Rough Night

For the last few months, Mike has been having this "gas" problem. After he takes a few bites, he becomes gassy and burps. If he has eaten slowly, it's OK, but if he is given too much, too fast, when he burps, stuff will come up and he starts coughing. The past 2 weeks, this has happened about 4 times. I am beginning to think that Mike is starting to have problems eating.

Last night, from about 5:30-7pm, Mike coughed, choked and spit up. No matter how many times I tell Nathan to feed Mike slowy, he doesn't. He will give Mike a big dinner in 10-15 minutes. This does NOT help the situation. In fact, because of the way Nathan feeds Mike, I wonder if it is in fact the disease. I can't help but keep questioning what's happening. Could Mike digest better if Nathan fed him slower? Would the coughing stop if we gave Mike less to eat? I need to come to terms with the fact that Mike's body is slowing down. He cannot eat what he did last year.

The sad reality is that once he starts cutting back on his food, he will lose weight. Cutting back on nutrition will also make Mike prone to infection, skin breakdown etc. Once he cuts back on food, not eating at all will surely follow.

Needless to say I didn't sleep much last night. Even if he has a good meal or two today, in my heart I believe that his body is getting tired. I wish it were not true and only time will tell. He has surprised us before, hence the nickname "Energizer Bunny". He will continue to be our hero and we will continue to help him and love him.