Passed!!

Rebekah PASSED her swallow study this morning!!! The time for it actually got changed twice before we got down there, so she didn't have her study until after 11:30.

They mixed some barium with some flavored koolaid, and at first Rebekah was eager to gulp it down.  Then she really tasted it and didn't want to have any more.  Can't blame her!  :)  But she was super cooperative, and she drank four different times for them to get plenty of video of her.  It's actually a super-quick series of x-rays that run together to make a short video.  So you can see exactly when the liquid enters Rebekah's mouth, as it goes to the back of the throat, and finally when she swallows.  It's pretty cool to watch!

The radiologist did see two abnormalities in the swallow study.  First, sometimes the liquid in Rebekah's mouth goes up (into her nasal passages) and not down into her throat.  We know all about this one!  It's a part of the DiGeorge syndrome since the back of her throat/vocal cords/nasal passages aren't quite "normal."  The second thing they noted is that Rebekah has a delayed swallow.  This means that the liquid goes into her mouth, to the back of the throat and then kind of hangs out there for a few seconds before it is swallowed down.  The concerning part is that during this time Rebekah's airways are wide open, setting up a perfect opportunity for aspiration.  However, this is NOT something caused by the vocal cord paralysis.  It is likely that Rebekah has always been this way, and probably will always be this way.  It is obvious that her body has learned to compensate and protect her airways.  I could tell the speech pathologist was a little hesitant to say that Rebekah was cleared for thin liquids because of the delayed swallow, but it is obviously something that Rebekah has had all her life, and she has never had an aspiration problem before.  In fact, if she hadn't had a vocal cord issue, we wouldn't even know about the delayed swallow.  So, the speech path. agreed to let Rebekah resume her normal diet, liquids and all!!  :)

So, in light of that news, we are beginning to hear the H-O-M-E word whispered around the unit.  Not sure of exactly when it will be, but things are definitely progressing in that direction.

Nancy