Non-fat diet likely

We've been told to expect Riley to develop chylothorax after his surgery.
This means that he will be back on the non-fat diet for at least six weeks. After his Fontan, Riley had to be on this non-fat diet twice because his lymphatic system was not fully healed after the first six weeks. Dr. Tarnoff has told us that he has never seen a patient who suffered from chylothorax who did not develop it again after subsequent surgeries.

In the grand scheme of things, keeping Riley on a non-fat diet seems minimal. But to a three-year-old vegetarian, it really limits his options. It is so frustrating because he has had so little control over his life lately. Making eating decisions should be one way he gets to exert some control. Sadly, we know that this diet it going to be a struggle as we watch our boy shrink and shrink and shrink. He's barely eating as it is--the hospital food is less than appetizing. And sadly, all he wants for his birthday (April 2) is an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins--the one with the race car on top, to be exact. This is his second birthday in a row to be spoiled by hospitals and crummy diets.