I do apologize for the lack of updates. It has been an uphill battle getting Ana Maria to tolerate her entire 1120 calories needed to grow. She has fully recovered from the virus and is loving home. Thank you for your continued prayers. There has been some confusion about Ana's intake. Alot of people have been asking if she is off of the g-tube. The answer is, no. Ana is only allowed to eat pears, apples, and squash. These three foods offer very few calories, meaning Ana gets almost all of her calories from Elecare... through her g-tube. The disease Ana is believed to have is chronic... she will battle it most, if not all of her life. We are glad to finally have some answers... however, disapointed there isn't a cure. The only medication that helps treat this is an oral steroid... which comes with many side effects. Many have asked how I feel about all of this. I guess... "sad". Ana will probably never enjoy cake on her birthday... or a chocolate bunny at Easter... or a candy cane at Christmas. I know these things seem minor... but, to a child they are memories that last forever... as Americans our lives are centered around family dinners and picnics. No turkey on Thanksgiving is unthinkable. As her tummy heals she will show signs of hunger... she is 3 weeks into her restricted diet and already crying to eat the food her brother and sisters eat. So, to those of you wondering how I feel about all of this, I am sad. I never dreamed this would be so... longterm. I never realized how important food is in our culture. Sorry to ramble so. I am not only going to ask for prayers for Ana tonight, but also for me. All I need is strength... just strength to keep pushing forward. Thank-you. 
Here are pictures of Ana last week during her hospital stay.
No comments:
Post a Comment