Stop me if you've heard this one...

So I have this new theory, or maybe it's an old one that I'm recycling. I think Annie's nausea/vomiting deal is "delayed gastric emptying". I should re-read all my posts (ick) and see how many times I've floated this hypothesis. You know, I've been ruminating on this problem for a year, so I forget what I've already said, or thought through, or what ideas we've discarded. But I'm going with this one today: delayed gastric emptying.

The latest reason I think this is because we've been giving her double hydrocortisone, and she's still gaggy. So, the underlying problem, at least this time, is not lack of steroids. And, the extra fat in the ketogenic diet is known to make any problems with digestion even worse. Plus, even when we discourage her sticking her fingers down her mouth, she still gags. It just seems to always be right there. Lastly, I looked on the internet--so it must be true--and saw that oftentimes brain injury can cause damage to the vagus nerve, the nerve that runs from brain to butt and helps move things along the digestive tract.

My life is pretty simple: spend 90% of my waking minutes trying to figure out why my kid pukes. There's even a website called momswearingpuke.com--so I guess I'm in good company. Anyway, hopefully we'll get in to see the gastroenterologist soon. Now there's a good use of 10+ years of school, huh? Those doctors not only enjoy their own kid's groceries, they study other kids' gut contents too.

One thing we haven't considered yet is the possibility of quitting the ketogenic diet, so she doesn't need to digest the excess fat. But, here are my choices right now: do I want vomiting, or do I want seizures?

On a positive note, though, Annie had a good day at school, and engaged in a reciprocal conversation with both her OT, Cynthia, and her nurse, Moira. Not sure what they were all conversing about, but it was BACK and FORTH. Praise the Lord for those connections!

Jean