Benny Gets His Diagnosis

Tracheomalacia - Tracheomalacia is a condition of the neonatal and infant airway characterized by weakness of the supporting tracheal cartilage and widening of the posterior membranous wall.
This post is necessary just to end the "book of Benny". I know Beth has been in contact with most of the family so this is just a condensed version.
This diagnosis was determined by a bronchial scope done on Friday. Benny is also dealing with gastroesophageal reflux. Bottom line, the doctors believe he will eventually outgrow both these conditions, perhaps in a year or two or a bit longer. In the meantime, the challenge is to keep him healthy, and get his development back on track.
Hopefully, this will be my last Benny post. It has been therapeutic for me, and a good resource for keeping everyone in the loop. And, I will be happy to post other family news as I hear it through the grapevine.

Benny at home

I just spent Monday thru Friday with Benny and he is making remarkable progress since he came home. He seems happy to be home, disconnected from all the technical hardware, and free to wiggle and explore without limitations. He still has the cough and junk is his chest; his retractions are still there but mild; he is gaining weight again; and overall doing well. Of course, he still has the daily regimen of the nebulizer, some meds twice a day, and a routine of keeping him upright a 1/2 hour after nursing. We did visit Benny's Pediatrician on Tuesday , and she was quite amazed by all the testing done at The Children's Hospital. She also hopes for Benny to just outgrow the problem, and continues to follow his progress. Tomorrow, Benny goes back to Vahalla for a post hospital checkup, and perhaps a chest xray. And this Friday, an Early Intervention Specialist comes in to evaluate his development. So, perhaps Friday I will post again when there is some more news.