Biopsy Results

We finally heard back from our doctor regarding Tyler’s endoscopy biopsy results. The poor little guy has duodenal ulcers. What we thought were pictures of Tyler’s esophagus were actually pictures of his small intestine. Here’s some information I found about duodenal ulcers:

A duodenal ulcer is a raw area in the lining in the upper part of the small intestine (duodenum), where it connects to the stomach. Tyler has multiple ulcers, so the spots were actually lesions, or erosion of the area.

Normally duodenal ulcers are caused by family history, having a Helicobacter pylori infection, using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and the use of cigarettes and alcohol. We’ve been trying to get Tyler to kick his addiction to cigarettes, but it’s been tough. And now he’ll have to lay off the alcohol as well. No, actually Tyler has the pylori infection. The doctor said he could’ve picked up these bacteria a long time ago, but it just didn’t “present” until he finally started having terrible ulcer pains.

Treatment will consist of a new medicine regimen that I’ll incorporate into their already scheduled out day. Tyler will also go back on his Nexium as well. He’ll be taking a medicine that forms a protective barrier over the site of the ulcers, Nexium to reduce the amount of acid the stomach makes, and two antibiotics to treat H. pylori.

The online medical sites stress that to prevent the duodenal ulcers from reoccurring, lifestyle changes are recommended so I’ll be switching out Tyler’s morning coffee gavage to decaf!

We hope to see improvement in a couple of weeks. He’ll have a follow up endoscopy in about 3 months to see if the ulcers have been eradicated! I am glad that his problem isn’t allergy related – I feel good about being able to continue with his feeding therapy and knowing that I don’t have to be concerned about food types.

Whew…one more hurdle to tackle! We can do this…I know we can!