Baby's Got a Big 'Ole Head

Chiron and I get to have a fun day of imaging tomorrow.  He's still having pretty severe reflux episodes with some choking, so the gastroenterologist wants us to repeat the upper GI to make sure and rule out any anatomical abnormalities as well as do a swallow study with a speech pathologist present.  The gastroenterologist also referred us to an ENT who we will be seeing the beginning of August who apparently will also want to do some scoping/studying. 

In addition, he's also getting a brain CT.  Why?  Because he's got a big 'ole head.  And more specifically, he has a big 'ole head that is getting relatively larger.

These are his head sizes and the percentile rankings (I couldn't find a preterm head chart, so I only have adjusted for when his adjusted age is after zero).

In case you're curious, here's what the values look like:

The likely answer is just that he has a big head.  That was the theory at his six-month appointment.  But given the growth in the month between his six-month appointment and his appointment yesterday at the gastroenterologist, they want to go ahead and look at it.

Both doctors, gastro and general pediatrician, wanted to look at it once they saw yesterday's value.  The only question was would we do an MRI or a CT.  The argument in favor of a CT is that it doesn't take as long and doesn't require sedation.  The argument in favor of an MRI is less radiation exposure and much more information.  The final decision was since he has previously had an MRI, we know most of the structural information and so a CT should be fine to look for fluid on the brain.  And he hasn't had an CTs of anything yet, so they are less worried about radiation.

Image from his last Upper GI

Image from his last brain scan

Honestly, I'm not really sure what we are hoping for.  My instinct is to hope for nothing turning up on any of three imaging studies and a continued uncertainty as to why he has such severe reflux and choking episodes.  But maybe it would be useful to turn something up?  I just generally don't like "somethings", so I think I am rooting for three clear scans showing nothing other than reflux with the upper GI.

I am in love with our local hospital, Dell Childrens, because they shuffled schedules to get him in for all three of them back-to-back even with different doctors ordering different components.  Also, they are doing the brain scan first, so we only have to cut him off from food four hours before the expected start of the first stomach imaging procedure.  Since that's at 10, he can eat until 6 and since he normally eats at 5:45, this should work great.

Trajan is currently going to Chiron's daycare for four weeks because his school is completely closed right now for four weeks (no camp, no nothing).  It's going well so far (based on his experience yesterday, his first day), so hoping today went well and we have an easy time getting him going and there in the morning because the only negative of the great scheduling is we have to have Chiron in the building at outpatient registration by 8:30.

I will update the world.  Think good thoughts our way!