Today, the first day of June, finds us still in hospital. We are attempting to get Joshua back up to full strength feeds (right now he's taking half pedialyte, half elemental formula.) He was doing great over the past few days on just Pedialyte, but today the tides seem to be turning. His GI is focused on the amount of fluid that seems to be hanging around in Joshua's gut. It's pretty funny to see that great, extremely intelligent doctor do his slosh test. With his hands around Joshua's mid section he shakes him gently back and forth to listen for an overabundance of residual fluid.
He called this afternoon to see how Joshua was doing on the more concentrated formula and literally asked me to shake his belly and let him know if I could hear anything! Unfortunately, Joshua didn't pass the "slosh test!" But, the good doctor has had some ideas and I'm anxious to see them in action.
Once again, trial and error, trial and error!
We're thinking now that for some reason his digestive tract when fed with nutrition is actually pulling water away from the intestinal walls. It's depleting Joshua's body of even more fluid than normal, leaving him more dehydrated while taking in feeds than when not. We'll know more after some further testing.
But in the meantime, I expect there to be a whole lot of shakin' goin' on!
Dana...when the slosh test is being performed you must teach Joshua to kick a stool away from the piano, hoist one foot upon the keys and continue to smile and sing as there's a "whole lotta shakin' goin' on! Then "easy now, shake, shake, shake...bring it on down a little shake, shake shake" lol You certainly know how to add a bright note in your posts from a hospital room! Give that sweet little man a hug all the way from Deadwood and tell him we love him and to quieten down that "sloshin' belly" Love to both of you...speedy answers and recovery!
ReplyDeleteThis is the bravest little boy I have ever met, he is in my prayers,I thank God for putting him in my church family, he is such a blessing
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