Brooke's Surgery
Brooke has had quite an unexpected start to her life.
On August 21, Brooke had surgery. It was a pretty scary experience.
A few weeks prior to the surgery, Brooke began throwing up a lot; so much that she would soak her clothes, her blankets, and us. It seemed like she couldn't keep anything down. She was miserable; crying frequently, she seemed just plain miserable. She was also choking regularly and Eric and I needed to us to use the bulb syringe multiple times to help her. This has been one of the most frightening parts of being a parent so far.
Brooke was also having trouble sleeping through the night; most likely due to the choking and consistent throwing up. I've been so afraid that she would choke in her sleep that she hasn't used her crib yet at all. She's slept every night propped up in her bouncy chair next to our bed. There were several nights when I just sat up and held her on the couch or in our bed because I was afraid she would choke. Those nights I only slept a few hours; too focused on watching Brooke instead.
Eric and I spoke to Brooke's pediatrician and he changed her formula to Similac Sensitive, but that didn't seem to help at all. Her pediatrician also prescribed a medicine for acid reflux, but that really didn't seem to change anything either. Brooke's throwing up and choking just did not get any better. I then called the doctor's office and let them know that Brooke wasn't any better and her doctor scheduled an ultrasound for Wednesday, August 20th.
Eric had to work on Wednesday, so my mom went to Brooke's appointment with me.
During the ultrasound, Brooke was very calm and the technician was able to get very clear pictures of Brooke's stomach. The ultrasound results were sent to our doctor's office. I was instructed to call the office about ten minutes or so after the images were sent over to see what the pediatrician wanted to do.
During the ultrasound, Brooke was very calm and the technician was able to get very clear pictures of Brooke's stomach. The ultrasound results were sent to our doctor's office. I was instructed to call the office about ten minutes or so after the images were sent over to see what the pediatrician wanted to do.
The diagnosis was pyloric stenosis; a condition in which the muscle that connects the stomach to the intestines is too narrow and will not allow milk to pass through to the intestines, this condition causes the inability to digest food and the projectile vomiting. At Brooke's one-month appointment, her pediatrician mentioned pyloric stenosis as a possibility; however, the reason it wasn't named as the most likely culprit is because 99% of the time it is found in first-born, white males. Clearly, not Brooke. I guess we can certainly say that she is a unique baby.
The cure is surgery.
The pediatrician told us to take Brooke to St. Vincent's so she could be prepared for surgery. I called Eric, as well as my in-laws and other family members, to inform them of what was happening.
Brooke was so tiny and scrawny just before her surgery.
At St. Vincent's, Brooke was evaluated and her electrolyte levels were not what the anesthesiologist wanted to see, so her surgery was postponed until the next day. If the levels are too high or too low, she could have trouble waking up from anesthesia; so we were more than willing to wait until the levels returned to where they needed to be. The biggest issue was she hadn't eaten since 6 a.m. on Wednesday and she couldn't have anything until after her surgery on Thursday around noon. Eric and I stayed the night with Brooke at the hospital while Isaac spent the night with Nanner and Big Guy. I can safely say that our night in the ER was extremely difficult. Brooke was, understandably, inconsolable. She was in miserable and hungry, with no idea what was causing her pain. Eric and I tried to rock her and comfort her, but nothing really worked. The nursing staff was wonderful; they were able to dip her pacifiers in a sweet liquid to stave her pangs off a bit, and it did help. They also took Brooke to the nurse's station for a short time. At this point I'd been up the previous two nights; holding Brooke on the couch through the night, afraid to lay her down.
On Thursday morning, a nurse took Brooke back to draw blood on and her labs came back normal, so the surgery was set for noon. By the time Brooke went back to surgery, it was 1 o'clock. It was a quick surgery; over in about 30 minutes. Everything went well. As soon as Brooke woke up, Eric and I were allowed to go back and hold her. I climbed up on the hospital bed and cuddled her and after about 15 minutes or so, we were heading back up to her room. She was able to have formula immediately. I am still amazed by how quickly she was able to eat; I imagined it would take time to get her stomach settled down, or healed enough, to accept food, but she was able to eat right away and she kept her milk down. She was able to eat 2 ounces and when it was clear that she could keep the milk down, she could have 2 1/2 ounces. As each feeding stayed in her stomach, she could have another 1/2 ounce. Brooke spit up a very small amount, more like a baby normally does, and nothing like she did before her surgery. Mom and Dad were able to come up and see her as well as Nanner and Big Guy. They were all amazed at how well she was doing, how quickly she was able to eat, and how calm she seemed.
She had to stay in the hospital Thursday night as well; Eric and I both stayed with her again while Isaac spent the night with Nammie and Papaw this time. On Friday, at about 11 a.m., she was discharged and we were on our way home. She continues to do very well. Minor spit-ups and, thank God, no more choking!
She is an amazing girl.
She just had her two-month check up and she now weighs 11 pounds 2 ounces. Compare that to her 7 1/2 pound weigh-in at one month and there is quite a difference.
I am so very thankful that God has allowed modern medical advancements to encompass the knowledge we now have. It is now possible for this condition to be diagnosed and treated quickly and relatively easily. Brooke had surgery and was drinking fluids within an hour of waking up. She recovered quickly and has not had any problems with gaining weight since her surgery. Decades ago, there were children who did not survive this condition; surgery was simply not a reliable option. I thank God that surgery was an option for Brooke and that she is healed!
On Thursday morning, a nurse took Brooke back to draw blood on and her labs came back normal, so the surgery was set for noon. By the time Brooke went back to surgery, it was 1 o'clock. It was a quick surgery; over in about 30 minutes. Everything went well. As soon as Brooke woke up, Eric and I were allowed to go back and hold her. I climbed up on the hospital bed and cuddled her and after about 15 minutes or so, we were heading back up to her room. She was able to have formula immediately. I am still amazed by how quickly she was able to eat; I imagined it would take time to get her stomach settled down, or healed enough, to accept food, but she was able to eat right away and she kept her milk down. She was able to eat 2 ounces and when it was clear that she could keep the milk down, she could have 2 1/2 ounces. As each feeding stayed in her stomach, she could have another 1/2 ounce. Brooke spit up a very small amount, more like a baby normally does, and nothing like she did before her surgery. Mom and Dad were able to come up and see her as well as Nanner and Big Guy. They were all amazed at how well she was doing, how quickly she was able to eat, and how calm she seemed.
She had to stay in the hospital Thursday night as well; Eric and I both stayed with her again while Isaac spent the night with Nammie and Papaw this time. On Friday, at about 11 a.m., she was discharged and we were on our way home. She continues to do very well. Minor spit-ups and, thank God, no more choking!
She is an amazing girl.
She just had her two-month check up and she now weighs 11 pounds 2 ounces. Compare that to her 7 1/2 pound weigh-in at one month and there is quite a difference.
I am so very thankful that God has allowed modern medical advancements to encompass the knowledge we now have. It is now possible for this condition to be diagnosed and treated quickly and relatively easily. Brooke had surgery and was drinking fluids within an hour of waking up. She recovered quickly and has not had any problems with gaining weight since her surgery. Decades ago, there were children who did not survive this condition; surgery was simply not a reliable option. I thank God that surgery was an option for Brooke and that she is healed!
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