Opinions, opinions, opinions

Today we took C to Shands in Gainesville to get a second opinion from a pediatric GI doctor there who is very highly regarded. His office was very good to us and got us an appointment as quickly as they could and today was the day.

Can I just say, traffic right now is just CRAZY. Totally unbelievable how many people were on the interestate today. Holy cow.

Anyway, we met with the GI doctor and he was very nice to us. He listened to what we had to say and did an exam of C. He took well over an hour with us. But....you all did know there was a but coming, didn't you? But, he was not able to really offer us any more answers than what he have already received. We do have a type of plan of action which is what I requested from him but it does include some things we have already done.

So, the following is the breakdown:

1) He did not think the results from the ph probe C had were entirely accurate. He thinks that C does have some reflux. Her reflux may not be as severe but she still has some. He wants us to try the Prevacid again and see how she responds. He does not like the Reglan she was taking before and does not prescribe it at all. He says there are a lot problems with it and it can actually cause vomiting. He thinks the Prevacid will help with the vomiting and emptying. Which brings me to...

2) He thinks she may indeed have some gastric emptying issues. He would like to see a small bowel study (or flow through) test to make sure the food is actually able to go all the way to her colon with no narrowing or obstructions. This could also explain all the noises we hear her little tummy make and the pain that she has when eating.

3) He thinks we may need to try a different formula. This time one that is even more broken down than the Alimentum she is currently on. Plus, these other formulas may taste a little better than the Alimentum. Honestly, I do not think there could possibly be any thing worse than the Alimentum...this stuff smells like dirty, old sweat socks that got stuffed under the bed for months. Horrid. C is now at the age when she is really developing taste so that could be an issue.

4) He is worried about her weight gain as C is now showing a plateau or flat line on her growth chart. As long as she was tracking an upward curve it is not such a big deal (even with minimal gain) but when the curve stops going up there is a big problem. He said he would not go much past another month if C continues with her flat line and no upward curve.

5) And the main thing, he said it really depends on how aggressive we want to be. If we decide that we cannot do what we are doing anymore to feed her and/or her weight gain continues to plateau then we would need to look to do tube feedings.

Sooooooo, all in all pretty much the same stuff we have heard before. When he examined C he thought she still looked pretty good. At least he did not say to just keep doing what we are doing..at least not in so many words. And, the best thing was that he gave us his contact info and told us to call if we have any questions or would like to see him again.

Next step will be to see what C's pediatrician and cardiologist say with all this information from the second opinion. I am thinking that when we see both of them again in 2 weeks we are going to see more forward movement.

I really did not expect to have the GI doctor wave a magic wand and say yep, I can fix her but I guess I was kind of hoping we might get something more. But, at least he was very nice to us and really did want to help us.

Today was very long for all of us...12 hours...with most of that in the car. Poor little C was not exactly sure why she had to sit in her seat for so long. By the last hour she was done. Really, really done. Think we will be staying closer to home from now on :)