alrighty, we are back!!! ~ paul and i can’t thank you enough for all of the prayers and well wishes that you have sent our way over the past week…. after 5 full days and 4 nights in the hospital, we are home, which is absolutely wonderful. jackson is doing well and has been through the ringer in terms of tests, so seeing his goofy smile these days is just great. after his successful endoscopy yesterday morning, we have been told that the best treatment for his reflux right now is to continue with his new medication in the hopes that it combats all of the acid in his stomach, allowing him to eat and fully satisfy his hunger. so far so good… he is on a very strict “tough love” schedule, purposely stretching the amount of time in between each feeding in order to make sure that his stomach is reteaching him to feel hunger. this too should help him to eat successfully at each feeding.
a lot of questions have been asked as to why we didn’t simply change his formula… “maybe he just needs a new taste to whet his appetite…” easier said than done, my friends. we are very limited in terms of jackson’s formula to begin with due to his allergy situation. he must be on hypoallergenic formula and there are only 2 options for that. the only difference between those two formulas is the equivalent of the difference between coke and pepsi. the speech therapist spoke with us about how they have flavored formulas in the past for kids… the outcome in that case is that you can only trick kids for so long before they catch on. believe me, paul and i would LOVE it if it were as easy as changing his formula… after 4 months of battling with jackson to eat, it’s a little bigger of an issue than just a formula change.
as of now, with the combination of medication and jackson’s “tough love” schedule, he is taking on an average 5 ounces at each feeding with 5 to 6 feedings each day. granted we’re on day 3 of this and have a lot of work ahead of us, but so far so good. the burping after feedings is HUGE as it has always been. since jackson fights each feeding (which is improving but not totally gone yet) he takes in a lot of air. he has to be upright for a full hour after each feeding to relieve his stomach of all the air he takes in during each feeding.
we do have follow up appointments scheduled for next week with both his pediatrician and his GI specialist. the pictures we took of our hospital stay will make you laugh and make you tear up… it has been a loooooong few days but we are thrilled to have a plan and to have our little magoo get some relief. please keep up the prayers!!! we love you all and are so appreciative.