Gastrostomy-Jejunostomy Tube...check!

We made it back from the O.R., with a Gastrostomy-Jejunostomy (G-J) Tube today...A new extension to our newest accessory. Exciting, huh?! Well, I'm pretty excited myself..hopefully it will do the trick and Clay can start 'eating' again.

..The G-J tube is a feeding tube that bypasses his stomach and goes straight into his jejunum--which is the beginning of his small intestines.
..Dr. Draus put a scope down to see what was causing his stomach not to empty. He said it looks like, because of the positioning of all his innards, his stomach just has an unnatural bend in it...his anatomy just doesn't quite flow the way it should because it's been rearranged so much.
..Besides putting the feeding tube into his jejunum, Dr. Draus didn't do anything else to fix his anatomy placement. He's hoping with time, as he grows, it will all work itself out. If not, it may require a future surgery down the road. But as of now, we will be happy for Clay to get nutrition through his G-J tube.
..Hopefully, he will tolerate feeds into the G-J tube & we can get him OFF the daggone IV fluids and meds! ..Please send up some major prayers for our Clay-bug. We need him to handle his feeds and handle them excellently! They started a trickle of milk tonight, at 1 mL/hr. Once his body gets used to digesting again, they'll give him more milk. C'mon, Clay tummy! Workkkkk!
..If we can get up to full feeds and off the IV fluids, we can try home ventilators again! My fingers and toes are crossed that we catch a break and things go relatively smooth..

We wanna go HOME!! And away from this crazy town. My car was broken into again last night and the assholes got my camera this time. I hope they take beautiful pictures with it--or that they look at the pictures of our beautiful miracle and it puts hope in their hearts. And I hope the spare change from our console and my running shoes they took are just what they needed, too. Grrrrrr! Nothing burns my biscuits like a thief. But I suppose they're fighting a battle of their own..
Anyways, the point is: we need to go home :) Pray for us all, good friends.

Lots of love and peace to you!
..and a pretty sunset pic, taken from our front porch over the weekend :)