Good morning!  This is day three of Ryan’s hospitalization to put him on the Ketogenic Diet.  He has done fine, but we could tell yesterday he was not feeling very good which is expected for several days.  He is transitioning to a very high fat, high protein diet so feeling lethargic, nauseous and tired is expected.  Of course he cannot tell us, but we can tell he is not feeling great.  The staff is checking Ryan’s urine for ketones four times a day plus checking his blood sugar every four hours which keeps going up and down.  He is also having lab draws every morning which is a huge fight; Ryan is very bruised from the numerous pokes as it takes several tries each morning to get his blood.  It is not fun at all.

As far as the actual diet, yesterday Ryan was on half his old formula and half keto formula.  Travis said when he gave Ryan his meds last night he was gagging for 30-45 minutes  which is not good.  Today he started on the full keto formula so we will see how he does but I expect it might be a rough day.  With his gastroparesis and history of intestinal blockages and ileuses, we may have to take this slower than anticipated.  I hope that is not the case, but I am very cautious in expecting he will get out of the hospital Thursday which is the goal.

The older kids are doing well, and we hardly hear from Brad unless we contact him first which is a good sign that he is enjoying college and doing great.  He is upbeat and happy when we do talk which makes Travis and me feel good about his transition.  I did not expect anything less than a great start to this new season.

Please pray with us that Ryan’s GI system acclimates to this new formula quickly so we can go home, but more importantly, so he is not uncomfortable, nauseous and in pain.  I hate that he cannot tell us how he feels, but I am very thankful for an amazing pediatric staff at the hospital who have been attentive and as nice as can be.  A good nursing staff makes all the difference in the world.

Much love to you all!