After returning from San Jose the doctors had finally agreed that I was a good candidate for the Nissen Fundoplication surgery. It has taken almost nine months of complaining about my reflux for them to finally listen and agree it might be the best thing for me. The surgery was scheduled for the 10th of March.
The doctors’ idea was for me to be in fighting condition for my surgery. The problem was that all this reflux has wreaked havoc on my lungs and when I was in San Jose my pediatrician suggested that I have an xray on my lungs. The xray showed pneumonia as my lungs were so hazy and cloudy. It was not pneumonia though as I was not sick nor did I have fever or need to take an antibiotic. All the aspirating of food has made my lungs very messy. Once we arrived home instead of getting better I began to deteriorate. Every time I had to eat I had such severe reflux that my parents and MariaJose would have to do some serious respiratory therapy on me. Feeding me would take 5 hours for only half of the amount I normally received and after eating we would start three hours of respiratory therapy. Each time my oxygen would plummet and I would end up on 3 liters of oxygen. The aspirating and nebulizing machine stayed by my side at all times and this would go on into the wee hours of the night. We had two weeks to go before March 10th. After three days of being home mom was calling the doctors back and insisting that the surgery be moved up. For one thing parents were concerned about me losing weight and even though my lungs were not in great condition it was important that I have some meat on my bones before my surgery.
On Friday March 1st, me, mom and Maria Jose packed up quickly and headed to San Jose. Things were not getting better but worse. My oxygen machine only has 3 liters of oxygen so if I were to get really bad I could be in big trouble and living out in the jungle is not the place to be in trouble. Thankfully our dear friend Krystal let us stay at her home as she was away for the weekend. It was very nice to be in her home. We arrived that night and first thing next morning we went to CIMA to do another xray of my lungs and to run a blood test. The xray actually showed my lungs looking better than the last xray we took and my blood work came back fine. We are now 100% sure that the reflux is the culprit to many of my problems and I need this surgery now. Dra. Castro began to make calls and to get my team of surgeons together for my big day. It was decided that on March 6th I would have the surgery at 7am.
In the end before the surgery, I was only able to be fed an ounce an hour and fed continuously for 24 hours. This was the only way that I could handle any type of food without getting severe reflux. I still had to have my breathing treatments and the only time mom disconnected me was when it was time to bathe me. I no longer was having my mom’s yummy home cooked meals but pediasure as it was the only thing that would go through my feeding bag. I am hoping that March 6th gets here quickly.
Love Malia
