Ryan's 2nd Upper GI & Modified Barium Swallow Study

I just returned home from Ryan's 2nd upper GI and modified barium swallow study. Ryan's surgeon that inserted his feeding tube and did the Nissen fundoplication suggested it might be wise to have these tests done. Ryan was wretching anytime he consumed more than 2 ounces of food. His GI Specialist agreed that we needed to do the tests and ordered them.

We started with the modified barium swallow study. A speech therapist, a radiology tech, and a radiologist (sounds like the start of a joke, doesn't it?) joined us in an x-ray room. They placed Ryan in an infant seat that was partially reclined and then gave him a bottle of barium. You might think, "But, doesn't offering something like Barium have the potential to change the way he eats?" Yes, technically, it does; however, it can't taste or smell worse than the formula (Neocate 1+) that he currently eats.

As he drank from the bottle, we watched on x-ray video as he sucked and swallowed the food. We noticed that he sucks a couple of times and then swallows. We think this may just be due to his nipple having too slow of a flow. There did not appear to be any issues with his ability to swallow liquids.

Previously, we had learned he had some "penetration". The recommendation was to chill all of his liquids to encourage him to swallow them instead of holding liquid in his throat. This time they did not see any penetration. Thus, it is no longer necessary to chill all of his formula before he eats.

The speech therapist, Darcy, also offered him a couple of bites of pears & barium thickened with a little cereal. With a little coaxing, he swallowed the first bite, but the second bite "scattered," meaning he did nothing with it. Because he does nothing with it, it just kind of spills out of his mouth. This is the same result we have seen in the past.

Then the radiologist did the upper GI series. He chose to feed Ryan Barium through his mic-KEY button. He pushed a little less than 2 ounces and was unable to push any more. The barium did empty appropriately from his stomach and once some emptied Ryan was able to receive more. So, it seems Ryan's stomach is only large enough for 2 ounces.

The Good News: We did not see any reflux issues or any structural issues.

Another Video

I still haven't figured out how to turn the video, so I guess you have to either turn your computer or your head. =]

Dwight took this video with his phone. It's not the best quality, but it's kind of fun to watch.

Hope you enjoy!

Good News

Ryan was able to balance in a sitting position for about 3-5 seconds tonight! We are so proud of how hard he works and how much he continues to progress.

We are so very thankful for all of his wonderful therapists and friends who help him! We love and appreciate you all!