Clamped And Moving In The Right Direction!

Kyra is holding her own. Still having a few issues with weaning her off of pain medication but making progress. Her throat was irritated by the vent and she has had a bit of trouble clearing this up. This week she has been "tent camping" with cool mist running to help break-up the congestion. Kyra doesn't seem to mind this too much, she can still watch "The Lion King" and the mist helps her show off all her curls. I find it a bit funny every hospital has a stern protocol for safety - and Kyra is in a plastic tent... but hey it works!
A barium test was done to determine whether the feeding tube is still in place. Unfortunately, the tube has migrated into her stomach (prior to her surgery we were told to expect this.) No plans at this time to reposition the feeding tube and we are still hoping the tube will not be necessary. Kyra is on a great deal of pain meds which alter the function of her bowel. Therefore, we will have to wait for another barium test to determine whether her stomach will empty efficiently. Once she tolerates a lower dose of pain meds her test will be re-scheduled. Right now, the concentration is on her g-tube. Prior to Kyra's surgery this tube continuously emptied because her pylorus was too narrow to pass gastric fluid. Now that her pylorus has been widened, we need to challenge the stomach to empty on its own - aka clamping the g-tube. First Kyra's g-tube was clamped for 4hrs, then 6hrs and now we are trying 8 hrs. She is not showing any signs of discomfort and her g-tube output has been significantly lower. Things are moving in the right direction ... ***Celebratory news*** WE HAVE STOOL!

"Who signed me up for this?! I mean it, I WANT NAMES!"