SERIOUS STUFF

Hey everyone. The reason I have been (uncharacteristically) quiet is that we had to take the wee munchkin into hospital on Tuesday. She had a LOT of blue spells on Monday, was grizzly and off her food and vomiting and we thought she might have a bug or be refluxing again. We have been there since, and while we were expecting them to say that her stomach wrap would need to be tightened and that she had a bug, we were not expecting the subject of a feeding tube in her stomach to be brought up! However, very long story short is: The doctors believe that feeding Kaitlin orally at the moment is life threatening for her as she seems to be struggling to co-ordinate her breathing and swallowing. The biggest threat to Kaitlin's life is that she will breathe food into her lungs, get pneumonia and end up on life support or die. This is common with cerebral palsy and they think it is only luck really that this hasn't happened yet considering how she feeds. Sometimes she eats perfectly, but sometimes she just doesnt cope. Unfortunately we would have benefitted greatly from a speech and language therapist to teach us how to teach Kaitlin to eat, but there is not one down here until September. So....after agonising and researching and discussing with specialists, talking to other parents and weighing up pros and cons, we have reluctantly made the decision for Kaitlin to have an operation to put a tube in her tummy to put medicine through, and to put food through ONLY on the days she is not coping or when she is sick. Another reason for doing this is that every time she gets a cold or is unwell, we are unable to get food and fluid into her and we end up in hospital on a drip. The problem with this is that she has had so many needles in her short life that they are simply running out of sites to put a needle, and it is traumatic and painful for our wee girl. With a feeding tube, even if she is unwell we can keep her well nourished and hydrated at home. No hospital, no needles. Anyway, thats just a brief summary. They have sent me home tonight to have a rest. Kaitlin and I are flying into CHCH on Monday with a nurse escort and she has surgery on Tuesday . We will then stay on to party with the rellies as planned when she has recovered and fly home to Southland on the 17th unless she has complications. Wish us Luck, and can't wait to see some of you soon!