Tasting, Tasting...

Howdy and Happy Holidays from all of us here at Team Zane! I've gotten calls/texts/messages about Zane's MRI & swallow test this past Thursday. We are still waiting on the radiology review on the MRI, so I haven't any news there yet.

But I can update you on the swallow study. For those of you new here, Zane is fed solely through a stomach feeding tube. His last swallow study was performed back in Memphis at Methodist hospital about a month after his cardiac arrests. The way these tests work and are scored is a point is given for each task that IS NOT performed well with a various scale of food consistencies, with a score of 8 being the worst. Basically, you want a 0 or 1...low numbers. Zane was an immediate 8 back in June. His brain injury at that time was so new and he had just come off the ventilator and was still with a trach, so he wasn't ready to try to swallow consciously or subconsciously. Therefore, nothing was to go in the mouth for fear he would aspirate.

This time, Zane cooperated more, even if it wasn't with full awareness. There is very good news here, as his test showed that once food passes his mouth, the esophagus and the rest of the swallow path worked 100%. Zane still fights when something is put into his mouth (food, oral care supplies, etc.). So he's not eligible to come off the feeding tube yet, BUT he is now allowed to have "pleasure tastings." I can give Zane things he likes that meet the consistency requirement of honey-thickness (for which we have a solvent for). I am going to start with applesauce and yogurt, two things he ate a LOT of (as long as it's not peach yogurt which he despises)!

So, I'm going to call this study a WIN. It's closer to "better" and that's the direction we want to go. I'll update on the MRI when I have the news myself! #MakeZaneBetter