G-tube surgery

This was one of the toughest weeks we've had in a long time, but we managed to get through it. 

Monday March 19th was Arabella's g-tube surgery. Overall, she was a very strong and brave girl. And before going under anesthesia she was smiling, clapping and waving to the staff. Everyone that walked by was stopping to say hello to this little girl. 

It was supposed to be a routine procedure. And for the most part, it went smoothly. The tube was inserted without any complications.

So it was out with the NG tube (via her nostril, as seen in the above photo), and in with the g-tube, direct into her stomach (as seen below).  

But soon after the procedure, while Bella was in recovery, her blood sugar levels were quickly crashing. The staff was forced to give her higher concentrations of dextrose through her IV. And despite all of that, her blood sugar was still hovering quite low. 

"Here we go again", we thought to ourselves. We've battled Bella's hypoglycaemia for a long time last year, and it felt like everything was coming back to haunt us yet again...

Arabella was in recovery for much longer than usual. The staff continued to check her blood sugar. They were poking her fingers, toes and heels every 3 hours, as her sugars were constantly at the thresh-hold. 

By day two, Arabella developed a fever. Her feeds were immediately stopped for precautions (incase of an infection), and there was even more concern for her blood sugar. 

Before discharge, children with g-tubes must prove themselves by tolerating their full feeds. It's a gradual process, where the staff increases each feed by 10ml until they reach the full amount. 

Everything had to be put on-hold.

More tests and ultrasounds were ordered. Discharge was delayed. Day 3 turned into day 4, and then into day 5...

On top of it all, Arabella was becoming agitated, cranky, and unruly. She had trouble sleeping in the noisy room with other children, she was spooked by every noise, she was crying uncontrollably for long periods of time, and all of us were completely exhausted. 

There were moments when we simply broke down. We had no energy, and we were sleep deprived the entire week. 

But we battled through it. We've been here before, and we weren't going to give up.

Eventually, the staff ruled out an infection. They took pity on Arabella by the third day, and they moved us to a private room so that she could get rest. 

Her fever was likely the result of a minor cold, so we'll continue to monitor her at home. And before discharge she passed her six hour fast (and her blood sugar levels proved to be okay). 

Phew! We made it. 

Everything just took a little longer than normal. It reminded us of our time at SickKids last year, when everything was constantly delayed. Everything turned into a struggle that we had to overcome. 

And we overcame things yet again 😊

This short-lived experience made us realize how lucky we are to be home with Arabella. The hospital-life isn't an easy one. It requires all your strength and energy, and I have nothing but admiration and respect for any parent that has a child going through long term issues. 

This place is a battle zone. Let's never forget it. And may God bless all the children that are fighting the big fight here at SickKids and around the world...

In the next weeks and months ahead, we'll see how much of a difference this g-tube will make for Arabella. One thing for certain is that she'll be a lot more comfortable now that the NG tube won't be down her throat. 

Above is a photo of Arabella celebrating her 13 months (a few days before her g-tube procedure). She's obviously a very happy girl. Way to go Arabella! 💗