Yesterday, I took the kids to Vanderbilt for their regular three-month CF Clinic visits. We had to be there by 8 am, which is not a time I would have chosen but was the only time available for this day. I already loathe driving in Nashville, so having to drive in Nashville during the morning rush hour was not something I was looking forward to.
I intended to leave our house at 6:30 am to get there on time, but that didn't exactly happen. Emberlynn was complaining of her "belly hurting" (something we have been hearing from her ever since the doctors switched her to a different feeding tube formula and a topic I was going to be bringing up at clinic later), which usually means she has to do some business in the potty. As soon as we got into the bathroom, Emberlynn threw up all over herself and the floor, enzymes and all. She has a very sensitive stomach, so I think she just felt nauseous from her stomach bothering her. (She was fine the rest of the day). By the time I got her changed, the floor cleaned up, the car warmed up, and the ice scraped off the windows, it was 7 am, and I knew we were going to be late. To top of my crazy morning, I realized I forgot my delicious (and caffeinated) coffee at home; since we were already running late, it was too late to go back for it. I was a bit heartbroken over this.
After battling traffic and people who clearly don't need driver's licenses, we arrived at Vanderbilt half an hour late. (I HATE being late for anything, much less an important doctor's visit.) Fortunately, they were still able to see both kids quickly and without conflict, for which I was very grateful.
In the first room, the kids were weighed and measured by a nurse as usual. Cohen is now big enough to stand on the "big kid" scale and stand against the wall to measure how tall he is. He did a great job, and I was told he had gained a little over a pound, which is still good. (I later found out that he is in the 64th percentile, which is awesome; anything at or above the 50th is our goal!) The best news, however, was that Emberlynn had gained a whopping 3 pounds! She has never put on that much weight in a 3-month period. I was extremely excited, as was the doctor when she looked at the chart later.
Next, the nurse took the kids to the exam room where we waited on the doctor. She examined each child thoroughly and said they both looked great and sounded great (when she listened to their lungs). She saw no need to change any current meds or to change any dosages on the current meds, so that was nice to hear. She asked if I had any concerns or questions about anything, which is when I brought up Em's stomachache complaints, which is more of a topic of discussion with the nutritionist, Kim, who would be coming in after the doctor was finished.
Kim was very pleased with both kids' progress as far as weight gain went, so we mainly discussed Emberlynn's stomach issues and how to address them. We decided to cut back her overnight feeds from 24 ounces to 16 ounces (3 cans to 2 cans) and to see if she would drink the third can during the day, whether it be with a meal or as a snack. If she wouldn't drink it (she's never been thrilled with the taste of the high-calorie drinks), Kim suggested doing a one-hour tube feed during the day. She said if changing it up like this did not work, we would try something else.
We also saw a respiratory therapist, who we have to see at least once a year just to make sure we are performing the therapies and treatments correctly and cleaning all the equipment properly. I found out that Em could get an upgraded nebulizer machine (her old one hasn't been working as well) because it had been 2 years since her last one. The RT called it in yesterday, and it arrived today. They sent a kid-friendly one this time; it's the same machine, but it's green (Em's favorite color) and has a fish on it, so she was super thrilled.
Last, Em had to have her H1N1 booster shot (Cohen had his booster at his 2-year checkup with the pediatrician). She didn't fight them at all (which was quite shocking), and she only cried for a minute or two afterward. I was very proud of her.
Even though I had a rocky start to the day, the positive outcomes of the clinic visit definitely made up for it. It is always wonderful to hear that the kids are in the "green" zone (there are yellow and red zones, too), which means they are doing very well in all areas. The kids' next visit will be May, and I will pray, as I always do, that the updates will stay positive.
