Over the weekend Tj’s blood glucose levels were really elevated in the morning and dropping very low in the evenings. Doctors have been trying different insulin levels to try to keep him within the normal range. Tj’s G-Jtube has two small holes in it and is leaking. Doctors are taking him to the OR tomorrow to replace it. They have to be extremely careful because part of TPIAT surgery is resecting the stomach and intestines. They don’t want to cause damage to the all the work they did during his surgery. Tj is still working very hard to be able to walk on his own. He still needs assistance with sitting, standing, and walking. Even though his body is still weak his little spirit is so strong. His feeds have been shutoff from 10pm to noon and his appetite has increased. Tj is still Tj and only will eat his preferred foods mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and mashed potatoes. We are all just happy he wants to eat. We have found a sugar free drink that he actually likes, peach tea Snapple. Anyone that knows Tj knows how he LOVES his soda, so this sodaless journey has been a journey, because he isn’t allowed to have carbonated drinks for a month and depending on how his stomach feels after the G-Jtube replacement we will see if that time frame is extended. Tj lungs are still sounding coarse. The doctors are still trying to figure a way to help his lungs without increasing his prednisone dose. The doctors want him to have the best chance at his islet cells implanting well in the liver and producing the insulin his body needs. We are praying that after 6 months Tj will not need to have insulin or have to get his little fingers pricked, especially because they can only use his right hand because Tj is so unique that his left side is way lower than his right hand. His right foot is extremely higher than the right hand that we know is correct by doing blood testing from the lab. All in all we are so happy that our baby is doing so well.
Timothy "TJ" Tuck
Huntersville, NC
Transplant Type: Islet Cell
Transplant Status: Transplanted
Goal: $50,000.00
Raised: $21,147 of $50,000 goal
Raised by 67 contributors