Jalen had a GI appointment with the nurse practitioner at the hospital today, and we got some good news. Jalen can have artificial colors (except for red) and Gatorade. That means he can have Dum-Dum lollipops, rock candy, and ...well...Gatorade (*smile*), which he is very happy about. The Gatorade is also very important for mixing Miralax, a very nasty tasting stool softener that would likely be undrinkable in water.
Secondly, Elsie gave us 6 samples of a fruit juice-type drink called EO28 Splash. It's just another brand of amino-acid formula, but it comes in three flavors (grape, orange-pineapple, and tropical fruit) and more importantly it comes in a standard juice-box container with a straw. Perfect for taking to school! And drinking from a "juice box" looks normal in elementary school, which is a huge concern of Jalen's. Now it is not guaranteed that a.) Jalen will even like the taste of it, or b.) Aetna will cover it as well as the Elecare. But if he likes it, our nutritionist will run the necessary paperwork through to request coverage.
Finally, the nutritionist looked at his height and weight from June and plotted them on a growth chart. She says he is between the 50%-75% in height, weight, and bmi. This sounds like great news, but I still have my doubts though. Jalen is skinny now, and he has never been skinny from Day 1. He's always been my strong muscle boy! And he looks smaller than most of his classmates now. Maybe they are all just overweight, who knows?
His endoscopy/colonoscopy is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10. The cleanout begins the Sunday before. I'll have to schedule a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks after the surgery later on in September, as they don't have their November schedule up yet.
Secondly, Elsie gave us 6 samples of a fruit juice-type drink called EO28 Splash. It's just another brand of amino-acid formula, but it comes in three flavors (grape, orange-pineapple, and tropical fruit) and more importantly it comes in a standard juice-box container with a straw. Perfect for taking to school! And drinking from a "juice box" looks normal in elementary school, which is a huge concern of Jalen's. Now it is not guaranteed that a.) Jalen will even like the taste of it, or b.) Aetna will cover it as well as the Elecare. But if he likes it, our nutritionist will run the necessary paperwork through to request coverage.Finally, the nutritionist looked at his height and weight from June and plotted them on a growth chart. She says he is between the 50%-75% in height, weight, and bmi. This sounds like great news, but I still have my doubts though. Jalen is skinny now, and he has never been skinny from Day 1. He's always been my strong muscle boy! And he looks smaller than most of his classmates now. Maybe they are all just overweight, who knows?
His endoscopy/colonoscopy is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10. The cleanout begins the Sunday before. I'll have to schedule a follow-up appointment for 2 weeks after the surgery later on in September, as they don't have their November schedule up yet.
Hey now. Jalen, this sounds like great news!! Some candy and Gatorade to go along with the Elecare!! Have you tasted the Splash drink yet? I hope it's good.
ReplyDeleteHang in there.
Love,
Aunt Veronica