Tuesday of this week was loooooong.
I'm doing my best to take advantage of the nurse being here until the end of August so I'm in a bit of hyper-overdrive when it comes to getting ready for our "new life" with homeschooling two students and two little girls.
So here's a bit how of our Tuesday went:
Ellie was fussy and warm, fever/cold/bug?
She could not keep her food down - she threw up multiple times a day, in fact...her "out" (weighing of diapers and towels in which she vomited) was greater than her "in".
In the middle of handwriting, science, math, art, grammar and all the other stuff we were doing, I had an epiphany that maybe there's another option to feed her that's higher calorie so the volume would be less on days when she can't tolerate her feedings well.
So the nurse got on it and there IS an option! It's 1.5 calories per milliliter instead of 1 which is what we've been giving her alllllll along, including fortifying my milk to 30 calories per ounce (30 mls in one ounce - are you in the mood for some math this morning??!!). So it's Pediasure, you've all heard of that right?! They make a milk that's for tube feeding AND oral feeding which is even MORE exciting (so exciting, I MUST use caps!) because it can not only go in her tube, but yesterday when I smelled it, it smelled like chocolate milk! So I put some on her lips and she licked it and leaned in for more!!
So, putting the cart before the horse like I always do, there is a hope in my heart that one day she could start taking this orally, like really swallowing it (which she is so very far from right now) and that will be the end of the tube!
And better, it's covered by insurance and there were cases ready for us the following day, no charge at all! Of course there were 10 phone calls needed including nutritionist, doctor's approval, insurance - but by the end of Tuesday it was all in motion.
Thanks for your interest in our girl - this is exciting to us that something we give her does not smell like a chemical. Let's see now if this will smell any better coming out the other end. Are you that interested?
