And the verdict is...

The boys made the long anticipated visit to Dr Markowitz this morning.  He agreed that Reese's symptoms could go along with Celiac's Disease and sent us for lab work.  We should have that back in a week or two and will make a plan then.  As frustrating as specialty diets can be, it would be a blessing to have an answer for all of the issues that we have been having with Reese.  A plan (no matter how frustrating) is better than no plan.  For the first two years of life Reese was on a milk free diet, so these things are no stranger to us and we can make it work.

As for Brinkley, I was quite impressed to see that he was 18 pounds and 5 1/4 ounces.  Dr Markowitz was pleased with his weight gain (finally!) and said that he is approaching the 10th percentile on the Down Syndrome chart.  WOW!  Who would have ever thought that would be music to a mom's ears.  This little guy has struggled to get to the 1st and 2nd percentiles.  

I was proud to tell Dr Markowitz that Brinkley has been eating well.  Yes, he has even been spoon feeding!  There were no signs of re flux after a few months of no meds and the new formula that he is on has done away with the stomach upset we had been seeing.

   
Next came the million dollar question.... When can the tube come out?  To my surprise the answer was, "now"!  Not as in, "call Dr Gates and make an appointment for him to remove it", but as in "take it out at home, cover it with gauze for a couple of days."  He said that it will leak for 24 -48 hours then all should be well.  If it has not closed completely or is still leaking then we'll call Dr Gates, our peds surgeon, to have him stitch it up.  

As a precaution I have put in a call to Dr Gates office.  His nurse Kim is incredibly helpful and will give me the pep talk I need to feel confident in handling this myself.  

On top of that, Dr Markowitz said that there is not really any reason that he needs to see us again.  What?  Did I hear that correctly?  Is a doctor releasing us from care?  Am I really only getting good news from this visit?

I have to admit that when he offered us an appointment in six months I couldn't turn it down.  Since Brinkley is just starting to eat solids I would like to be on the patient list in case we run in to any allergy issues.  So, this proved to be a great visit!  Thanks for praying for us!  Aside from his pacemaker, Brinkley will no longer be considered medically complex now!  How's that for making progress?!