Still waiting...

You've been in a hospital too long when...

*The prepackaged muffins in the hospitality basket are like gold
*You greet the doctors in a towel-head
*Half a building's been built next door in the time you've been there
*Your idea of "getting out" is walking across the street
*You've learned the names of each ultrasound technician
*You go down to the milk bank and pump in your p.j.'s
*You hear monitors beeping even though it's really silent
*Hospital food doesn't taste "that bad" anymore
*You start making up nicknames for the doctors
*You associate the interns with characters off scrubs or greys anatomy
*Your back hurts from playing the WII
*You know more doctors than the nurses do
*You are thrilled about renting a VHS version of Liar, Liar
*You start using words like "stat"
*Your entertainment for the night is getting stuck in an elevator
*You consider 4 hours without interruptions a "good night's sleep"
*The most exciting part of your 4th of July is the view of the downtown fireworks
*You think you can diagnose your son better than anyone else can...

Pray we're right. Pray it's just reflux that doesn't require anything invasive (like surgery).
So far since my last update they've done an abdomen ultrasound including the kidneys, liver, pancreas, galbladder and bladder. All were normal.

They ran an organic culture on his stool to check for any milk allergies. We've yet to hear those results.

The EKG on his heart was normal. They did, however feel it is necessary for an echo cardiogram since his little murmur still peeps it's head up when they give a listen.

They are infusing my pumped milk with a high cal, preemie soy-based formula, and I'm cutting all dairy from my diet until we hear if he's allergic to milk or not. We give him the fortified bottles twice a day, as an added supplement to the nursing. Especially since we think he's not eating as much as he wants to because of how he feels.

Today they are talking about a possible swallow study. This is THE REASON we came here. We feel this is Will's biggest obstacle to overcome....swallowing properly without any reflux involved. It affects his eating and sleeping, and the boy's gotta grow! Pray for favor that they are able to perform this test sooner than later. The weekends usually mean wasted time getting nothing done (especially on a holiday weekend), and we would love for Will to feel better soon!

The occupational therapist has been coming by daily to work with Will on his suck, and on his arching. She placed an "X" of kinese tape over his tummy to encourage him to use his stomach muscles more and tuck his chin and arms when he lifts up, or when trying to raise his head from a lying position. IMMEDIATELY we saw a change in him! Although he still tries to arch after he eats (because he is still refluxing), he is no longer doing it continuously. I wanted to cry! They've added Maalox to his reflux regime and are using a liquid compound of his Prevacid that really seems to make a difference in him. This morning he just played and played on his back, talking to his toys and acting like he already feels better.

Thank you for your support and love. We have a direct phone line and private room if you want to see the little man. There are no certain visiting hours either. Pray for wisdom for the doctors, and sanity for us :) We're tired, but willing to stick this out until we resolve the underlying issues of Will's weight gain, comfort and health. He hasn't been able to gain much weight here in the hospital, since a lot of these tests require an empty stomach, and then with emergency's that come up in the ER we get pushed back sometimes a few hours longer....so pray for him to GROW GROW GROW! Even though our schedule is crazy here, we're believing we will have answers soon.