A tiny glimpse...

First, you can tell it's been awhile since I blogged... I had no clue that Blogger made a bajillion changes to it's format... oh well, bare with me if I screw anything up.

So I owe a few dozen updates to those who actually still come here to read... but today I am exhausted. I did want to share this with you. I contacted the Beads of Courage program to see if the boys were eligible. CHNOLA only offers BOC to oncology patients but we are eligible for the Beads From A Distance program. I am really excited because I feel as though this will give the boys something more tangible to express all that they've been through... and it's quite a bit for their 2 and 3.5 years of existence. I had a tally form with various categories and sub-categories to complete. They will each receive a certain bead for each thing they've been through... here is what I was able to tally for each of them:

Pierce

• 1 inpatient admit
• 8 nights in the hospital
• 1 NG tube
• 21 x-rays
• 4 times of being NPO
• 2 IV antibiotics
• 1 time on isolation
• 8 IVs
• 24 pokes for bloodwork
• 2 echocardiograms
• 2 EKGs
• 5 swallow studies
• 2 upper GI series
• 4 ER visits
• 1 ambulance ride
• 1 muscle biopsy
• 2 brain MRIs
• 1 ABR
• 2 brain CTs
• 1 upper EGD
• 1 lower EGD
• 1 sleep study
• 1 EEG
• 1 upper airway fluoroscopy
• 2 cardiology visits
• 10 GI visits
• 4 opthamology visits
• 9 genetics visits
• 7 ENT visits
• 4 neurology visits
• 6 orthopedic visits
• 5 immunology visits
• 4 pulmonology visits
• 2 IVIG infusions (well 1 is this coming Wednesday)
• 1 surgery
• 1 trip to AL for ortho consult
• 17 trips to Baton Rouge (1 hour away from NOLA)
• approximately 94 therapy sessions (speech and physical)

Brice

•  5 IVIG infusions (1 this coming Wednesday)
• 12 IVs
• 13 ENT visits
• 6 immunology visits
• 10 GI visits
• 3 pediatric surgeon visits
• 1 pulmonology visit
• 1 genetics visit
• 7 x-rays
• 3 hearing tests
• 15 pokes for bloodwork
• 3 surgeries
• 7 ER trips
• 2 inpatient admits
• 5 nights in the hospital
• 2 upper EGD
• 2 lower EGD
• 1 bronchoscopy
• 1 laryngoscopy
• 1 nasal endoscopy
• 1 NG tube
• 1 brain MRI
• 1 ophthalmology visit
• 2 urology visits
• 3 ultrasounds (1 abdominal, 2 renal)
• 2 foley catheters
• 2 upper GI series
• 1 swallow study
• 1 nuclear gastric study
• 21 trips to BR
• approximately 88 Speech Therapy sessions

After seeing all of this, it made me realize why the last 3.5 years have flown by... the sad thing is that this doesn't even encompass what seems like the hundreds of times we've been in the pediatrician's office for sick visits, well visits and childhood immunizations.

That's it for today --- if you have the ability, I really encourage (and would more than appreciate) you to make a donation the Beads of Courage program. You can do so here!

A post coming tomorrow about our scary day with Pierce yesterday... off to go release some stress while working out :)

Poor B... more surgery on the horizon?

So, if we're not friends on Facebook, you may not know this but Brice was admitted to the hospital for 24 hours for post-op dehydration.

We landed back in the ER on Monday --- the kid endured another IV and was awarded an overnight stay in room 509. Thankfully, this was the turning point for him. He received  one dose of decadron on Monday night and another dose Tuesday morning. By the time we left the hospital, he was eating like normal and almost drinking like normal. He still refuses to take any and all medication by mouth... which is further complicating a new issue we've discovered...

While in the ER, after being told Brice was being admitted (but before being taken to a floor), our GI called. Drum roll please........................... Brice has an insane yeast overgrowth in his small intestine (found in the duodenal aspirate). The high end of normal is 10^5 and he is 4x10^7

 Today, he started a two week course of Diflucan. But the real kicker from his most recent EGD is that he has active reflux esophagitis. Technically, he should not have this because he takes 20mg of Nexium twice daily - that is a high dose for a child - and somehow, it's not enough. We don't really have the option of putting him on a higher dose. Our GI mentioned the very, very real possibility of a Nissen Fundoplication. He said we want to try to avoid this at all costs (which George and I feel the same about) but if he is still symptomatic after we treat the yeast, Brice will likely need a nissen.

I don't really know which direction I want to go on this. I really don't want him to have to endure another surgical procedure - and this one is more significant than a T&A. But at the same time, I don't want him to suffer from esophagitis. Not to mention, if that is left untreated, it raises his risk for a condition known as Barrett's Esophagus (essentially, the esophageal tissue changes to something similar to intestinal tissue). With Barrett's Esophagus, there is a risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (yes, cancer).

If Brice were to have the Nissen, he would no longer have to take anti-reflux medications. No more Nexium eliminates the risk of bone density loss due to long-term PPI use - if he were to continue on Nexium, he would have a bone scan at 5.

We just want to feel confident in whatever decision we have to make. But with that said, I am not sure we will be able to. If we go one way, we run the risk of X and if we go the other way, we run the risk of Y. I really don't think this will be an easy decision to make. I can tell you this much, our decision will be very much driven by Brice's needs and not other people's opinions. At the end of the day, we want him happy, healthy and thriving - not in pain.

I also spoke to our GI, this morning about the vocal nodules and lymphoid hyperplasia (in the biopsied nasal tissue) --- he said both are likely due to GERD. I feel like reflux is out biggest enemy yet. I am ready to win the battle. We follow-up with GI on November 11 --- more to come then :)

Inside of...

... less than two weeks...

Mr. Brice has endured the following:

four IV's
two OR visits
two intubations/extubations for anesthesia

two ER visits

two bouts with dehydration
several bags of fluid

one colonoscopy

one upper endoscopy

one tonsillectomy

one adenoidectomy

one nasal endoscopy

one bronchoscopy

one laryngoscopy

lots of Zofran, Motrin and pain meds

and even more love, hugs, kisses and snuggles

On Thursday, October 13, Brice had the colonscopy & upper endoscopy (with a duodenal aspirate). His GI scheduled these procedures because of some belly/poop issues involving blood. Thankfully, upon visual (endoscopic) evaluation, everything looks as it should. We will have the biopsy and aspirate results back on Monday. Everything seemed okay. We took him to Chick Fil A for lunch and Target for a new toy. He played with Pierce and even went to his cousin's 7th birthday party. And then 8:30pm hit and HOLY PUKEFEST FOLKS... always a joy having lots of vomit, the consistency of pudding, on your shoulder, down your shirt, into your bra... lovely, just lovely (and yes, you can thank me later for that stomach-turning visual... and thank me even more for not giving you a far worse visual). And he continued to vomit until the poor kid was vomiting bile... 8 times inside of 2 hours. I took him into the ER. They ran bloodwork, started an IV, took an abdominal x-ray and administered Zofran (I swear, this drug is like a miracle worker - maybe I should write their manufacturer a letter - it's saved my life more times than I can think of... well maybe not my life, because that seems a tad extreme, but my sanity). His bloodwork showed dehydration and the x-ray was consistent with a person having a colonoscopy (not sure what that means). The doctors concurred (ER and GI on call) that the vomiting was likely due to the procedures.... or so we thought...

On Saturday, we took the boys to the pumpkin patch at Brice's school. Instead of carving their pumpkins, we decided they could paint them. So imagine this... we're en route to Target... to purchase said paint... Pierce starts coughing... I ask if my little buddy is okay... he looks confused... and then it happens... PROJECTILE VOMIT... undigested hotdog chunks and all (oh yes, people, you're getting another visual because I had the pleasure of cleaning it up... you're welcome). We went to a Halloween party at our neighbor's home... and Pierce puked again... the next morning, he puked again... all over the couch. Seriously, I don't know if I've ever experienced that much vomit in my life - and I've experienced a lot from other people (hey, it was our younger 20s - no kids, lots of time to experience all that NOLA has to offer). But I digress... obviously, a virus thought out home was a lovely place to visit.

And then Monday happened... that evening the virus decided to slam both George & I straight into the floor. I thought there was some unwritten rule somewhere that both parents could never, should never, ever be sick simultaneously... our ship was slowly sinking... it was a rough 24 hours. [total side note: George puked in the kitchen sink - no worries it's stainless and I scrubbed it - but the noise that it made scared the bejeezum out of Pierce - there I sat, on the couch, with one screaming kid, the other one crying, trying my hardest not to puke myself... oh the memories]

Fast forward a couple days... Wednesday, October 19, Brice had the T&A and other scopes. The doctor took a nasal biopsy to look at the cilia (for a few reasons - will discuss once we get results). His adenoids were VERY bumpy/rocky looking - consistent with being chronically infected/inflammed. He has bilateral nodules on his larynx and a broken blood vessel. The nodules are a tad confusing because those usually are a result of chronic vocal abuse. ENT told us to mention it to ST but even she was confused by it - especially since he doesn't have a raspy/hoarse voice (common with nodules).

Of course, in true Brice fashion, he wouldn't take his pain medicine by mouth. The (less than brilliant) recovery nurse suggested that he take a 30-45 minute nap and then maybe he would be willing... ummm no. I should have asked where I could send her a thank you note. Because of that and us having to wait 45ish minutes for an IV dose of morphine, the poor kid's pain was out of control. The morphine dose had NO effect on him. We had to hold him down and try to force his other pain med down orally. He slept on and off for hours... refused to eat or drink. At 3:30pm, our nurse said that if he didn't turn the corner within the hour, he would be moved to the floor because the short stay unit closed at 6pm. George and I took Brice on a walk and made a game out of drinking (you have to take a sip when we reach the window/door/hallway)... and it worked! He consumed 4oz of apple juice and 2 oz of ice cream - we were discharged exactly one hour later!! Brice did very well Wednesday evening - he tried to eat a mini powdered donut and a piece of pizza. Thursday was a decent day until 3pm. Friday morning, we thought we were going to have to head back to the hospital. My older sister saved the day with a smoothie - I was able to sneak his meds into the smoothie and life seemed okay. Saturday was MISERABLE - we reluctantly landed in the ER around 2:30pm.

When the nurse was doing his IV, she mentioned that with the way he presented and the fact that he was post-op, he was going to be admitted. The doctor was FABULOUS and it didn't hurt that she was the momma of a redhead - she could totally commiserate with the strong will they have! He was given a bolus, steroids, morphine and then they started a dextrose drip. He had a small bout with vomiting (well it came up and he forced it back down) so they give him some Zofran. Around 6pm, she and I discussed our options... 1) she could admit him or 2) we could stay another hour for a little more in fluids and another morphine dose. We decided to go with option 2 because it's always much nicer to sleep in your own bed on your own couch.

Today was another rough day... no medicine and nothing by mouth. We told him that we would go to Chuck E Cheese if he would drink something (you know we were desperate!). We bought him a special cup while there and he took a few sips. When we got home, he drank a small bit more - maybe a total of 2 ounces. Around 5pm, we were preparing to head back into the ER and this time, knowingly, to be admitted. But somehow, I was FINALLY able to convince him to drink something... and he took in 6 ounces!! He still isn't eating and as I type this, he no longer wants to drink, but hey, we're seeing minor progress. Hopefully it continues!

stickers, tummies & blog changes

The boys (unexpectedly) had their blood work done today. They both were having their pneumococcal titers checked from their June 28th vaccination with Pneumovax23 and their memory b cell function tested. Brice was also having a food allergy panel done. They both did great... well Brice had a massive meltdown over having to wear a band-aid after the fact... and it only got worse when he was given the option of choosing stickers. OH.MY.GOODNESS. I was sweating by the time we walked out... he was so upset that he didn't realize he was saying no to the Toy Story stickers he ultimately wanted.... but then, he wanted the WHOLE roll. I explained to him that he could have a few and the rest had to stay for other kids having blood work too... while he is normally a great share, today, he had no desire to do so. He l.o.s.t. it... the woman that drew his blood said he could have the entire roll... to which I 110% refused. He was not being rewarded with an entire roll of stickers for not wanting to share and for having a meltdown over not wanting to share. Finally, he took one of each type on the roll and we left.

Speaking of food allergies... the boys have a new tummy doctor (aka GI specialist). As much as loved our GI doctor in Baton Rouge (and will forever be thankful to him for stabilizing Pierce as a teeny babe), I just couldn't make the 1+ hour trip any longer. So back to the new tummy doctor... while I can't say that I was overly impressed, I can say that I think I am going like having him on our team.

Dr. K had lots of things to say about Brice and I honestly cannot remember each one because holy gees did my kiddos bring out the crazy for the first half of our appointment. These are the things that I do remember: (1) We're reducing Brice's Nexium intake from 20mg twice daily to 20mg once daily; (2) He's curious if some of Brice's belly issues could be related to food allergies or sensitivities; (3) He reviewed Brice's EGD biopdy report from March --- Brice did not have any evidence of esophagitis but that could have been masked by him being on Prevacid --- Brice had duodenitis; (4) If Brice's belly pain gets worse (especially to the point we were at a few months ago) he wants to do another EGD and a 24 hour pH probe study; (5) the duodenitis could be the culprit for his belly pain... actually visceral hypersensitivity could be. Dr. K said that once the inflammation from the duodenitis subsided, the nerve endings may not have properly healed and could be hyper-sensitive now... so anything moving through the duodenum (part of your intestines), in essence, could cause pain. If this were the case and if his pain were to get worse and if it were to start interfering with his day-to-day activity, they would treat the visceral hypersensitivity. Dr. K did give me a fair warning that the treatment for it is "old-school" anti-depression medications. He wants to see Brice again in two months.

As far as Pierce goes, he is in a pretty stable place GI-wise. I explained to Dr. K that pulmonology wanted us to get another swallow study and I really didn't think Pierce needed to undergo another swallow study (aka pharyngogram or MBSS - modified Barium Swallow Study or VFSS - Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Study) My two reasons are: (1) I am just not convinced that his recent choking episodes were related to anything mechanical - I am of the opinion it's more of an ENT issue (while he was sick) and (2) my poor kiddo has been exposed to SO much radiation in his short 19 months of life that if we can avoid it we need to. While he respected my desire to avoid the MBSS he thinks it's necessary. Due to Pierce's mito diagnosis, he wants a baseline study, if in the event we were to see issues arise in the future. The hospital will be calling me at some point this week to schedule the MBSS and we follow-up with Dr. K in two months.

And... I've made a few more changes to my blog! I moved my blog roll from the sidebar:

to a page at the top (We like to read):

and I also added a few buttons as well :)

I am off to stuff and address 80 birthday invitations for my ALMOST 3 year old redhead... have a great night!

{monday mumbles}

{monday mumbles}

• Potty Training is going VERY WELL! Brice has been in underwear 24/7 since Thursday morning. He's had a few accidents - mostly at naptime. It's weird --- he stays completely dry overnight (so 10ish hours) but the last two days he's woken up wet from his nap. He's napping now so we'll see... Overall, he's doing fantastic - no pullups, only underwear... all the time... and 5 accidents TOTAL. {I am proud mama if you can't tell}. But here's my concern... pooping. I think he's a bit backed up because of all the barium he had last week. He's only had one BM since last Sunday (yikes!) I keep asking if he needs to poop and he tells me no... I've heard that this can be the tricky part of PT'ing... fingers crossed.
• So far, all of Brice's testing has come back normal, within normal limits or negative - bloodwork, stool studies, nuclear gastric emptying study, VFSS and Upper GI Series --- his upper endoscopy found a hiatal hernia and his duodenum aspirate showed a staph aureus infection.
• Pierce is spontaneously acquiring more and more words! He says Bice (Brice), no (and he knows how to shake his head no), up, down, mommy, daddy, potty, poo-poo, Daisy, Duke, stop (top), Neo, kitty, duck, quack, moo, dog, uh-oh, night-night, go, out, bye, hop and probably a few more that I cannot think of! His laugh and smile are still just as infectious as ever! Some words that I forgot: PaPa, Elmo, woof-woof, ahh-ahh (monkey sound), boat, choo-choo, cat, bubbles, roar, yum-yum, ball, two, cat, blue, hello, hi --- almost 40 words!
• We went to French Quarter Fest on Sunday and had so much fun! George's brother, David, came with us and Brice had so much fun with Uncle Dabe (Dave). You couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day but it was hot... H-O-T! Brice sucked down 20oz of fruit punch (definitely not in my top 10 of liquids to give to him but we were in downtown NOLA and it was free!)... and he had two accidents around 45 minutes later... both happened within minutes of each other. And it one of my not finer moments... I had a dress on because it was H-O-T... it was also windy... {do you see where I am going with this...?} --- my dress flew up in the back (while I was pushing the stroller) --- I screamed (which probably only brought more attention to me) and made George push the stroller so I could hold my dress down --- sigh...
• Brice's appetite sucks lately... I know it's due to his stomach problems... I don't know if he know has aversions because of the pain - he's made negative associations with food? We give him {almost} whatever he asks for. He typically takes 1-3 bites (if that) and that's it. The one thing he will eat is white bread - toasted or not - it's a guarantee. He drinks lots and lots of water. He no longer wants to take his Nexium - I think he knows medicine is mixed into whatever I have in the bowl in my hand (I typically mix it into Greek yogurt or applesauce), especially since he did not request whatever is in the bowl. 
• We have a few appointments this week for the kids - Pierce is getting his tooth fixed on Thursday and Brice has a follow-up GI appointment on Friday {I can't wait for that appointment}... I just want an answer and a solution to Brice's GI problems and I would love a special way to get medicine into him!
• The boys have been coming into our room around 5:45am (it's cute to see them both walking in with their blankets but I also enjoy seeing the inside of my eyelids at 5:45am too!) My husband is wonderful... he let me stay in bed for an extra 45 minutes this morning - I really needed it.
• I am keeping my fingers crossed that another little path in my life continues to open up - if and when it does, I will share about it :)
• On Thursday, Jenni and I are taking our {four} boys to either the Zoo or Aquarium! I haven't seen her in months... I am excited about spending time with them :)

a story about {eggs, a tooth and more}

This may be a bit back and forth, so hang in there while reading it...

Tuesday: Brice had his nuclear gastric emptying study. We left at 6am, arrived at 7:30am and upon checking in, we were told that his test had been canceled... ummmm, excuse me? I very politely informed the lady that we were originally scheduled for Thursday but after speaking with Erin (the tech) she rescheduled us for Tuesday. We went back and forth for a 2ish minutes at which point I asked to speak with Erin. Instead, the lady called Erin, we worked things out, got checked in, paid the rest of our insurance deductible (blech!) and patiently waited... waited... waited. {read: we were told to be there at 8:15 and on Monday someone called and said we needed to be there for 7:30 --- well, they were wrong --- we were not taken back until 8:35am}

They made Brice a scrambled egg with a radioactive tracer... in a styrofoam cup... in the microwave (I should probably hop off my soapbox before I even get started about styrofoam and the fact it is not biodegradable and what it emits once heated... sigh). He went to town eating it... until it burned his mouth... after a few tears {from him} and kisses {from me}, life was good and he finished his radioactive egg. Then it was time for fun {read: NOT}...

Brice had to lay on a table...

{source}

while papoosed {his head was not strapped down and he had free range of his arms}...

{source}

for NINETY {90} MINUTES... pure torture for a toddler...

I brought Toy Story 3 with me and we watched it between tears, screaming and pleas for help (so heartbreaking...) - you would have thought it was Christmas when the lights turned back on in the room and he was able to move again. We had to go back at the 4 hour mark for one last {1 minute} image. We left and went to Chuck E Cheese for an hour because how else do you occupy a toddler when they cannot eat or drink... He won 140 tickets and got a snake and baby frog in return for said tickets. We went back and he started crying as soon as we walked in the room... begging me "no mommy no, please no" - why don't you just rip my heart out kid... but it was only for a minute... thankfully!

Wednesday: Oh Wednesday morning... the antics of Wednesday morning brought me to my knees. I think everything I've been through in regards to doctor appointments, tests, procedures, tears, cries of pain, worrying about test results, the unknown and so much more all finally hit me...

I was in the bathroom doing my makeup because we had to be at the hospital for 10:15am for Brice's Upper GI Series and MBSS. George was getting ready and the boys were playing at my feet... and then it happened... a loud thud that would make any mother's heart know that someone was hurt... then came the screams and my curious 2.5 year old saying "Uh-oh, what happened to Pierce?" --- exactly my thoughts sweet older brother, exactly.

Pierce somehow hit his mouth on the side of our tub. Once I pried his mouth open, wiped away as much blood and saliva as I could, I saw what I feared most... a fracture and an intrusion/luxated injury on tooth E... my poor baby's tooth was chipped (almost spanning the entire length of the base of his tooth) and partially pushed back into his gums. While I rocked him in the nursery, I sat there crying right along with him. As soon as I could compose myself, I called our pediatric dentist on his cell and left a message... then I called his hygienist (a friend of mine) and she said to head into the office for 8:15am. They took a few x-rays and thankfully the pulp of his tooth (nerve) was not damaged. We will go back next Thursday to have his tooth bonded so we can avoid decay (and his tooth will have a normal, non-chipped shape again). As for the intrusion, his tooth should spontaneously re-erupt. It could take quite some time but I am hopeful that because his tooth was not fully erupted to being with, it will continue with it's eruption pattern (maybe just a bit more slowly because of this injury)... 

We rushed back home to pick up Brice and George and flew to Baton Rouge. I called the hospital to let them know we were running late due to a minor emergency. We were suppose to arrive at 10:15am because his tests started at 10:30am... we walked ran in at 10:37am. Brice and I went into the back while my other favorite guys waited for us.

Brice started crying the moment we placed him on the table. I knew it was coming, especially after the day we experienced on Tuesday. I promised him that he would not be strapped down. My promises, at that point, meant nothing. He had to drink a liquid barium contrast while lying on his left side. He took one sip and after that, he spit the rest out. The PA really ruined it when she brought in a 60cc syringe. As soon as he saw it, he kept saying "no medicine mommy, no, please no." After that effort, the PA explained that we could either come back another day or they could call our doctor to get an order for an NG tube to fill his stomach. I told them to go ahead with the NG tube. While the PA was in the back, someone else (not sure of her title) came in and offered Brice a tropical punch flavored barium. He didn't like it. She offered strawberry and he drank it... one sip... then another. They started the test again and of course he no longer wanted to drink it. I promised him another trip to Chuck E Cheese and anything else he wanted (hey, I was desperate)... and it worked. He drank enough to fill his stomach. I thought that was fun... then they had to position him in all sorts of positions... he cried, I begged him to cooperate and soon enough, it was over.

After that, we completed his MBSS (modified swallow study). He was less than thrilled. He drank a few sips of the strawberry barium, wouldn't touch the pudding consistency barium and he consumed the graham cracker dipped in the pudding. They saw no aspiration.

After an hour long trip to Chuck  E Cheese, we went home... and it was lovely to just relax.

Today, the boys had speech therapy. While our ST was here, Brice started coughing hard while drinking some water. She said she thinks that he is fatiguing while swallowing because it happens around 5ish sips into drinking. We will let Dr. A know at our follow-up visit next Friday.

I had planned on sharing some exciting news in this post, but after some thought, I've decided it deserves it's on post! Come back to visit tomorrow to see our exciting news!!

bloodwork news

I just spoke with Pierce's geneticist to get some clarification on a few questions his neurologist had. The respiratory chain enzyme assay was completed. He plans on doing the mitochondrial DNA bloodwork in the future. Pierce does not have any Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

And the great news is that his medications are working! His ketones and amino acids are back within normal limits! Pierce's CoQ10 levels were lower than Dr. N wanted to see. His level was 271 and he wants to see it in the 300-400 range. He is fairly confident that it is most likely in that range as he upped Pierce's ubiquinol dose from 0.5cc to 1cc twice daily (back on March 7).

Yay for some great news :) I will take it however it comes in whatever amount - small or large!

As for Brice, his nuclear gastric imaging study has been moved to Tuesday morning. I was attempting to research what to expect with this particular test. While reading CHOP's website, I noted that they stated you cannot have an upper GI series 48 hours prior to nuclear gastric imaging. I had already placed a call to the imaging center to speak with a tech on what to expect. When they called me back, I explained to her what I read and she didn't feel it would interfere but said she would check with the radiologist just to be sure.... well, sure enough, it could cause inaccurate counts on certain images - (one point for me!) - they were able to squeeze him on Tuesday morning.

He has to be NPO for 6 hours prior to the study (including pain meds)... Here's the laughable part of all of this: Brice will eat a radioactive scrambled egg (made in a microwave)... he will have 10 minutes to consume it (not sure how that will go, especially due to his lack of appetite)... and here's the kicker, the ideal way to perform this test is for him to LAY STILL for 90 minutes! If {more like because} he cannot stay still, they will take images every 15 minutes. We will have a 2-2.5 hour break (while still NPO) at which point we will return to have another image taking at the 4 hour mark.

We will have his swallow study and upper GI series the following day.

His GI is out of the office all next week. I am hoping his partner will interpret the results so I can get some answers next week instead of having to wait. We will see :)