Emerald City, Here We Come!

Aubrey has been and continues to be a medical mystery (our GI doctor told us that her case should be written up in a medical journal because she’s been so difficult to diagnose) which makes it hard to predict what kind of progress she will make in the program.  We do not know what exactly is causing her on-going GI problems, but she still can only consume small amounts of food at a time or her stomach gets upset.  As you may have read previously, she was given a diagnosis of Celiac Disease in December, but after both blood and genetic testing came back negative this spring doctors were pretty sure this was a misdiagnosis.  However, just to make things more complicated and uncertain, a follow-up biopsy a couple weeks ago showed the damage in her small intestines was repaired after several months on a gluten-free diet.  Because of the negative blood tests and the fact that Aubrey’s stomach problems were not eliminated while she was gluten-free, the doctors are still not convinced that she does have Celiac Disease, but it is back on the table as a possibility.

My mother will be coming to stay with Jason and Ella while we are gone (thanks mom!) and Ella is such a momma’s girl that I am praying everyone gets through this okay.  The only other time I’ve ever been away from her was last October when Jason and I had a quick weekend getaway, and she still cries every time I leave the house with out her.  I keep thinking if it’s that traumatic when I go to the store for a couple hours, what’s it going to be like when I’m gone for two weeks?  We just keep telling ourselves that it will all be worth it if Seattle Children’s can help Aubrey as much as they have been able to help hundreds of other kids with feeding issues.

We’ll try to post an update or two about Aubrey’s progress, but I’m not sure what kind of internet access and/or free time I will have while we’re in Seattle so it might not be until we return.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers in the next month or so – we hope this is the path we have long been waiting for that will allow us to put some of Aubrey’s medical challenges behind us!