Game On

My husband says, "Sloane has to bring it tomorrow! Its On!!!"

I did not cancel the swallow study because Sloane's drips were fewer and fewer today!! So tomorrow morning at 6:30am we will pile into the car to pick up mamie and head up to Children's Hospital. Sloane's swallow study is at 9am.

As I have said in an earlier post, a swallow study is non-invasive and real time. Sloane is put in a car seat device, barium is added to anything she eats or drinks, and x-rays are taken while she swallows. We watch it real time on a tv above Sloane's head. If anything slides thru the cleft's area into Sloane's airway and lungs, we can see it immediately. The foods or liquids glow because of the barium. There is no waiting for the results. You see them in black and white on the screen.

Sloane has not had a swallow study since August of 2011. Dear I repeat myself again and say it was a disaster. Sloane, unknown to me because there were no visual signs, was aspirating everything that hit her lips besides solids. She basically took one spoonful of yogurt and on the screen we saw it..she swallowed and 80% of it went right down her esophagus and 20% right into her lungs. Mamie and I were speechless. Her cleft had been closed 5 months earlier so I assumed we were making progress. Not so much.

I am heading into tomorrow cautiously optimistic.

I am hoping that the swallow study shows that Sloane can safely drink the thickened liquids that she has been like her JU, yo baby yogurt and ice cream.
I am hoping that 6oz of liquid to one packet of honey consistency is gliding right past the cleft into Sloane's belly.
I am hoping that the 6 months of swallowing therapy we have done and the slow and steady approach is working.
I am hoping all of that because if that doesn't happen I am afraid my husband is going to be picking me up off the ground again the same way her did back on July 24th, 2010 when the NICU doctor said Sloane had pneumonia at 4 days old.

My assumption is if thickened liquids show to be safe for Sloane tomorrow and there are no signs of aspiration via x-ray, we can continue thinning down liquids on the same slow and steady regimen for months to come. My assumption is if thickened liquids are not safe for Sloane tomorrow, there will a phone call to Dr. Rahbar, a detailed conversation, some tears, lots of quiet and maybe even a meltdown.

For those of you who have the blog emailed to you and are reading this on Tuesday, the swallow study already happened this morning.