One week till testing.....

On May the 2nd, Zach will be sedated  and admitted into the Stollery to have a bunch of tests done.  There are 2 departments involved in the testing.  Pulmonology (Respiratory) and G.I. (Gastro Intestinal).  The Tests are:

Bronchoscopy   A technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. An instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth. This allows the doctor to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. Specimens may be taken from inside the lungs.

Gastroenterology  In medicine (gastroenterology), esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure since it does not require an incision into one of the major body cavities and does not require any significant recovery after the procedure (unless sedation or anesthesia has been used).

Colonoscopy  Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions.

PH Probe  Esophageal pH (pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution) monitoring is a procedure for measuring the reflux (regurgitation or backwash) of acid from the stomach into the esophagus that occurs in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Esophageal pH monitoring is used to diagnose GERD effects, to determine the effectiveness of medications that are given to prevent acid reflux, and to determine if episodes of acidic reflux are causing episodes of chest pain. Monitoring esophageal pH also can be used to determine if acid is reaching the pharynx (lower throat) and is possibly responsible for such symptoms as cough, hoarseness, and sore throat.

For the first 3 tests and the insertion of the PH probe Zach will be asleep.  The PH probe will be in for 24 to 48 hours.  He will be awake for the remainder of that test and we shall stay in hospital.  Many of you are probably asking  yourself, "why does he have to have this done".  Let me explain....

Zach has had severe reflux all his life.  He has been on adult doses of antacid since he was 5 months old.  Not only does he reflux, but he also regurgitates.  Kinda like a cow chewing her cud, however our bodies are not supposed to do that.  Long term effects of GERD can really hurt your food tube and can cause cancer.  So it needs to be checked.
 Also, Zach is not sleeping.  The sleep study in November showed that he moves 17 times an hour.  They have increased his iron and put him on oxygen to try to fix this....it hasn't really helped.  They believe his restless sleep (PLMD) is do to the regurgitation problem.  The ph probe test will determine if their suspicions are right.

Zach has always had bowel problems, however they have increased over the past 10 months.  We actually think Zach has lost the motility of his bowels.  This is the reason for the colonoscopy as well as the biopsy's they will be taking.

HOWS ZACH?  He is excited about going to sleep and getting to stay in the hospital.  They have an X box there and he can't wait to play it!  LOL!

HOWS MOM AND DAD?  Well, not as excited as Zach.  Zach doesn't typically handle sedation well.  Lots of throwing up......not fun  We have a pre-op appointment on Thursday (April 28th) so we are hoping they will have a better game plan then we've had in the past.  It will not be good if he throws up the PH probe...we need the data it collects.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Zach.  We are so grateful to have the love and concern from so many.  Pray that the testing goes well.  That we will get the information we need so that we can provide Zach with the best quality of care.  Love T and P