Failure to thrive

Second Generation Caregiver

It would seem that as of this week, my daughter has officially become a caregiver thus establishing a second generation of caregivers in our family. In reality, she has been a caregiver for many months now, but with the hospitalization of her son, my grandson, it now seems official.
Eli will be one year old on Memorial Day. He is full of energy never wanting to stop exploring his world.  He notices everything and remembers what he sees.  He’s becoming independent crawling wherever he wants to go with determination.  He pulls up and walks around things holding on so it’s just a matter of time before he takes off running across the floor.  He has a smile that will light up the room.  He LOVES people.  He has never met a stranger (yeah, that means we will have to watch him closely) and he makes whomever he sees feel as if they are the most special person around.  He’s adorable.  He also weights only 15 pounds (he weighed eight at birth) and is the size of a 5-6 month old.  He stopped growing around five months.  While most children by age one are eating finger foods and sucking down 7-8 ounces of milk, we’re lucky if we can get 3-4 ounces in him at a sitting or 1-2 teaspoons of level 1 baby food.  He just won’t eat and what he does eat, he burns off.
Until last week he was classified as “failure to thrive” with stunted growth.  He grew a little in height but did not put on any weight and was then reclassified as mildly malnourished. With malnutrition, if it progresses in severity, it can result in organ impairment or collapse and brain damage–all serious stuff.  So he’s now in the hospital with a feeding tube trying to boost his nutritional status.  If he doesn’t drink at least 3.5 ounces at a feeding the rest is added by feeding tube.  At night from 9 p.m until 7 the next morning he gets a continuous flow of formula (about 2.5 ounces per hour).  The process seems to be working.  He has put on 2 ounces since he was admitted on Thursday; however, he still does not take the food in himself so that tube is going home with him.
Since Eli was born, he has had difficulty with his feeding.  When very young his cried a lot and could not be calmed very easily.  Then he realized he could refuse to eat.  Now he takes in just enough to no longer feel hunger (or so it seems) and then he clamps those little lips like a vise–so something is wrong but what, we do not know. Therefore, Sarah, his mom, has officially become a caregiver.
All moms (and dads), of course, are caregivers–without them children would have a difficult time living very long; however, when a child develops special needs, that caregiving challenge doubles or triples.  Like me, Sarah rarely gets adequate sleep. Eli does not sleep well and needs assistance to fall asleep (we now know that is probably due to acid reflux causing him discomfort).  She breast feeds so every night around 4 a.m, she has to pump to make sure he has enough to eat since breast milk is his only nutrition.  Since he’s so active, he needs constant interaction and observation even with the help of baby safety devices (it’s amazing how he gets around those things). She has to fix him special formula to supplement her milk.  Feeding him takes 1-2 hours to get 3 or 4 ounces in him. Then once he has finished with milk, she has to try the baby food.  Once that is done, it’s time to get the next bottle ready, so on and so forth.
Eli will likely be in the hospital for 1-2 weeks while they see if he continues to gain weight and while they try to determine why he won’t eat in the first place.  Once he comes home, Sarah will be managing his feeding tube.  If he pulls it out (which he has done every day he has had it) it will need to be reinserted.  That takes two people.  Since I have had more experience inserting feeding tubes in my former nursing career, I offered to do the insertions for her (which she gladly accepted). It’s going to be very tough on us both because it’s not fun for him or us trying to get that tube through his little nostril, down his throat and into his stomach and not his lungs. Being nurses, we both know if it comes out while he’s feeding, he will likely get aspiration pneumonia which could be critical.  There is also the trauma associated with the people you trust holding you down and forcing a tube down your throat.  That’s traumatic for us all actually.
As a second generation caregiver, Sarah knows how her life will be centered on her charge.  She will eat and rest only when her patient does not need her.  Her first priority will be her patient; her child; and ensuring that he gets the care he needs as safely and expertly as possible.  All this she will do while at the same time probably neglecting her own health.  She found out the Monday before his admission that she has osteoporosis.  She has already broken three ribs just by bending over things. If she falls, she could break something else that will interfere more with her life.  They currently have no idea why she has developed osteoporosis at 28 years of age so it’s important for her not to ignore this.
That’s where I come in.  I’ll be her backup caregiver for Eli as she is now my backup caregiver, (along with Lynn’s son, Eric) for Lynn.  We will be the other’s support system and resource.  While I never wanted my child to have to become her child’s caregiver, I know he’s in good hands.  I also know that God will give her the help she needs to make it through this.  She has a wonderful, supportive husband and other family members she can also call on for support so though it won’t be easy, she’ll make it though and hopefully this will be a short ordeal without long-term consequences. 
I hope so.  Having one full-time caregiver in this family is quite enough….

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Just Sharing

Usually I have a theme for my posts, but not so today.  Instead, I just want to share what’s going on in my life because life doesn’t stop for a caregiver; it just gets busier and busier.
Lynn:  He has started to feel better from taking his Rebif. Hallaluyah!  It only took a year.  Though he still has fatigue, it’s much better; except for this past week. For some reason when pollen comes out each spring, it really hits him hard.  He needs about 25 squirts of saline mixed with nose spray every time I enter his room and sometimes twice while I’m there.  He has felt very tired all week and rather depressed. The depression leads to impatience and irritability so my tolerance has been stretched as well.  He seemed better today so I hope he’s getting adjusted.
Eli 146My grandson, Eli:  Poor little guy has been labeled with “failure to thrive.”  He’s 10 months old and the size of a five month old.  He has not gained height or weight in several months. He will only drink 2-3 ounces of breast milk at a time and if he eats solid food, he breaks out in a rash.  The GI specialist says his tummy probably has the same type of rash inside as he skin outside and so it hurts him to eat. He’s on an formula that has been added to the breast milk and it smells bad and must taste bad because he pushes it away as soon as he tastes it.  We’re trying to get him to drink at least as much as before adding the supplement but he’s really fighting it. If this is not successful, he may need a feeding tube.  It’s very frustrating and anxiety producing for his caregivers but the little guy is just as happy and loving as he can be! His smile is infectious and he’s a joy to be around. 
His mom, my daughter:  She bent over a chair Monday and broke two ribs!  She also broke her ribs bathing Eli when he was about two months old so now we have the added concern of why are her bones breaking so easily?  Bones don’t usually break unless an unusal stress or intense pressure is applied. She just leaned over the chair.  So, she’s having all sorts of lab work done plus a full body bone scan and a bone density test to figure out what’s wrong.  Though they do not suspect cancer, bone tumors or bone infection can be the cause of such breaks.
While she goes to the doctor, I keep Eli and Lynn.  A typical hour from such a day:
     Lynn:  “Sweetie, I need to pee.” (I pick up the baby, settle him into something he can’t get out of, cath Lynn and deal with whatever else he needs.  Meanwhile, baby gets fussy.)
     Eli:”Mamamamamam, (squeal), dadadadad, (whine)” hands reaching up, whining getting worse; he’s rubbing his eyes and needs his bottle. (I settle Lynn, go heat up the bottle, with Eli crawling around my legs begging for his milk that he wants THIS MINUTE)
     I rock Eli to get him sleepy so he won’t fight eating.  As his eyes start to shut, I remove his pacifier and stick in the bottle. Success, he eats 2 ounces.  I try it again in a few minutes- another ounce-and that’s all he will take.  I finish rocking him to sleep (he’s a very light sleeper; if you move he wakes up and is ready to play) I start to fall asleep (I’ve only slept six hours so I’m always tired) and after about 20 minutes, I hear:
     Lynn:  “Sweetie, I need to pee”  and we start over.
      I never ends…
My son:  He’s getting married on Friday at our house and having the reception on Saturday at our house so Lynn can attend and have a place to rest. So my house is covered in flowers and wedding preparations and every spare minute I’m busy working on something related to the wedding.  I’m taking next week off from work to get it all done because I’m WAY behind. I don’t even have a dress yet!  But I’m very excited and happy for them both.  It’s been a lot of fun helping them put it all together.
Me:  I’m seeing a surgeon on Monday.  My right thumb joint needs to be replaced.  I can’t really put it off any longer.  It’s painful all the time, I can’t open anything with it, I can’t grasp anything so I need to get it done BUT, what am I going to do with Lynn? I’ll need some respite care of course but I won’t know till I see the surgeon how long I’ll be unable to use my hand.  Ugh….I dread dealing with his needs more than I dread surgery for myself.  I don’t know how I’ll afford the continuous care but I’ll need to see if we can get help for 24 hours because I can’t cath him with one hand nor can I transfer him into or out of bed with one hand.  Wish me luck on this one.  May take several weeks to work this out.
My work:  busy as usual, still needing me when I’m needed at home. 
So as a caregiver, I find there are many ways I need to provide care and to many people. Lynn and my daughter for their medical needs. Eli for medical and baby care.  My son for sending him off into the world with his own family.  And myself. 
Who takes care of me?  God.  He provides me with what I need, when I need it and thank goodness for it.  
PS:  All prayers are welcome!

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