TMI or Not Enough?

So, yeah, it's been a while. Since last month I've been up to my eyeballs planning my 20th high school reunion. We had so much fun, but, as with most things that I plan, I do think I enjoy the planning/production a whole bunch more than the actual events. No knock on these events at all, it's just like me. Maybe it's something about living in the present versus the future. Anti-ci-pa-a-tion . . .

I'll write more about the reunion once I've really processed it, and as to VeeGee's birthday plans, that's another reason I've been away from here. K and I have been working our booties off in our yard to get ready for A BIRTHDAY PARTY, to which we've invited as many of our friends as we can afford so that we'll be surrounded by people that love US, and value our parenthood of VeeGee. I hope everyone comes!

And in other news:

We had a fun day yesterday! I was driving on the interstate (70mph) and looked in the rearview mirror to see VeeGee turning blue/purple/red and coughing. I knew she'd been playing with a ring of mine, but I never worry about her putting anything, much less a ring, in her mouth, so I let her play. Anyway, I pulled over PRONTO (god help me!) and she started to calm down a bit. I asked her if she swallowed my ring and she said she had. Of course, with a typical kid, you just know you'll be digging through poop for the next few days. But not us, huh?!

I called her pediatrician and let them know that I was first and foremost concerned because of her nissen. Wouldn't want the ring stuck in her esophagus. And then, second, because she doesn't poop. I didn't know if I should give her an enema or what - if that would be bad if there was something "extra" in there. The, of course, said to get to the hospital (45 min. away from where I was).

At this point she seemed fine, so I knew it wasn't in her throat (her otolaryngologist/plastic surgeon would have had a COW if I'd messed up the most recent surgery!!!!!), but still concerned about the other two possibilities. We did the X-rays (lots of fun holding down a terrified kiddo) and, guess what, they found NO RING!!!! Yay.

Except, the doctor (not her regular ped) came in very very concerned and said, "Do you know she's constipated?" I laugh to keep from cryin' ya know? But, she'd actually had two smallish poops this week, so I had not intended to do an enema (she's always distended looking, so that's hard to go by). Long story short (ha!), she was FULL of poop - like up to her lungs it looked like. Crazy. And awful.

When I said the GI was looking at the possibility of Hirschprung's, he nodded, and said, "Yep, that's what I was thinking." Great.

So, we're bumping up the suction biopsy/sigmoidoscopy to July 7th.

I feel really sad that she's so full, but she doesn't seem to notice anything. Oh, and we came straight home and, of course, did an enema. Almost nothing came out.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Not so fast . . .

So, just when I thought we were not going to be putting VeeGee under general anesthesia for a while, her GI had decided that he really needs to do a suction biopsy to rule out Hirchsprung's disease. Of course I'm on it like a fly as soon as we get home and, of course it describes everything about VeeGee (chronic FTT, chronic constipation/diarrhea, weight loss . . . .). He also wants to do a scope of her esophagus to see what kind of damage is/has been done with the chronic vomiting (now just retching, of course, but she's getting more and more ick out as time passes).

I am not going to believe or really entertain this dx until/if it's made. I'm betting (hoping) that the issues are more related to the combination of her being the age she is with the temperament that she has plus low tone. But it's still just sobering to know that there are still these hurdles. It's never over. I so frequently think, "We're getting to the end of this. After this surgery, she'll just be a 'normal' kid." I've actually even felt guilty lately when I read about some of my friends who have kids with for real life threatening issues, like, it's not that bad. The tube's no big deal. She's breathing now. Not eating, but . . .

And then I'm reminded that her issues are systemic, permanent and that we may keep discovering facets of them into adulthood.

This is my little thumbs-up girl,
right after surgery this last time.
She's so AMAZING!!!!