the "upper GI" test

This morning Silas had his second test, called an "upper GI." Leaving for the hospital was much smoother this time, even including a trip to Starbucks for some coffee beforehand. The hardest part was that Silas wasn't allowed to eat anything before the test, which was at 9:30. Normally he wakes up, nurses, and eats breakfast around 8, so it was tricky holding him off for so long.

Kosair was super fast getting us in, and the doctor was very helpful and compassionate. It was a really hard test to watch, though. They laid him on this board that could rotate from side to side, wrapped him tightly and strapped him in. They even strapped his arms up by his ears, and they strapped his head down between these cushion things. He was really good at first and didn't even cry while he was strapped in.

But then the X-ray started. They rotated him to the side right away, which totally freaked him out, and then they tried to get him to drink the barium. He screamed and screamed...Finally they gave up and put a tube through his nose that would put the barium directly into his tummy. He screamed throughout the whole test...Super hard to watch and listen to that with no way to comfort him.

They watched the barium in his esophagus and stomach to see if it would come up and down. It stayed down really well, and the test came back normal. The doctor said he was probably having a really good day, and some days it may have tested differently, but the important thing was that his stomach was working properly. She said there was nothing to be concerned about, and if he is gaining weight then it will only improve with time.

We weren't shocked by the good report; Silas has improved much in his eating and hasn't thrown up for about two weeks. However, we would have loved to find the reason behind his delayed motor skills and were hoping that maybe this test would give us a clue. BUT we are so thankful that his digestive track is functioning as it should. The next step is to talk to our pediatrician again to find out if we need to do more testing...

Thanks so much for your prayers!