Blindsided

We've had some new developments with Emma this week.  We've been worried lately about Emma's nissen and whether or not it was still intact.  Over the last few months, she seems to have been struggling with reflux again and has had some other symptoms that have caused concern.  So, feeling like over-paranoid parents, we scheduled a check up with the doctor that performed her nissen surgery.  Anytime there is concern about a nissen being intact they schedule an upper GI to see what's going on inside.  During the procedure (while we pinned her down) the radiologist was telling me that he didn't think the nissen was still intact.  Shortly after, we met with Dr. Downey, her surgeon.  He was quite surprised by what her film showed and explained that her stomach was "HUGE" as he put it.  So big he couldn't even see her nissen, which is probably why the radiologist thought it wasn't there.  We don't exactly know for sure what is going on yet, but the doctor thinks there is a good chance that this might be a complication of her diabetes called gastroparesis (partial paralysis of the stomache).  He thinks that maybe what we're seeing is in fact reflux, but probably caused by backed up food in her stomache and that the nissen is probably still intact and the reflux is just happening up through her nissen.  He's never personally seen this on a child before, but thinks there is a good chance of it because of all of her other issues she has going on.  There are other possiblities, too.  It looks like there is a good chance she will be having a G-tube put in.  Fortunately it won't be for feeding her, but more of a means to vent her stomache of trapped air.  He put a rush on additional testing which is why we spent the afternoon of Halloween at Primary's.  They did a digestion study which shows if she digests food normally.  They fed her some radioactive egg and then watched it in her belly for an hour to see how quickly it passed.  Supposedly, anything that comes back under 35% is normal.  Hopefully we'll find out soon....