Taking It One Test at a Time

Yesterday, Abigail had her post-op appointment with Dr. Resnick, and we were so thankful to hear that he is happy with how she is healing and doing! He wants to see her again in about three months, once more of the swelling has gone down, so he can see how everything looks after she has had more time to heal.

Today, we had a two-hour appointment with Abigail’s Aerodigestive Team, and they covered a LOT.

GI: They increased Abigail’s feeds because she has continued to lose weight. It was a pretty significant increase, and they are hopeful that with the extra calories, she will start gaining weight fairly quickly. They want us to weigh her in a month and send them her weight so they can see how she is doing.

Pulmonology: They ordered a sweat test for Thursday. She will also be having a trach pressure test, which will simulate what things are like without her trach. This will help them see if her airway is open enough for her to have her trach removed soon. This is something we have been praying and hoping for, so we are definitely praying for good results!

Feeding: Abigail will have a swallow study tomorrow to see how she is swallowing and whether she is still aspirating. If she does well, we can start pushing more oral feeds and slowly begin reducing her G-tube feeds. That would be a HUGE step for Abigail!

The entire team: They also ordered quite a bit of bloodwork for tomorrow to check for a lot of different things. 

Tomorrow, Abigail also has an appointment with Dr. Gallant, who specializes in the salivary glands, to talk about possible next steps for helping with her salivary issues. On Thursday she also has an appointment with the dentist, audiology, and dermatology.

It feels like we have a never-ending list of appointments, tests, and unknowns right now, but we are so thankful for the team of doctors who continue to work together to figure out what Abigail needs.

Please pray for Abigail as she goes through all of these tests and appointments. Pray that she does well with the swallow study, sweat test, trach pressure testing, and bloodwork. Most of all, pray for good results and that we continue moving closer to the day when Abigail can eat more by mouth and be trach-free.