Pyloric Stenosis

**UPDATE**

It's NOT Pyloric Stenosis. The ultrasound tech and the radiologist both looked at the films and NEITHER saw anything out of the ordinary!! PRAISE GOD! So, we're going to stay on the Zantac and go back hopefully only one more time to Dr. Young tomorrow at 3:15 and then see Dr. Hinders at 8:20 Monday morning!!

On the bright side - NOT ONE SPIT UP (well...not one major spit up like it has been) since yesterday afternoon! So, maybe the Zantac is working!!

At first I was still scared that the tech/radiologist was wrong, but now, after one more successful feeding, I think we might be headed in the right direction!!! Keep praying that God will keep us safe and watch over us like He already has!!!

Thanks for the prayers - they worked!!!

And now...off for a nap!!
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So, I'm sure the entire 5 of you that read this blog are interested in what Dr. #2 out of 2 had to say. Here it is.

He is afraid...no, that's not it...nervous...no, that's not right...concerned that Malachi might have a condition called Pyloric Stenosis. If you click on the name it'll take you to a page that explains pretty much the symptoms we've got.

We are awaiting a call from the pediatrician this morning to let us know what time our ultrasound is scheduled today and as soon as the ultrasound is finished, it'll confirm/deny our suspicions.

Now, onto the not so technical part of this post. THIS STINKS!! (I'm going to change my language from s*cks to stinks since my little one will one day be reading this blog and that's NOT the kind of language I will condone...haha...I know, leave it to me to teach him a lesson even when he's facing surgery!!) When he first became constipated and started spitting up a lot, I immediately googled those two symptoms, 'cause I can diagnose my own kid right? The first thing that popped up was Pyloric Stenosis. Even after reading through it, I kept coming back to where it says the condition usually starts in babies around 3 weeks of age. So, even though I didn't blow it off, and it remained in the back of my mind this entire time, I kept telling myself that the Dr. would've mentioned it and that he was probably too old for this to be the issue. After we got the whole constipation issue out of the way, I really expected to see an improvement (immediately) of his spitting up. When that didn't happen, I really had a hard time because I knew I would have to call the Dr. again. Per my previous posts, I'm sure you can figure out how I felt about that. However, I went ahead and got him into the chiropractor and the pediatrician just in case the awesome chiropractor couldn't fix it!!

Off to the Dr. again at 4:45 yesterday afternoon. It had already been a long day by then so I was very thankful that Lolli and Daddy were there with me. After telling the Dr. what was happening, I really felt like he started to listen. I just told him that something wasn't right and that I didn't understand the sudden change from being fine to all of this. That's when the proverbial lightbulb went off in his head (finally) and he began to explain what it was we might be facing. As soon as he said Pyloric Stenosis my heart sunk. While Lolli and Daddy looked at him like, "What did you just say?" I knew what it was. He noted that the gradual nature of the changes, accompanied with the symptoms pointed to this diagnosis. But, he wanted to do the least invasive method of determining if that's what it was. I don't think it had hit me yet. The Dr. also put him on Zantac twice a day to see if it is just REALLY bad reflux. Although, I don't think he thinks that's what it is. Lolli then told the Dr. that I was beginning to feel badly about calling his office all of the time and he reassured me that this was the only way he would know that something was wrong. He explained (and it makes perfect sense) that you have to rule out a lot before you jump to something like this. That makes me feel better because, as Lolli pointed out to me this morning when I was reading her the symptoms and signs, they wouldn't have listened to me 3 weeks ago that this is what I thought he might have.

Back to last night...after the Dr.'s appointment we went to Babies R Us to find Malachi a Thanksgiving onesie (turns out it might be good fortune that they didn't have one, he might not be able to wear one) and Lolli wanted to look at PJs for her 3 grandchildren. It's going to be her tradition since we'll be spending the night with her. All the grandkids will open their PJs Christmas Eve and wear them at Lolli's house and wake up in them together every year!! (Sorry, I digress, I just want to have a good account of what's going on when I look back on this!) Then, we went to look at pictures that cousins Kadi and Karter had made, then we had Dinner and it was back home for the evening. I had been feeling sick so Daddy made me take 2 hydrocodones so I could sleep. And, I did! It was great!

This morning, however, I woke up and the reality of the situation set in. My baby could be having surgery TODAY. Even the Dr. pointed out that any surgery on a child is major surgery. Do I know that there are good Doctors here? YES Do I know that Dr. Young is one of the (if not THE) best pediatrician in Amarillo? YES (even though I've bad mouthed him some, it wasn't his fault that they didn't jump to this diagnosis and that was unfair of me) Do I know that Daddy and I serve an awesome God who orchestrated all of this and knows the outcome and what Malachi will be used for in the future? YES YES YES!! Am I sitting here holding back tears because I'm still scared that my baby might be having surgery? YES But, that leads me to the more important issues...Am I thankful that this DIDN'T happen when he was 3 weeks old like it does in most babies? YES (That could be because we had him on the most gentle formula there is since then and it's just now developing because he's just now having to USE his stomach muscles to digest the real stuff he's been given) Am I thankful that I have such an awesome support system around me and Daddy to help get us through? YES Am I thankful that this could be (probably) happening over the Thanksgiving holidays so we don't have to take off work for him to recover? YES Am I thankful that after surgery, he could go home in as little as 48 hours and be recovering perfectly? YES Am I thankful that we paid attention and that he's NOT dehydrated like so often accompanies this illness? YES YES Am I looking forward to post surgery with him and having my sweet, happy baby back? YES YES YES!!!!! Am I looking forward to how he's going to take off with his eating and probably a lot of other things since he won't be hurting anymore? YES!!

Do I realize I might be jumping the gun? Sure, but I don't think I am. I feel like this is probably where we're headed, so I'm rested, rejuvenated and ready to fulfill the next part of the life that God has set Malachi up to live! Even if it means jumping over a few hurdles now and then. I know that one day we'll look back on these blogs and say, OH YEAH, remember when...?? I know that Malachi will NOT remember any of this, which I am eternally grateful for. Most importantly, I have a peace (that passes all understanding) that God knows what He's doing and He'll watch over my sweet baby through the next steps of whatever is wrong with him.

What I need from everyone who is reading this is to please pray that we'll continue to be strong and that if Malachi does need surgery that his Doctors are well rested and prepared for the day they don't even know they might have coming. (Or, at least that they stayed in a Holiday Inn last night...haha, remember the commercials???) http://www.youtube.com/watch?

So, at the end of this post, all I ask is that you pray that if he does have this condition, he will make it through surgery quickly and come out as good as...well...he was 3-4 weeks ago! If not, I pray that you will give Dr. Young the wisdom to give us the answer as to what next?? Pray that God will wrap his arms around me and Daddy and give us strength that only He can! Pray that Malachi will be okay until we get all of this figured out! Just PRAY dang it!!

I'll update as soon as I know something!