Grandbaby Update

1. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   I'm sure you're all sick of hearing my grandbaby updates, but I really just need to get this out of my system. You may remember that a year ago (almost to the day), one of my new twin grandbabies became critically ill and wound up having major surgery to save her life.
   
   The grandbabies turned 1 year old last Wednesday, and yesterday was their first bday party, with relatives were flying in from all over and everything. Well, instead of heading to the party, my daughter and I wound up taking Cara to the local mini-ER. Five hours after arriving, she was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. At 7:00 this morning, she had another major surgery. Scar tissue had formed from her surgery last year, and it blocked her intestines completely. They did what they could to remove the scar tissue, but she had to have six inches of her intestines removed. She is recuperating as we speak, and I hope that she is able to go home by the weekend.
   
   Cara hasn't had anything to eat or drink since Friday evening, and we can't give her anything until at least Tuesday. Once the anesthesia and morphine wears off, this feisty little baby is going to give us a run for our money looking for food and drink. Any suggestions?

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   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      (((Hugs))).
      
      The only thing I can suggest is chocolate.
      
      My little niece was born with malformed heart and had to have a huge (9 hour) operation when she was a tiny bub.  She was in intensive care for several days after the op.
      
      The surgeon told my sister to feed her chocolate after every meal, as much as she would eat.  It worked, though you can imagine what fun we had - chocolate all over everything...

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   2. 72

      thisisoliposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I recently had surgery in that kind of region, and for the days following the surgery I was in tremendous pain (15 minuntes just spent laying on the floor) after every movement, so I have a whole lot sympathy going towards your granddaughter right now. 
      
      Have the hospital given you some kind of fibre drink, or is she too young for that?
      
      The other thing that might affect htis is whether or not she needed a colostomy bag, this can affect the diet, has the hospital given you information regarding post operation diet, if they haven't I would contact them and ask for professional medical advice.
      
      From my personal experience I can honestly say that you should find the best possible diet for her right now!

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2. 68

   Ladybird33posted 13 years ago

   My suggestion is to take it slow when giving her food and drink, keep it simple, clear drinks and clear food (chicken broth) until she can handle more...slow, clear and simple foods. 
   Many prayers and wishes for you all!!!

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3. 72

   livewithrichardposted 13 years ago

   Cara's going to grow into a strong young lady having fought so many battles before her first year.
   
   I suggest you get some rest so you can keep up with her...
   
   Prayers are with her!

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4. 89

   rmcrayneposted 13 years ago

   I have thought of the twins multiple times over the months and wondered how they were doing.  Unfortunately this wasn't a rosy update. 
   
   I have often wondered how parents coped with days of NPO when their children got G-tubes.  Unfortunately I didn't quiz them on how they did it. 
   
   My only suggestion is "moral support".  When my sister had chicken pox at 6 weeks old, my mom, dad, grandmother, and 2 aunts took turns holding her and trying to comfort her while she cried.  Hopefully you can work in teams trade off, and supply moral support to each other.

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   1. 68

      lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I wish you had. Sigh... A child her size (20 lbs) would usually get a size 8 or 10 tube. They have her on a 14 to get all of the icky stuff out of her tummy. That's the equivalent of us having a garden hose shoved down the back of our throat, and is one of our biggest struggles right now. And they have no intention of changing to a smaller tube.

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5. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for your thoughts Marisa, LB, RoseMary and Richard.
   
   Oli-No colostomy bag since they only removed about 6 inches of intestine. Right now, she hasn't had any food or drink since Friday night, and they won't let her have ANYTHING--including water--until at least Tuesday, and then it would only be Pedialyte.
   
   What you said is exactly what I want to know--once we get her over the hurdle of the pain from the actual surgery, she's still going to be in pain she, well, poopie doopies? I hadn't even thought about that. So it sounds like we should be planning a high fiber diet for a while? The hospital hasn't mentioned anything like this yet.

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