A Significant Pattern
Greetings to everyone.
Though the blog entries this month have been few, there has been much going on. The biggest one to date is this.
About a week ago, Xavier's appetite diminished, right on the heels of Dr. Abbey's statement he needs to eat more! We tried many things to get Xavier to eat more, but he, instead, ate less. Though he was eating enough to stay hydrated and nourished, he was not eating near what he should.
Then, on the weekend, came the sniffle, the clear snot and the stomach-emptying cough. Through all of this, Xavier remained alert, curious and grabby (he wants his hands on everything), but his overall happy, calm demeanor definitely was "harshed." By Sunday, he was too fussy and unpredictable to leave the house, even for church.
Diaper rash appeared. Excessive chewing began on anything Xavier could stuff in his mouth, even a parent's finger. He started drooling like a dog eyeing a bone. And, let's not forget, the diarrhea.
His sleep pattern was off, his napping at best lasting :45 minutes. Oh, and try to get him down at night, what a chore and an effort of patience (and ear plugs) that has been! Rebecca was up most nights, leaving her dead to the world come the wee hours of the morning. Dad worked out of the home in the morning so Mom could catch up on her much-missed sleep. For the second time we thought "He's cutting a tooth," but not so.
Early Wednesday morning, Rebecca sleeping heavily in bed, Dad changes Xavier's nicely filled diaper. Though Xavier still had the diarrhea, the color was strong as it has been for months. Mid morning arrives, Mom is up and Dad off to the office. In the span of a diaper change, the color of his stool went from a healthy dark color to a white nearly indistinguishable from the color of the diaper. A massive step backward it seemed!
We had realized he had contracted a bug of some kind. He had a sore throat and his stomach gurgled constantly. We thought to give it a day before growing alarmed, thinking the color of his stool would return as he got over the bug. He was holding up fine, and the running nose only lasted a day. The diaper rash was under control, cleared up, in fact.
Thursday, the color barely improved. We called the pediatrician and made an appointment. Doctor LeBlanch examined him, amazed at how alert he was and how interactive (Rebecca had to restrain Xavier from grabbing hold of the stethoscope so the doctor could listen). He showed little sign of anything wrong with him. Xavier's lungs were clear and he breathed normally. A pulse ox was attached and it read 96. His skin color looks healthy and good. He did have a little bug; Doctor LeBlanch said they have been seeing a lot of this bug.
Of course, Xavier was weighed. His weight was 11 pounds, 2.4 ounces. In two weeks, he only added 2.2 ounces to his weight. This concerns the doctors. Their thoughts are he spent his energy fighting the bug rather than growing, and he should have been able to fight off the bug and grow at the same time. More blood was drawn; the labs all returned with numbers similar to his previous lab work: all good (one number is still elevated, but not concerning).
Growth has been his biggest challenge from early on. He had difficulty in the womb. He grew slowly in the NICU. His bout with staph in the NICU set him back. Two weeks ago we upped his food significantly because of his languid growth.
Xavier now has an appointment with a GI specialist at Children's about a week from now to see if there is something going on.
In praying over this issue, we have taken a different bent on it than before. Seeing the pattern, we are taking it a more seriously. Before, we expected everything would work itself out (and we still feel that is the case), but the pattern of slow growth has elevated in our thinking, and our prayers.
We hold fast to Father's power and strength. He will bring Xavier through this as He has brought him (and us) through everything else. Xavier will soon say of this problem, "Victory is mine!"
We thank you all for your prayers.
Mom in bed, catching the sleep she missed the night before; Dad needing to cook some breakfast, but where to put Xavier? Napping is not an option, he just woke up. Ah, Grandpa Braaten's box he shipped his Christmas cheese in is just the place! Xavier looks perplexed. It is, after all, his first box to play in.