FEEDING DAY

Today was Bub's feeding therapy appointment.  For those who do not know what that is I can explain.  Feeding therapy helps children who have physical, emotional, and textural adversions to food.  It also helps children who have feeding tubes or G tubes.  They teach children how to swallow without gagging and choking.  They help with children like Bubs who are so picky it interferes with their daily life.

So...today was his evaluation and here is the good news.  He is gaining weight and otherwise healthy.  He can feed himself.  He does gag and choke at times but it isn't life threatening.

Here is the not so good news.  His muscle tone in his mouth is weaker than we thought.  It is causing him to grow tired when eating and is the reason for the huge mess he makes when he eats.  Good news...they gave me exercises to help build strength.

Here is the not very good news.  His sensory issues are coming back.  The lack of OT for a sensory diet is causing problems...in eating and in his daily life.  He "stems" a lot more now than a few years ago.  He has become adverse to walking on any textures besides carpet or wood floor (without his shoes).  We are headed back for an OT eval and will have to begin OT sensory therapy as soon as we can get in.

Here is the bad news.  There is a four to six month wait for the feeding clinic therapists.  OUCH!  Because of his anxiety surrounding eating they recommend  that I not do any therapy now.  They feel we have tried it all already.  Once we start...it will be boot camp for eating!  Sounds like fun huh???

So that was the day in a nutshell.  If you ever need to do a feeding eval.  make sure to carve about 2-3 hours out for it.  Thankfully Bubs was a trooper.

I think it is so amazing sometimes when I am going through days like today.  My first reaction to all this "junk" is to cry and really ask "why me?" You sort of feel like you want to throw in the towel wondering if it really necessary to devote this much of my life to all these appts.

 Then I step back and look at that kid.  Man...I love him.  Having therapists to help "explain him"  helps me to get inside his little head even more.  It helps to stretch my heart a little bit more.  It helps me to be thankful for a lot about him. It reminds me that God gave him to ME and it is my job to rally for him even when I don't feel like dealing with the "junk."  and it reminds me even more that none of us are perfect.  Had this verse running through my head this afternoon.   "God's grace is sufficient for us and his strength IS made perfect in my (and Bub's) weakness."

Praise God for all of the "junk."