Lull in the Storm

The lake effect snow stopped for a brief period of time- just long enough to get up to Buffalo, place the pH probe, and get back home. It is coming down fast and furious again, so I am very glad we managed to get home before it started coming down again!

The other weather cat indicates the snow has stopped falling- for now

As far as the placement goes, this one was harder in some ways and easier in others. Nolan knew what was coming, and was inconsolable in the examining room. Once they shoved the lidocaine coated cotton up is nose, he was howling. In case you can't guess, this is about a 15 on an awfulness scale of 1-10.

Once we took him to the procedure room, he was clinging to me and screaming. Then it took a couple of failed tries in the right nostril, more cotton/lidocaine in the left nostril, and a final successful placement of the probe on that side. Sidenote: if you can avoid having to do a pH probe, I highly recommend avoiding it. Frankly, it sucks.

The "better" part is that Nolan calmed down while we were trying to place it and actually listened to the nurse practitioner telling him to swallow. He would cry, gulp, cry, gulp, and finally the probe was taped in place. We were done, and I could retrieve my boy from the blue board of doom papoose board.

The nurse told him he could have three stickers for being such a good boy. She held up three fingers, and Nolan immediately brightened. He held up his fingers in a similar configuration and said, "This many?" She nodded, and he squealed with glee. THe traditional "three" used by most people is the sign language number for six. Of course, he raided the sticker box and took six stickers- the nursing staff cracked up once I explained the whole "six vs. three" thing.

It was an easy drive home, with no gagging or choking this time. The nurse practitioner pulled the probe up a bit, so it is not right on his gag reflex. Mighty nice of her, I might add.

Watching How to Train Your Dragon

The numbers need to stay above 5.5- I've seen several drops to 5.6 (and one to 5.2). On average, they are much better than the last run, though. He's due for his Nexium in about ten minutes and he'll get more Zantac at 8:00pm. Hopefully this will be enough to keep his pH numbers above that dratted 5.5 number!

We will return the probe tomorrow, and determine if Tuesday's supraglottoplasty surgery is a go/no-go for launch.