Update from Dexter

Well, we have been home for 48 hours and so far, so good overall. Carson has only thrown up one time...this seems easy compared to what he was doing. I'm just praying that he can continue to keep the majority of his feedings down because he has lost a significant amount of weight (& no wonder because he didn't eat for almost a week)...you can tell it in his legs, face, hands, & feet : ( But he is SO happy to be home and be with Kellen. And I think Kellen is ecstatic to have Carson home too!

Another praise and I'm still somewhat speechless...Carson has started WANTING to put food (well, anything) in his mouth! This means we have to watch him very carefully because he tries to eat whole bites of things (puffs, french fries, toast, grilled cheese, strawberries, etc.) and he doesn't know what to do with it once he takes a bite. I think it may have something to do with getting more teeth & just wanting something to bite on but I'm not complaining!  He has done better the last couple days with drops of liquid, yogurt, or baby food in his mouth. I don't think that this stage will necessarily last but it is a comfort to know that he can manage small amounts when HE wants to.

Sarah did a good job updating along the way...please continue to pray for healing of Carson's g-tube site...his current site doesn't look as good as the one from Cincinnati (St. Louis had to revise the stoma when they reduced the hernia). It has a small area of reddened skin that isn't as tight around the tube. The nurses said it should heal but I'm never too confident when it comes to Carson's g-tubes :/ The day after we returned home, the g-tube was leaking. 'Are you kidding me?!?!'...this what we had surgery for in the first place. We tightened the g-tube up & since then, it seems to be doing better but who knows! I just don't want these surgeries to be pointless!  And then secondly, please pray for guidance for us...to know what steps to take with this new information we received from our latest stay in St. Louis (the possible damage to the vagal nerve that is effecting his gastric emptying). Should we do another surgery to attempt to improve the speed at which Carson's stomach empties or should we look into other options? What the surgeon said made sense, yet I just hate to put Carson through ANOTHER abdominal surgery, with ANOTHER incision, and ALL the risks that come with any surgery.

Thanks again for all the prayers along the way! It seemed like such a LONG week but I know that is nothing compared to what some families are going through or have gone through. We are so glad to be home and back to our normal schedules!