Poop Matters and other General Updates

Asleep on the floor during his bout with the flu.

Have you been wondering how Mason is doing?  I’ve been holding my breath to be honest.  Tuesday was the 1 month mark from his last shunt surgery.  Mason got the flu this week after his older siblings hit their flu recovery stage. He has handled it pretty well and is feeling better. He only had one day of vomiting and is back to drinking semi-well so he is staying hydrated.

We had a shunt scare with a bulgy fontanel for a few days last weekend.  We also had 5 of the other kids down with the flu at the time and Mason was constipated.  We have discovered that even minor constipation is a really bad thing for Mason, it affects his shunt.  Isn’t that funny? 

Basically, the tube that drains all the fluid from his brain into his abdomen can’t drain well if the pressure in his abdomen increases from constipation.  When the fluid can’t drain his fontanel gets bulgy, pressure in his brain increases, and things go downhill from there.  Some kids shunts are not so badly affected with a tiny bit of constipation.  I suspect they have more fluid flowing around the brain on it’s own.  Mason is not so lucky.  Even mild constipation is causing problems.

So our new goal is to be super aware of Mason’s poop and use Miralax proactively to keep his bowels soft and moving.  It’s a crazy balancing act trying to figure out a good dose as it changes every day based on how much he has eaten and what kinds of things he is eating.

Speaking of eating, Mason is still mostly just drinking a bottle.  He is just now, a month out from surgery, willing to eat from a spoon for about 10 little bites of food.  This whole oral aversion thing stinks!  We have also been doing a lot of finger food offering.  He will put things in his mouth and chew on them on his own terms but is still not swallowing them as often as we would like.  Maybe 1 piece in 8 actually gets eaten. 

In other areas Mason is doing well.  He has tried really hard the last two days to pull up on things and he’s getting to his knees by brute strength alone.  Mostly he is supporting the weight of his body with his hands and arms, his knees slide out to the sides like a frog. 

He is very much a mommy’s boy right now.  If he has the option of picking anyone to hold him it is going to be mommy.  Mason is really funny about it.  He can be in the middle of things in the kitchen in Daddy’s arms while Mommy is cooking, but if Mommy walks too close he reaches his arms out and dives toward Mommy.  I love the snuggles from my little man and I know all too soon he’ll move on so I’m trying to soak them up.

I think those are all the updates for now.  Have a Merry Christmas!