Hello, My Name is Cranky McSpits-A-Lot

After 12 days of increased spitting up due to the ugly return of reflux, I finally got to talk to a real, live, breathing person at the gastroenterology [GI] office today.

Miss Sassy Pants

I had called last week after my darling daughter was doubling the normal amount of laundry and leaving puddles of curdled rice milk everywhere for the Sophie dog to clean up.  Hello, nastiness! Of course, the docs in the office, all of them apparently, left for an early 4th of July Holiday and did not return until yesterday.  The only person I was able to speak with was the triage nurse (she was nice) and she cannot prescribe so The Bear was left to suffer during the long weekend. After waiting around for most of yesterday (hey, I get that they probably have a stack of messages), I tried calling at 4:20pm.

"Thank you for calling the office of Gastroenterology.  The office is now closed.  Our hours are from 8:30am to 4:30pm".

I couldn't even leave a message.  Grr.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike our GI office?  No?  Well, I do.  

• It is hard to get an appointment.  
• The office apparently shuts off all the phones before closing time.  
• They have a horrible negotiated provider rate with Aetna.  
• Then there was the whole fiasco where they gave me some alarming, incorrect test results on Ellie's Upper GI study (need I mention the doc was out-of-town when I tried to get the results clarified?).

When one lives in a town with a giant healthcare monopoly, aka Seton, you do not really have a choice of pediatric specialists so we were pretty much stuck with this one and only office.

Miss Spits-A-Lot was becoming more cranky, looking more gaunt in the eyes, and acting more sleepy.  Pasty white with dark eye circles is not a really good look for Ellie.  She is an Ellie Bear, not a Panda Bear.  She must also be starving.  Ellie would go to her highchair wanting food, but would then only pick at a couple of pieces.  Breakfast was usually skipped.  Yet, the spitting continued--even with Pepcid and erythromycin (low dose to speed up stomach emptying)

Cranky McSpits-A-Lot

Oh joy when I called the GI office today and got a return call 2 hours later.  Yay!  Yippy!  Joy!  Relief!

Apparently, the Bear has maxed out her Pepcid dose for her weight and some of the other, more common reflux meds have failed in the past.  Introducing new medication-Zegerid.  This wonderful $105 powdered packet Proton-Pump-Inhibitor requires careful reconstitution which means I must access the medical nursing part of my brain.  Seriously, 105 dollars and I have to mix the medication every couple of days?  Ooh, this better work because I need my Ellie Bellie Sassy Pants back to be, well, sassy and clean clothes.  Plus, I hate smelling like nastiness.

"Since my esophagus is eroding, I will feed my blankie instead."