Feeding Update:)

This is a long blog post so I apologize. But I have so much exciting news to share.

Wow!!! A lot has changed for Trey since my last feeding update at the beginning of May. Great news to report. Since we have adjusted Trey's reflux medications he has had a huge decrease in reflux episodes. He will occasionally have a few here or there but nothing like we were experiencing back in May.

And because of this improvement and continued therapy the last month or so Trey has made huge improvements with his eating progress. He has been willing to at least TASTE pretty much everything we place in front of him these days. Sometimes after tasting it will move to licking food and if we are really lucky he will chew the food. This may seem minuscule to some but for our Trey this is huge. We are talking a year ago barely tolerating having food in front of him. Our biggest obstacle is still his willingness to swallow food.

I know I have shared before my realization that this journey for Trey is going to be a very slow one. But I know he is going to eventually get there on his own time.

I also started looking and researching on more therapy options for Trey. Not that what we are currently receiving isn't phenomenal. But of course as a parent you want every opportunity for your child to succeed. So Trey's main therapist and his wonderful GI crew at Mary Bridge helped me find an encouraging intensive feeding program at Seattle Children's Hospital.


So this is a two week intensive feeding program where Trey would receive 5 or 6 oral feedings/day with tube feedings to follow. The tube feeding therapy may include a behavioral program to enforce the target feeding behavior.

Trey's current tube feedings would be decreased by approximately 25% every 3 days under the supervision of a dietitian. Trey's medical therapy feeding program team would include...

1. Family
2. Nurse Practitioner
3. Dietitian
4. Occupational Therapist
5. Behavioral Psychologist
6. Referring Primary Care Provider

Our main therapist, GI doctor and myself have already been in touch with the therapist at Seattle Children's who runs the program and she thinks Trey would be a perfect fit. There are just a few more criteria that Trey must meet before our targeted two week therapy session in October. And hopefully everything with insurance will go smoothly (waiting for our approval as we speak).

Trey and I would be staying at the Ronald McDonald house for the 2 weeks by the Children's campus since we have to attend so many sessions during the day.

We are super encouraged that this program along with our current therapy will hopefully help Trey get over the big hump of swallowing and weaning from his G-tube feeds.

Well after that long post here are a few pictures from a field trip session during feeding therapy to a local ice cream parlor in town...

Trey with his therapist Kelly and his girlfriend Miss Shay picking our ice cream. (I had to supply our own sorbet due to all of Trey's allergies).


Miss Shay


Way to go Trey.



Thank you for reading such a long update. Please keep the little man in your prayers for continued progress.