Saturday, June 7, 2008

Tummy troubles are not our friend



We made the trek to Shands from Monday to Wednesday. She had all of the routine labs drawn, and they hooked up her "skull cap" (the EEG wires on her head). This time around, I could tell she was REALLY irritated by the wires. I have no doubt they left her head feeling itchy all day and night.





As usual, she performed well for the cameras.



We also managed to get a consult arranged with the GI doc. I have been very concerned about the amount of gagging and vomiting she has been doing with each seizure. One of my greatest fears is her aspirating and it developing into pneumonia. We discussed everything under the sun and decided we should begin testing to rule out any major GI issues. I think the first test will be an upper GI (to look for obstructions). If that test is normal, then they move on to a motility study. Depending on those results, we may try the antibiotic erythromycin (to help facilitate digestion), or move on to another test. We need to rule out any potential obstructions and make sure her Nissen is still intact. She seems to be refluxing more and it's either the diet getting to her or something else. Whatever the case, IT'S STRESSING ME OUT!!! Today, she had another gagging/vomiting episode. To rule out g-tube issues, I changed her current, fairly new AMT mini-button, to the Mic-Key g-tube she used in the past. We'll see if that produces any positive results. The only thing I can really say for certain is that it seems the tube is getting blocked internally by mucous, which in turn causes the vomiting and gagging. It does not, however, explain the extra seizure activity. :( She takes Zyrtec daily for possible allergies, so I can't say for sure if that is the cause. It is probably more likely the high amounts of oil she is provided with at each meal.

I'm definitely not in any rush to go back up there, but I am a bit irritated with the GI clinic for not calling with the scheduled tests. Whenever we go, cross your fingers and toes we figure something out!

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Our peanut in a nutshell...

Hi everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog. My name is Jade and I am currently 8 years old. I have a big sister and a big brother whom I love very very much.

I have a very rare neurological disorder that isn't even named yet! It is a genetic mutation called CDKL5. It is considered a variant of Rett Syndrome and presently, I am only one of around 600 or so children in the world documented to have this mutation. Each child is unique in that his or her symptoms vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, I am one of those children who is affected much more severely than most of the kids.

Some of the problems I face include:

Reflux (in October 2006, I had surgery to have a Nissen Fundoplication done and to have a gastrostomy tube inserted for feedings). As of March 2012, I have a GJ tube for continuous feeds.

I am hypotonic - I have virtually no muscle tone and I find it difficult to even hold my head up on my own.

I have cortical vision impairment - my brain doesn't process the images it sees. Sometimes I see off to the side, sometimes, my vision is shuttered, sometimes I don't have any vision at all. The doctors and my Mom and Dad don't really know how or what I see because I can't tell them.

I cannot talk nor communicate with gestures.

I cannot walk, nor will I ever walk.

I grind my teeth. So much so, that some loosen during seizures.

I cannot grasp objects or use my hands for the simplest of tasks.

I cannot sit on my own. I can, however, sort of roll over from side to side.

I am choreoathetoid. I cannot control the jerky movements my arms and legs make.

I have life-threatening seizures every day. This is my greatest challenge.

So, now that you have gotten to know me, please feel free to take a stroll around my blog. Some of it you read may seem depressing, horrible, unfathomable, and downright crazy. But, this is my life.

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