OPMS

So, Tyler went for his OPMS on Monday. My mom went with me to the hospital, and thank goodness. She chased him while I consulted with the nurse before and after the procedure.

The OPMS is a basically a video X-ray of the child swallowing. For a full description, click here.

We were greeted by a therapist who said that based on Tyler's history she really doubted this test would show anything and she just wanted to let us know because she hates to expose children to radiation unnecessarily. After going back and forth with her I was almost convinced that this test was unnecessary, but I was scared not to do the test because what if there is something really wrong and this test would show us why Tyler is terrified of food. Maybe something hurts him when he swallows. Maybe ... Well, maybe lots of things.

But the therapist was right. Ty only ate two of the three foods mixed with barium. He ate the puree (yogurt), refused the solid (we tried cereal bars and graham crackers), and he drank the milk. Based on what he did swallow, everything appears fine, anatomically speaking.

I am glad. I really am glad that there isn't something wrong. But there is something wrong, you know. My 18-month-old will only eat the following "normal" foods:

apple
chicken nuggets
fries (regular and sweet potato - fried, not baked)
bacon
crackers
muffins
dried fruits & veggies
garlic bread
cereal bars

So yes, I am relieved the test didn't reveal something that requires surgery. And I do believe that he has sensory integration issues. And I do believe those issues cause problems at the table. But his therapist doesn't think that the sensory issues cause the gagging and throwing up.

So all we can figure is that his chewing skills are still emerging. When he doesn't chew well, then it likely causes him to gag. He's always gagged so easily that throwing up just comes easily as well. (That is what the therapist who conducted the OPMS suggested, and it does kind of make sense.)

So we will proceed with the occupational therapy. He is making progress. And it is easier to get him to try new foods.

However, since the OPMS, we've had a very difficult time spoon-feeding him. I don't know if the OPMS was somewhat traumatic. Actually, it was. Who am I kidding? He was crying and saying "nown, nown, nown" (meaning "down") and I was telling him, "You HAVE to take a bite." and putting food to his lips. It was dark in the room, too. I should've expected that and practiced eating in the dark, but I don't know that it would've helped. And we were all trying to distract him. I'm sure it was overwhelming.

But the therapist was awesome. She was very understanding, patient, supportive and encouraging. She and Tyler's OT have both told me that feeding patients do get better. They work through their issues. It may take a year or so, but he'll learn to eat enough to be healthy and he'll get on with his life. He may never be an adventurous eater, but he'll be healthy.

As I was saying, we've had trouble spoon-feeding Tyler. He's teething. Maybe that is it. In the past, when I've pushed Tyler too much, I've had to regain his trust. Maybe that is it. Or maybe he's reached the stage of toddler independence and he just doesn't want Mama to feed him. So we've been trying to teach him to use a spoon. Friday night, we gave him a cup of yogurt and a spoon. He licked the empty spoon a lot, and chewed on it, too. He put a yogurt-covered spoon in his mouth a few times but he was very unsure about it. He started dipping his finger in the yogurt and licking it clean. This was serious progress, y'all. He had yogurt on his hands for about 20 minutes. He usually freaks out when he gets baby food on his hands and won't take a bite until we wipe his hands clean. He even had it in his eyebrows!