The Mitchells: GI update

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

GI update

We saw the GI doctor this morning. He is concerned that the feeding button has caused Ella to now have reflux. There is an endoscopy scheduled for Thursday morning at 8:15am...in FAR north Plano. This is set up to check and see if she has any ulcers in her stomach or intestines. They are also going to see if the "button" is functioning correctly on the inside. If there is a problem with the button then they will just replace it with a different type of device. The ulcers can possibly be treated. If it's not either of those, or anything else that they can identify, then we will be scheduled for the dreaded Nissen Fundoplication. The biggest part that concerns us is that this surgery is pretty intense and not reversible. If we are recommended the Nissen then we will have the surgery after we get back from San Diego.

Please pray for the test on Thursday, that it shows the doctor exactly what needs to be done. Pray for the decisions that we have to make. They are not easy, even with doctors telling us what "needs" to be done.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: You are in the test as I write this, and I pray for sweet Ella and her doctors...and for Ella's wonderful parents.
I love you
Mom/Mimi; 7:38 AM

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Ella's Story

Elizabeth "Ella" Hope Mitchell was born on May 10, 2006 at 3:45pm...by 5am the following morning the whole world turned upside down. The doctors came in to inform us that while Ella had been resting in the Newborn Nursery, she began to have irregular breathing and seizures. It was touch and go for the next 3 days. We were told several times that she probably would not make it alive through the ordeal. She had contracted Group Beta Strep which had resulted in meningitis. Due to the seizures and the infection we had no idea what the long-term effects would be. After Ella spent a long and trying month in the NICU we came home to see where the effects of her illness had left us all.

A few months later, almost a year, we had an official long-term diagnosis...Ella has Cerebral Palsy. She is a happy and loving child. She struggles with physical delays, cognitive delays and all sorts of things that have come and go.

2-eye surgeries to correct lazy eye
3-EEG's to check for siezures
5-MRI/MRV/MRA to check actual brain damage
3-CT scans for brain stuff
1-G-button/feeding tube surgically put in (and then Ella removed herself)
10 (approx)-Swallow Studies
1-Scoliosis Study
2-Kidney Reflux tests
2-Upper GI tests
1-24 hr reflux test
8-hearing tests
countless UTI tests
seemingly a million developmental tests
a hand splint
bath chair
adaptive stroller/wheelchair
stander
gait trainer
AFO's

ha, not to mention all of the therapist...currently: OT 2X/week, PT 3X/week (2 land, 1 horse), ST 3X/week (2 oral motor, 1 speech), develomental 1X/week, vision 2x/month, and we are about to start ACCDAT camp.

As of 4/8/2009.