Cincinnati, Round 5

Day 2: The results show: Well, the plans, they are a changin'. His FEES (aspiration test) went... Okay. He's showing some improvement in that he's not aspirating on his secretions, it seems. They gave him some volume of green dyed milk (it was only about 2 mLs, but that's the most he's ever had!) and it didn't end up in his lungs, YAY! He did not, however, show a swallow. That's the silly part, because we know he has to swallow, he doesn't have any drool or bubbles while he sleeps. He CAN do it, for some reason he just doesn't. When the doctor looked in his airway he called it crowded, which is probably fair with the malformation that is in there. There seems to be some damage to some of the structures on the right side, but to what extent it's impossible to know from that test. He's going to have us do some at home tests to hopefully prove he's not aspirating on his saliva. So, all in all, mixed. We had a video swallow study planned for Wednesday but the doc rightfully cancelled it, Micah can't handle enough contrast dye to make that study work.

His MRI proved to be a little different than planned. We thought it was going to be under sedation, but it was anesthesia instead. We got there at 2, he went back to the MRI room at 3:30, and didnt get out until just before 6. That was a LOT longer than we planned. He handled the anesthesia like a pro (he always has). The nurse said when she picked him up and put him on the bed in the recovery room, he popped his eyes wide open and was ticked off. (No milk since 8, no pedialyte since noon... I'd be ticked too!)

Preview for tomorrow: He has an upper GI, to hopefully find out what on earth is going on in that tummy of his. We also have a meeting to hear about what the doc found on the MRI, his plans for getting rid of the mass inside his airway Thursday, and his ultimate plans to get rid of the mass on the outside in the future.

Long day today, not quite as long tomorrow.

Day 2: Tests: The FEES and MRI. We will know the results of the FEES as it happens. Last time he had this test, he was about 3 weeks old. He failed it miserably.... We are hoping to see at least a little improvement. The test itself is only a few minutes, but the process can take much longer. The MRI will be about an hour, but he has to have sedation :( so it'll take all afternoon. We won't know anything until tomorrow.

Day 1 went well. We got moved in to our (not suprisingly) nice room at the. Ronald McDonald house. It's kind of fun, because the person we got to know best that was staying here is also here now! Micah didn't sleep too well last night, but maybe that'll mean he will take good naps today.... One can hope