As you can see, Gwendolyn had a nice, restful Wednesday. The x-ray results of her chest came back pretty clean so the great lung congestion scare has been put to bed for now. We did have Ear, Nose and Throat come for another scan to ensure that there isn't something that was missed during the initial scan when she was first admitted to the hospital.
They came away from the scan sure that Gwen's current congestion is the result of some combination of acid reflux and/or a virus. Seriously, when they told me that, I had to almost laugh out loud because it was literally like stepping into a time warp to their initial diagnosis... Still, the jaw surgery has pretty much eliminated the low oxygen-blood issues she had been displaying so it isn't like that procedure hasn't worked or wasn't necessary. The E,N & T doctors were surprised that she was ever taken off her Zantac medication to treat the reflux. Ergo, they have recommended that Gwen is put back on it (or maybe even a stronger reflux medication) while we await word on the latest virus culture (which we hope to hear back on Thursday). If the virus test is clear, the reflux is likely the singular culprit of her higher than normal congestion. If there is a virus present, she'll likely be treated for that and still have some sort of reflux medication as well just to cover our bases. The E,N & T also suggested a decongestant be administered around her feedings when she seems to be particularly blocked as it will help her ability to breath through her nose when feeding.
So, maybe the reason the initial reflux medication didn't solve Gwen's issues is because is was only treating a minor problem in terms of the source of her fluid buildup. If you remember, we were told in the beginning that Gwen was likely experiencing the results of a few issues that had teamed together to cause a larger problem as a whole. Instead of the initial back-and-forth about decompression Neurosurgery, it seems like just maybe the major culprit was her jaw recession combined with the looser than typical throat tissue (which was reconfirmed in today's E,N & T scan but still not at a level that causes any major concern) and the reflux.
I'll say this, when I first saw Gwendolyn today, she had a little sparkle in her eye. I can't even really explain what I mean but it was like I could see my daughter's true essence and unadjusted personality for the first time. Between the spina biffida, then the breathing/eating issues, it was almost like she was forced to only put a shell of her true personality out there because of all she was dealing with. Today I was unfortunately only able to spend a little over an hour with her in the hospital. Yet, that hour was the most constantly playful she's been. I attribute it totally to the fact that she's finally getting better and able to relax as opposed to being focused on recovering from her spina biffida surgery or having to deal with her breathing/eating limitations.
Again, I can't really sit here and explain what exactly I mean but I know it was there and I wasn't just imagining it. I guess it was like a veil had been lifted and she just played, interacted, smiled and goofed around with me. It was seriously like a switch had been thrown. After I left the hospital, I was talking with Heather and she felt the exact same way in her time that afternoon with Gwen. To me, that's all I need to see to know that Gwen's on the road to recovery and even though we probably won't have her back home by Turkey Day, we'll have both our girls back together real soon.
Well, I guess I'll go now... Braelyn is starting to stir for her next feeding. Before I do go, I promise to get a Braelyn photo on the blog soon. I feel bad that this has become the "Great Gwendolyn Documentary" but luckily for us, Braelyn has really thrived so I rarely have word on her that requires a time-sensitive update on her well being. Still, I want to be sure that "The Peanut" isn't overshadowed by things because she's obviously just as special as her sister is in my eyes!!!
Until tomorrow...
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