Hadley Health Update

We took Hadley to the pulmonologist today, so I wanted to give all of you an update. For those of you who are not aware, over the past year or more, Hadley had become very susceptible to respiratory viral infections - to where they would often times elicit a loss of lung function. She would have a chronic cough, and we never knew when she would spiral down to being lethargic and having rapid, shallow breaths. At first, the doctors attributed it to viral-induced asthma. We started breathing treatments with albuterol, then went on a daily preventative inhaled steroid called Pulmicort last May (2008). She has had to be on the oral steroid Prednisone twice over the past year, which isn't too bad...but taking oral systemic steroids is never a good thing for her developing body. So, when the Pulmicort + albuterol wasn't seeming to work as good as it should, our pulmonologist ordered a series of tests to rule things out. First - Cystic Fibrosis - she was negative. Second, an immune screening - everything was normal. And third, an Upper GI Barium Swallow test - - which revealed that she DOES have moderate gastroesophageal reflux. I was shocked! This is where the muscle connecting the esophagus to the stomach is not functioning properly, and stomach acid can get up into the esophagus. He says that the vast majority of the time, if a baby/child has reflux, it is obvious by the signs/symptoms of vomiting, etc. However, it is not too uncommon to see a case of "silent reflux", where those symptoms are absent. This is what he thinks Hadley has. She does not have any hint of reflux in everyday life. So, the way this condition can affect the lungs is that the child can aspirate tiny bits of stomach acid on a continual basis, and it "burns" the lining of the lungs, keeping them irritated and on edge. So, when a cold virus invades, it doesn't take much to really impact the already "less than" lung tissue. The doctor isn't confident to say that this is the SOLE reason for her problems...she may still have asthma, and the two are both active. But, we'll go from here and see. She is starting a new med tomorrow (Prevacid) for the reflux, and in 2 weeks we're taking her off of the lung medicine (Pulmicort). Then, we just have to see what happens. We won't really know until the winter months come along...because that's when all those nasty viruses come out. Also, he says that kids often outgrow the reflux, so we will just see how she grows and changes.

So, that was a LOOOONG explanation! :) But, despite all this, Hadley is thriving. She is talking up a storm. She's my parrot. She's using sentances with 5,6,7 words. She's an active, fun, smart little girl. The only other thing still on the plate is that she is still teeny-tiny. I have a feeling the pediatrician will shoot us over to the endocrinologist next month after Hadley's 2 year well-check. She said last time if she's still not on the growth charts, it's just good practice to rule out a growth problem. She weighed in at a whopping 20 pounds today (the normal weight of a 12 month old), so I have a hunch that's where we're headed next. But, her weight and height are proportional, and she looks perfect so I'm not worried. Besides, after swallowing Barium and being strapped onto a board for 15 mintues, having 2 full vials of blood drawn, and being forced to wear winter clothes in a heated room for one hour....what's one more test? :)

Thanks for ALL of your prayers, it means the world to us. I'll continue to keep y'all posted!