lovin every moment: September 2013

We have sure had a hard road this year with our little...

Ty...Tyse...Tysen

He gets called all these names

for a while it was just Ty, but I am leaning more towards Tyse, we'll see!

{Tyse 1 Year}

Here are pictures of his times in the hospital

It all began one day at the park with my friend Thomalee, when I noticed he was spitting up a ton. He has always spit up anyway, but this just seemed alot! then the next night, he threw up his whole bottle, and the next few days as well. On Memorial Day, it was enough, and we took him into the ER. They checked everything and he seemed OK, and I fed him some pedialyte, then sent us on or way, just saying it was a bad stomach flu. He seemed to be doing better for a few days, still throwing up a bit. Then we took him to the pediatrician, and she felt like he WAS NOT OK, and sent us to the hospital, where he could get hydrated and get some tests run.

1st time in the hospital - we spent 4 days. ran some tests, got an IV for hydration. Sent us home, saying it was just a really bad stomach bug. I was OK with that.

He does better for a week, then it all starts again.

2nd time in Hospital - We were there for a week. When he got there is blood sugar was 38! Its supposed to be between 150 and 170! Had an MRI, scans, every test in the world. Its frustrating when every test comes back normal, but you know that nothing of this is normal. He gets his first feeding tube, and does well with it for 2 days. Then rips it out. They send him home anyway, and tell us basically..." we have no idea whats wrong, but feed him as much as possible, and try to get him to drink a little bit at a time" By this point he has lost about 2 pounds. My Mom came to town this time, and that was so helpful, we tried to feed him and keep him hydrated as well as we could, but he still threw up anything liquid.

3rd time in Hospital - We went to an appointment at the GI doctor, and I thought he was improving, but he lost weight again! By this time it was 3 pounds total, so he was diagnosed with "Failure to Thrive" The Doc wants to admit him to the hospital AGAIN, and get another feeding tube in. I told him that I will only go for 1 day to get the tube in, and then I am leaving. He didn't think that they could get it done quick enough. But with the tender mercy of a nurse who totally understood my situation, she got us out of there lickety split. He had a tube in place, and we were on our way. Fast forward to the next day, we walk to the grocery store, and I hear his machine beeping, and lo and behold, he pulled out the entire tube, and this thing is down in his intestines. It must have not hurt, because he was just chillin.

All I am thinking at this point is, here we go, back to the hospital! But I call the doc and he just gives me some things to feed him, and see how he does.

From here on out, our goal is feed, hydrate, feed, hydrate. Anything he ate needed to be either really fattening, or hydrating. So we gave him bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes (loaded with butter and brown sugar), and lots of fruit in between. He gained 1/2 a pound that week. Then the next week only maintained his weight. The doc didn't like that, and wanted to press forward with a tube straight into his stomach.

That's a pretty big surgery, and I wanted to avoid that at all costs. So I began to wake up every 2 hours at night and feed him heavily thickened formula through a syringe.

Also, at this point Through the prompting of my sister-in-law, I go to a chiropractor. He does a scan on him, and finds that his neck is totally, extremely, super badly messed up. Because, 6 days before this all began, he fell down the stairs...the WHOLE set of stairs. We had a gate at the top and Chase shook it and knocked it down, I was in the other room and hear boom-boom-cry, and I instantly knew what was happening. This was the scariest moment for me as a parent. ever.

We had told the hospital that he fell, but they didn't think there was any way they could be related. But the chiropractor, thinks that is exactly the cause of the problem. So we have been going there and it has seemed to help.

Right Now, Tyse weighs the same amount as when he was 8 months, but through our constant feeding, Chiropractic care, and feeding therapy, he is back on the growth curve. Still nobody has any explanation for why this is happening. He still throws up little bits most of the day, but has figured out himself how to swallow it back down (Gross right), its just what he does.

He is happy. He is sleeping well. He is learning new things. He learned how to wave hi, and climb UP the stairs (with me right by his side), he is standing on his own now, and laughing when we all laugh, and starting to dance a little when he hears music. He is just Amazing.

Through all of this, we have been discouraged at times, wondering why this is happening to our little boy. We have been strengthened, knowing it will all pass and that everything will be OK, whatever the outcome. We have been prayerful, asking for guidance in what we should do next. I remember the nights in the hospital, just pleading with my Heavenly Father to make him better, and to help me deal with what was in front of us. And he did just that, we have been guided and helped through every step. We had {new & old} friends that didn't hesitate to help and watch the other kids while we were in the hospital. And I really feel that I grew so much more grateful for my family and children. I am so glad to be with them every day, as hard as it can get sometimes.

What a year Tyse!! We love you, and are so grateful for you in our lives!