Fw: Love Your Liver: Gavin's Story

[Guest guest]

Subject: Love Your Liver: Gavin's StoryTo: jeanne2113@...Date: Monday, November 17, 2008, 9:40 AM

Gavin's Story

Gavin Sprague was jaundiced at birth. Not an entirely uncommon occurrence in newborns, so his pediatrician sent him home after the normal two days in the hospital with out serious concerns. At his one month check up in early November, Gavin had only gained one pound and was still jaundiced. His pediatrician suggested that his parents, Bethany and Andre, add a little formula to his breastfeeding schedule to kick-start his liver. By his 2 month check-up, Gavin had only gained 1 more pound and was becoming even more jaundiced than he was before. Again the pediatrician said to "give Gavin more formula and the jaundice will go away." Bethany started searching the internet for articles on breastfeeding, weight gain, jaundice—anything that could help Gavin. She called a lactation consultant and spoke to a nurse on a medical hotline... she couldn’t find any concrete explanations.

As fall turned to winter, Gavin became thinner and more jaundiced. Bethany and Andre tried everything to help Gavin reach a healthy weight. Nothing was working. They were convinced that something was truly wrong with Gavin’s health. They returned to the doctor and demanded that Gavin be tested. His pediatrician was reluctant, but agreed to run the tests. He commented that if Gavin had liver issues, his symptoms would have included white stools. Bethany and Andre felt the ground give way: Gavin’s stools had been white! They thought it was a consequence of switching him from breast milk to formula. No one had mentioned this key symptom before. They waited anxiously for Gavin’s test results to provide some kind of answer. Within a few days, his blood test confirmed that Gavin had a problem with his liver. Frightened and uncertain, Bethany and Andre clung to any comfort they could find. The doctor had sent Gavin home with them. Surely that meant

that Gavin’s liver problem was not catastrophic...

An hour after they returned home from the doctor’s office, they received a phone call telling them to bring Gavin to the hospital immediately. A specialist had seen his test results and Gavin’s life was in danger.

Click Here to Read More of Gavin’s Story

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