Last night Beans told me his tummy hurt. Now in most kids, tummy bugs are just one of those things. You deal with them and move on. In Beans, who is fully dependent on tube feedings, a tummy bug all too often has meant walking a fine line between trying to keep him hydrated and keeping him out of the ER or admitted. So of course last night, when I heard those dreaded words, my mommy mind started running. "Oh crap, how can we manage this at home?" "If he needs it, do I make the 5 hour drive to Orlando, where the children's hospital and his trusted team are, or do I chance the local hospital that I don't trust?"
I hooked his tummy up to a Farrell valve, allowing him to vent all night (throw up through his g-tube for those who haven't had the experience). He can't throw up due to a surgery he's had, so being nauseous is super miserable.
This morning things were still rocky. I tried a small feed which was promptly "redelivered" (yeah, have I mentioned that venting into a bag is actually about a million times less messy than the traditional method). Typically this would be the time I started getting really worried.
Where's the milestone in all this? Well, Beans took a few hours to rest then was able to tolerate slow feeds of Pedialyte through his pump! He's been able to keep in enough to stay hydrated all day and is now in bed with a slow feed. He's still having some pain, but I can kiss that worry of IVs goodbye, at least this time. WTG Beans!!!
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