I took Jack to see his Urologist on April 23 and the appointment went well. The doctor looked him over and said that the doctor that did his first circumcision in the NICU left more than enough skin behind to be able to repair any problems that may surface, such as the hypospadius and the cyst. The doctor has scheduled surgery for August 30 to repair Jack's hypospadius, revise his circumcision, and remove a cyst. Its outpatient surgery.
Once we get this problem taken care of and figure out what is causing his wheeze and repair that, we will be able to really focus on getting him to gain some weight!
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Pulmonologist Appointment
I took Jack to see Dr. James Phillips on Monday. He listened to Jack's lungs and then asked if anyone had ever mentioned anything about cystic fibrosis coming up on his newborn screens. I said "NO!" He said he hadn't read anything in Jack's NICU discharge, but he just wanted to make sure. He listened to Jack again, and then he had me give him a breathing treatment in the office. Afterwards, he listened again, and he said that the treatment really didn't seem to make that much of a difference. He said that if the wheezing was because of the bronchiolitis, the albuterol would take care of it. He said that he thinks it may be one of two conditions: one, fluid may be leaking into lungs when he eats; or two, he may have a vein going to his heart that is putting pressure on his airway and causing the wheeze. We will do a swallow study within the next few weeks to rule these out. He said he wasn't very concerned about the wheeze, that nothing is sending up a red flag for him. He told me not to worry (YEAH, RIGHT!). He said that for a 23 weeker, we definitely got very lucky.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Busy Day
Yesterday Jack had two appointments. In the morning, Jack got his last RSV shot for the season. YAY!
In the afternoon, Jack had an appointment with Children's Medical Center Developmental Preemie Clinic. At this clinic, Jack sees a nurse, an audiologist, a dietician, a physical therapist, and a physician, Dr. Gus. The nurse weighed him, and at 10 months he weighs 12 pounds, 7 ounces. His hearing checked out just fine, like always. The dietician suggested that we not start any solid foods. She said that the reason to start food before one year of age is to teach feeding techniques and get the baby used to taste and texture. There are no nutrional reasons to start feeding solid food before one year. All he needs is formula. She stated she was afraid he may have some aspiration problems and that we need to wait until after his appointment with Dr. James Phillips before we make a decision about starting solids. The physical therapist was very surpised at how well he was rolling over and reaching for toys. She ranked him in the 25th percentile for his chronological age. Dr. Gus came in and had the best news of all. First, he commented on the fact that Jack blinked quite a few times when the light was on. He said that Jack is photophobic and that if his retinopathy was that bad the light wouldn't bother him because it wouldn't get to his retina. He said the reason that Jack is so photophobic is because his skin and his eyes are very pale, which is related to the fact that we live so far north. People that live near the equator have darker skin because they get more sun exposure, thus more exposure to Vitamin D. We in the US have lighter skin because we don't get as much sun exposure, so our skin has to be lighter to soak up as much of the exposure that we do get. I laid Jack on his back and he immediately flipped over and started scooting across the exam table. Dr. Gus then confessed to me that when he evaluated Jack in the NICU, he didn't think he would ever be capable of the milestones he is reaching today. He said we were very blessed and that he can't believe how well Jack is doing.
In the afternoon, Jack had an appointment with Children's Medical Center Developmental Preemie Clinic. At this clinic, Jack sees a nurse, an audiologist, a dietician, a physical therapist, and a physician, Dr. Gus. The nurse weighed him, and at 10 months he weighs 12 pounds, 7 ounces. His hearing checked out just fine, like always. The dietician suggested that we not start any solid foods. She said that the reason to start food before one year of age is to teach feeding techniques and get the baby used to taste and texture. There are no nutrional reasons to start feeding solid food before one year. All he needs is formula. She stated she was afraid he may have some aspiration problems and that we need to wait until after his appointment with Dr. James Phillips before we make a decision about starting solids. The physical therapist was very surpised at how well he was rolling over and reaching for toys. She ranked him in the 25th percentile for his chronological age. Dr. Gus came in and had the best news of all. First, he commented on the fact that Jack blinked quite a few times when the light was on. He said that Jack is photophobic and that if his retinopathy was that bad the light wouldn't bother him because it wouldn't get to his retina. He said the reason that Jack is so photophobic is because his skin and his eyes are very pale, which is related to the fact that we live so far north. People that live near the equator have darker skin because they get more sun exposure, thus more exposure to Vitamin D. We in the US have lighter skin because we don't get as much sun exposure, so our skin has to be lighter to soak up as much of the exposure that we do get. I laid Jack on his back and he immediately flipped over and started scooting across the exam table. Dr. Gus then confessed to me that when he evaluated Jack in the NICU, he didn't think he would ever be capable of the milestones he is reaching today. He said we were very blessed and that he can't believe how well Jack is doing.
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