”? What? Seriously, an hour to get 4 people dressed and ready? Might as well, we need to get groceries and go to the bank and run a few other errands too. I say yes and throw two bottles in the bag (thinking this will be more than enough for the few hours we are going to be gone) and a couple diapers for both Eden and Abe and we head out. The doctor wants to do an ultrasound and gets us in at 11:30. Everything looks fine, but the doctor is still not convinced. He calls his colleague in the cities and asks to get Eden into their ultrasound machine… His colleague says, I can do it if they can come right now. So off we go. She has a second ultrasound at 2:30. They find that her pyloric is not letting food pass from her stomach to her intestines. They call the doctors in to look at the images. They admit her right then and there. This is what the mayo clinic says about pyloric stenosis.

Pyloric stenosis is an uncommon condition that affects the pylorus — the opening at the lower end of the stomach that connects the stomach and small intestine. In babies who have pyloric stenosis, the muscles of the pylorus become abnormally large. This prevents food from entering the small intestine. Pyloric stenosis can lead to forceful vomiting, dehydration and weight loss. Prompt surgical treatment is important.

She is put on an IV and will have surgery Wednesday (yesterday). She has the surgery, and it goes stunningly well, she wakes up more quickly then they expect her to, and she starts eating 5 hours later. The doctors said that it usually takes 24-30 hours (if all goes really well) to send her home and we make it 21 hours before we are booted out the door with discharge papers in hand!!!!

It has been a whirlwind of a few crazy days. Other ways that God showed himself was that my mom’s first day open without work things was Tuesday and Arley forgot some drywall for work so he was on his way home 1/2 hour earlier than planned and was able to get to the hospital sooner than he would have.

Eden is doing well, she has eaten 3 1/2 ounces three times already today and it’s only 4:30pm. That is exactly where the doctors want her to be so far. God is good. All the time.