Friday afternoon

Swallow-study did not go quite so well.  When given liquids, she showed signs of having it go down into her lungs.  However, she did better when given pudding although it had a tendency to "pool" on top of the airway.  The worry is that when it "pools," that when it mixes with her saliva, it could go into her lungs rather than her vocal cords.  So, for now, the doctor in charge of the swallow study needs to speak with the cardiac team as well as the ENT doctors to see how to proceed.  The doc in charge did say that she could probably eat and drink if they added some "thickener" to it whatever it is she eats/drinks but again the worry would be if it "pools." They did mention that there was a procedure that they could to "fatten" the vocal cords to where they both pull in the same direction (Dad has offered his fat for this procedure!).  That would be a temporary fix until the vocal cords heal. Needless to say, Rachel is a little bummed that she can't full on eat and drink her sweet tea yet.  However, she has been through a lot and it will take time to heal up.