I remember after one of her surgeries, the surgeon told us that if she got into her teens and didn't like the way her body looked, plastic surgery would take care of some of the scars. So far, they haven't bothered her very much. They have been there for as long as she's known, growing in quantity, those reminders of all she has been through. In a blessing our memory affords, she will not remember most of her surgeries- but these scars will tell her story.
Her belly, for about three years, has been so flat; much too flat and sickly-looking. Even seeing that warrior tummy daily, it still would shock me sometimes to see how thin she had become.
Tonight, I could not stop staring at her tummy while I helped her shower and then flushed her IV line. If she had been a baby, I would have pinched her skin and blown raspberry kisses on her little pouch of a belly. Because, for the first time in so very long, I can see that she has gained weight. More than just the number on a scale, there is a physical difference! I have tears as I write this.
I know that the TPN and Lipids through her nightly IV feeds are responsible for this, and I know that now that we have stopped the TPN/Lipids it is highly unlikely she will be able to maintain this weight without her getting a G-tube and receiving the extra 900 calories a day through it. Seeing her grow, I am just so happy and it makes the idea of agreeing to a tube if we need to, easier.
AND, if she can maintain this weight and even start to gain again, she will start to grow in height as well. That I can't wait for!
Just so, so happy to be in awe of her belly, tonight!
 |
| Practicing our smiles..... we have to be audience-ready for a media event we are participating in tomorrow at the hospital. I would rather be in labor than have pictures taken of me, but it is fun and important to give Liz happy things to associate the hospital with. |
Gorgeous smiles
ReplyDelete