It’s Feeding Tube Awareness Week, and how fitting, because our brave girl will be getting her g-tube on Friday. What’s a g-tube? A g-tube or gastrostomy tube is a feeding tube placed in the abdomen to deliver nutrition directly to the stomach. There are lots of conditions that might cause someone to need a feeding tube either temporarily or permanently, including: cardiovascular, developmental, endocrin, genetic, GI, immune, neurological, metabolic, swallowing, respiratory, and structural. In the medical world a feeding tube is low on the list of scary interventions. Madison has been fed by an NG tube many times. We...
National Epilepsy Awareness Month 2020
November is epilepsy awareness month! Epilepsy is a disease that has stolen so much from my family, and from so many families that I know. It’s a disease I’ve seen take the lives of children. A disease that has stolen skills, development, growth, and joy. A disease in which research is underfunded and yet it affects 65 million people worldwide. Please take the time this month to learn more and help us spread awareness! Madison’s Story Madison developed epilepsy as a result of meningitis at 11 days old. She had her first seizures subclinically while she was sick, meaning...
An update on Big Sis!
We’ve had lots of baby spam over here lately (#sorrynotsorry), but things are happening for big sis too! Believe it or not, it’s time for Madison to start SCHOOL! Well actually, she should have started already but coronavirus came and placed us in limbo for the last, what, 8 months now?! Madison has been a part of the Early Intervention program since she was just a few months old which provides kids with therapy opportunities through the age of 3 at which point they would transition to preschool. Madison turned 3 over the summer and so we had begun...
Just a Cold
I know you’ve heard it a million times. I know you’re probably tired of hearing it; the many moms pleading with you to stay home when you’re sick. But believe it or not this very simple concept seems to fall on deaf ears over and over again. For some reason people are not understanding why they need to stay home for a measly cold. They continue to claim they’re “fine.” Their child with the runny nose and slight cough, is “fine.” It’s “nothing.” It’s “just a cold.” Well I’m here to tell you it’s NEVER just a cold. A...
Why I Love Social Media
I love social media. There, I said it. Yes, it can be full of politics, and petty drama, and rude comments, and insensitive or uneducated remarks. And yes, it can be mindless and addicting in an unproductive but super fun way. (You can bet my hubby & I send each other funny memes while we sit in the same room lol). But it can also be incredibly connecting and wonderful on a much higher level. It can tether us to people and organizations that we may never have known. And for a special needs mama like me, those sort...
Epilepsy Awareness Month
November is epilepsy awareness month! Epilepsy is a disease that has stolen so much from my family, and from so many families that I know. It’s a disease I’ve seen take the lives of children. A disease that has stolen skills, development, growth, and joy. A disease in which research is underfunded and yet it affects 65 million people worldwide. Please take the time this month to learn more and help us spread awareness! Madison’s Story Madison developed epilepsy as a result of meningitis at 11 days old. She had her first seizures subclinically while she was sick, meaning...
My Child is Disabled
My child is disabled. She’s only two years old, and she’s severely disabled. I can’t express into words how hard it is to say that sentence. When we had Madison’s first MRI done post meningitis and saw the damage that awful disease did to her brain, we knew then and there she would never live a normal life. It’s some of the worst news you can receive as a parent. The brand new baby you had prayed for your whole life; the baby that passed every test in the book during pregnancy; the baby that was born healthy; is...
So Long Sweet Summer – An Update on Maddie Claire
Fall officially starts next week, and for a girl who has always been all about summer, I’m strangely really looking forward to some cooler temps and a slower pace around here. Once cold and flu season is upon us, I typically schedule less appointments for Madison and don’t take her out quite as much since she’s so high risk. This summer has been pretty overwhelming, sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. But I’ve realized I haven’t shared a real update on Miss M in a while since we’ve been so busy! And what better way than to do...
A Happy Maddie
Alert. Clear. Vocal. HAPPY. These are a few of the words I would use to describe Madison lately, and it’s been wonderful! What’s changed? Well not much, aside from starting a new CBD and weaning one of her seizure meds a few months ago. We’ve also finally figured out a good combo for keeping her constipation under control, and her teething spell has just about ended. Okay, so maybe a few things have changed! Regardless, she’s been a new child lately and John and I have been soaking in every minute. One of the worst things about epilepsy, is...
Equipped for Development!
Finally, after months of me bugging all of Madison’s therapists about the subject, we officially got the process started in getting her some very much needed adaptive equipment! Madison has very low tone, and still can’t completely hold her head up on her own. She can’t sit, let alone stand, yet being in these positions is crucial to her bone and muscle development. So what do we do? We get her equipment that will provide her body the support it needs to sit and stand correctly! Last month we had an appointment with a physiatrist, which is a doctor...