Aug 9, 2008

So as many of you already know we have issues with Elyssa and her eating habits. I guess it would be more fair to say “lack of eating habits” right? Well on July 2nd we went to Baylor Dallas Our Children’s House to have an infant feeding evaluation. It was a 3 hour evaluation by an Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Dietician and such. Anyway the final result was that she has oral/ facial hypersensitivities. What does this mean? She does not like the textures or feel of the food in her mouth. Yup, my luck, only my child right? Anyway the recommendations were for her to start therapy to train her to like different foods and start eating a normal pediatric diet. Like I did not know she did not eat a normal pediatric diet?? Geez, the kid eats nothing!!! Yesterday she ate 6 Gerber Yogurt bites, 8 cheerios, 1 bite of mac/cheese, a couple bites of a breadstick, and a couple Mini Ritz Crackers the ENTIRE DAY! I chase her around the house with food all day long trying to get her to eat but she just has no interest at all. She does drink Milk (about 18-21oz a day) and some V8 Fusion (I wont give her just juice, at least with V8 fusion she is getting some nutrients.) but that is about it. I have probably wasted enough food to feed a small city trying to get Elyssa to eat anything.

After the infant feeding evaluation they wanted us to follow up with a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. So we went and of course they wanted to do an endoscopy to rule out reflux as an issue. If she had reflux all the therapy in the world would not work if we were not treating the medical problem. Sooo, we scheduled the endoscopy, of course another procedure we had to take her to the hospital for, it was an out patient procedure done at the Pediatric Day Surgery Center. I just have to say that it does not matter how many times you have to do things like this with your kids, it does not get any easier!! I just hate, hate, hate, taking her into the operating room, laying her on the table and watching them put her under…!! Her little body just becomes so lifeless. I guess I should be glad they let me go in till she goes under but it just breaks my heart. I always leave the room with tears in my eyes. She did not do well after the procedure; she was very, very upset and cried and cried and cried. They had her hooked up the “heart/blood pressure monitor” on her foot and she just hated it. She finally calmed down and drank some of her juice and they let us finally go home. We did find out a couple days later after the biopsy results came back that our little princess does in deed have reflux. So the GI dr put her on Prevacid and we have been taking that everyday now. I wish I could say it was a miracle drug and she started eating a lot more and is doing great now, but uhhhh NO. She still does not eat much but she has started her Therapy. In fact we started last week, she goes on Tuesdays / Thursdays. The whole process is going to be an up hill battle. She does seem to like her therapist Miss Lisa so that is a good thing! So that is what we have been dealing with in our lives. I have to say that when you have kids it is always something now isn’t it?

I do have to say that I am sooo tired of hearing people say “She will grow out of this” or “Don’t worry she will eat when she wants to” or my favorite “Take her milk and juice off of her, she will eat then!” IT MAKES ME SOOO MAD TO HEAR PEOPLE SAY THIS! First of all, she is 16 months old and won’t eat, she would not eat much when she was 4 moths old, she would not drink more than 4 oz at a time up till she was a year old and still wont drink much more than 5oz at a time. She is not going to grow out of this. NO, she has a problem she will not eat when she to, and hello idiots, why would I take her milk and juice off of her when that is the ONLY calorie intake she has!! I have talked to all the specialists, dr’s and therapists who have degrees and work in this field and let me tell you what. NONE of them have suggested she will just grow out of it, will eat when she is ready or TAKE HER LIQUIDS OFF HER! Don’t be offended here but I’m going to take the advice of the “specialists” who are trained in these types of situation over your old fashioned unwarranted advice. I am serious; I am so tired of people and their comments. It just amazes me that so many other “people” think they are an expert at “my baby”. Yeah, let’s get one thing right here, Eddie and I are the parents; we will make the decisions on hoiw this situation is handled!

Sorry, got off on a tangent there, but you have to understand how much flack I have been getting over all of this. Well gotta go, little princess is stirring from her nap and she is calling for “mom, mom, mom” ~ that’s my summons!