We had a follow-up day at Duke with Dr. H, Carter's surgeon and Nephrology (to check his kidneys). Dr. H thinks he is doing very well. His new conclusion is that the "pouch" on his left side is an abdominal hernia because he can feel bowels poking through. He does not want to discuss the option of a surgical repair for at least 6 months, until Carter is bigger and stronger. I hate the thought of another surgery. Riley will be returning to Duke in 6 months to see Dr. H for another surgery, so maybe we can plan for them to be roomies again!
Carter's blood pressure is still running high, so we're staying on the Clonidine for now. We'll see them again for a follow-up in 3 months in the hopes that he outgrows the blood pressure issues. He had a kidney u/s which showed left hydronephrosis (enlarged left kidney). He also had a cystogram/voiding to check for reflux from his bladder back into his kidneys. We were so proud of him during this test b/c he had to be stripped naked, taped to a board with his arms over his head and they inserted a catheter to drain the urine from his bladder. Then, contrast was used to fill his bladder and they took repeated xrays to look for reflux. Thankfully, none was found and his kidneys and bladder look to be working well! Whew! When discharged, he had a grade 1-2 reflux, so we're so happy he's outgrown it. He looked so pitiful strapped to the table, but he didn't even cry. I can't believe how much he puts up with and just goes right along with it.
He's still vomiting a lot and the past few days, it's been with almost every feed. Dr. H said that the culprit could actually be the Reglan he's on for reflux b/c it increases the rate food moves through the stomach, but it doesn't actually make the stomach empty the correct way. We have an email in to Dr. Malcolm to discuss a trial of no Reglan.
OT is going well. Leah is fantastic and she's been able to get him to take about 30 mLs while awake. She has lots of great ideas for getting him to eat and we'll soon be trying rice cereal, with the hope that he'll take solids from a spoon better than liquids from a bottle.
PT says he's right on track developmentally. He's sitting up with support, holding his head up, rolling over, grasping things, bringing things mid-line and to his mouth, laughs and recognizes familiar faces, and has very good head control. He's also "talking" up a storm with baby babbles.
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