ENT Follow Up - August 14

"So you're not going to like this..." is the worst possible way ever to start when delivering test results. Unfortunately, I've heard it enough that I knew what was next. "There's absolutely nothing to indicate that the problems you had on Friday occurred."

Thanks Baby Girl.

We went in today for your follow up with ENT after last Friday's excitement. We were running a little bit late because traffic was awful. You were already tired from waking up early and the appointment being right at about the time that you usually eat breakfast and take a morning nap. And you didn't sleep as well as usually last night. Three strikes against us going in to the appointment.

All week, you've been back and forth. Mostly over your cold (about 85% I'd say...) but still a random runny nose or cough here and there. Your secretions have been perfectly thin and clear one day, and ridiculously thick and gross the next. When we suction, we're supposed to go down to 9.5 and you start gagging and coughing at 8. You haven't wanted us to do any cleaning around your trach site, and will start pushing away my hands anytime I get even close to it.

When we got to the office, they took us to get your vitals and you starting crying as soon as they picked up the blood pressure cuff....you really don't like those things, but you've never reacted that way before! Naturally, your BP reading was high. They put us in the room and you calmed down some...until you heard Dr. B's voice. You knew what was coming next and started really crying - pretty sure you hurt her feelings...y'all used to be buddies! So she looked at the outside of the trach, made a comment about the granuloma tissue still being there but not as much (but went ahead and treated it with silver nitrate anyway - strike 4!). Then she changed the trach out without any problems whatsoever. Awesome. No resistance. No fussing. No problem.

So I'm trying to explain everything that's been going on in the last week and she says, ok - we'll scope her and see what we can see. <Insert more tears and crying> We started to load you back up in your stroller and she says: "just turn the vent off and carry her down there. We know she obviously doesn't need it." Awesome. Once we get to the scope room you were so sleepy and unhappy that it didn't matter anymore - you were going to cry no matter what. She was able to get the scope in your trach pretty quickly and then looks at me and says "You're not going to want to hear this..."

Sigh.

She went all the way down to carina (part that makes you cough) - nothing.
Back up to the end of the trach - nothing.
No scar tissue. No granuloma that has retracted. No blood or scabs. Not even any irritation to indicate that something might possibly have been bothering you.
Nothing.

There is no logical reason why the trach wouldn't go back in; why it's been bothering you all week; why you've been coughing when we suction you. No evidence of any problems.

I love you Baby Girl but you are one medical mystery away from giving me an brain aneurysm.