Surprise Chest X-Ray

Yesterday Mason went in for a "surprise" chest x-ray. He has one scheduled with his Pulmonary follow-up on the 28th of January; however, over the past couple of days he has been really gaggy on and off of his feeds. He was even gagging and retching during his nap, which is really unusual for him. Travis and I were pretty concerned seeing how his last chest x-ray was questionable for possible reherniation. A reherniation would mean that Mason's gortex patch (over the hole in his diaphram) would have separated from his tissue and allowed abdominal contents back into the chest cavity. Common signs of reherniation included respiratory distress, bowel obstruction, and vomiting. Since Mason has a Nissen wrap, he cannot vomit, so it is really difficult to tell with him.

Travis and I decided to take Mason in for an x-ray early this week. I found out one of the surgeons that knows him really well was in clinic yesterday. We went in and Jeannie was gracious enough to stay with him during his x-ray (I have to step out because I am pregnant).

We spoke with Mason's surgeon and there is no sign of reherniation. It was confirmed by the official radiology report this morning. This really put our minds at ease for the time being. We were almost expecting to see some sort of bowel in his chest after the questionable x-ray in November.

Now we just need to figure out the source of the extra gagging. Last night he did great and today he did not gag when he napped. He has learned how to make himself gag which is pretty common in kids with feeding difficulties. This makes it harder to determine if the retching is being caused by a real gag or a fake gag. It he has a full tummy, both will make him retch. We will keep an eye on it and consult with his surgeon in a couple of weeks if it does not improve or gets worse.