Thanks for leaving such great comments about Elijah on Friday. He is so sweet and to see him in so much pain breaks my heart into a million, trillion little pieces.
I wanted to pop in and give you an update. Fortunately, his ears looked great, his throat looks great and the doctor feels pretty strongly that this is not allergy related.
This is what was happening… I would start to nurse Eli, he would nurse really well for maybe two minutes, then he would take a big gulp and start to scream. He was very obviously in pain. Getting him to settle down was nearly impossible. The problem continued because he was still hungry but it hurt him to eat.
So, what’s wrong with him? Reflux. Yep. The medicine he was on was still working just not as well. Seems his case is pretty severe, which is completely sad because, well, it’s just sad.
It’s also sad because we are on a new medication which costs $60 for a twenty day prescription, this in addition to the $30 a month he’s already on. More than NINETY DOLLARS a month.
Something seems so wrong about that. Don’t you think?
But we have an answer and for that I AM THANKFUL!
Many of you asked about Eli’s outfit on Friday and I can’t believe I didn’t share with you who it’s from. My friend, Angela, from Ellie Beans sent it to Eli after he was born. I LOVE this little outfit. She has an entire shop filled with really adorable (handmade!) awesomeness. Anyway, you should check it out. (she didn’t ask me to say this, I just wanted to share something I love with you all, especially before school starts!)
Here’s another shot of Eli sporting his motorcycle digs.
He’s a cool guy.
and he’s much happier, too.
I’m SO glad your little man is getting relief! I wanted to share though…when my (now 6 month old) had reflux as a new born I tried changing my diet, propping him up, herbal remedies…all to no avail…UNTIL…our doc suggested we see a chiropractor. It sounded kooky, but what could it hurt? 4 visits later and he was healed!!! No medication involved! I’d never heard of taking a baby to a chiropractor, but it turns out some of them are trained to help children. Who knew?
I’m happy to hear that Elijah is recovering nicely. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to see your little baby in any kind of pain. It is crazy to have to spend that much on meds, but that’s a health care issue I could go on about for hours
In any event, I’m happy he’s on the mend. And that is an ADORABLE little outfit. AWWWWW!!!
*dies of cute*
So happy you guys are getting everything resolved and I wish him a speedy recovery!
Oh the poor little man…I hope the new meds help out and that he doesn’t need to be on them very long!
Will you do me a favor and nibble on his toes today. Thanks so much.
How horrible must it be to be hungry and have pain when you eat…especially at such a tender age. I’m glad for him that there is something out there helping – even if it’s outrageously expensive.
Oh, sad. That’s gotta hurt.
I’m so glad he’s having happy days. Such a cute outfit.
Steph
Hi, Beth. . .I am a long-time reader of your blog and I just wanted to give you a little info that you probably won’t want to hear. . .but I nursed/am still nursing three and one thing that made mine super fussy was my drinking coffee! It seems like the beans or something made them gassy, not the caffeine, as I drink hot black tea now with no problems to my little Luke. please don’t hate me–I know you love coffee! but it might be worth a try. and your little man is so cute!
thanks,
molly
just catching up tonight–we will have to talk reflux & ear infections soon (such a FUN topic). Anyway, I feel your pain, and trust me, my kids have felt Eli’s pain!! MaM was on 1 dose of prevacid for two years, Jr just started on 2 doses a day, and things have been getting much better for him.
Glad you found a solution so fast for that little sweetheart!
Reflux. *shudder* it is just awful. do you have a danny sling yet for sleeping? Baby goat did so much better when he could sleep more vertically.
I feel your pain though. We knew the second that baby goat outgrew his dosage it was just that bad for him. Hopefully the new med will help. Email me and I can tell you more about the danny sling if you want.
Liz
Google the medication and/or the manufacturer, and check to see if they have a discount. I have to take a maintenance medication and the copay with insurance is $95 per month, but the drug manufacturer has a discount plan making it only $20 per month. The insurance pays first, I pay $20, and they pay the rest. All I had to do was give them my basic info, check that I had the condition, and print out the form.
Paying that much for medicine is assholery! Blast those pharmaceutical companies–highway robbery.
Glad he is recovering, though.
Stating the obvious here, but he is gorgeous! Beautiful child.
Well…. glad you have an answer, but EEEKS that’s expensive! Thanks for reminding me of one of the perks of living in my frozen wasteland Canadian city!!
Hope the new meds help your sweet little guy.
I had 2 babies who had digestive issues that landed them on the world’s most expensive formula, so I know your pain. (For medical reasons, I could not breastfeed.) I remember being horrified by the cost, but knowing that I would have paid even more because it’s just that important to have a baby who is happy. Or at least not miserable and screaming.
Hang in there!
Oh Beth…I’ve been there with 2 out of 3 of my kids. It is miserable when they have such severe reflux. Be prepared to go through this when he has a growth spurt. We were constantly having to stay on top of our dosing because as they grow they need more. It is no fun at all. What is he taking? We have been through almost all of the meds and the compounded Prilasec is what we found to work best for our boys. You have to go to a compounding pharmacy but it was worth it. Zantac didn’t even touch it and it tasted so nasty! We tried Reglan very briefly with the Prilasec but it has been shown to casue some major issues. That’s why I am wondering what combo he is on. It will get better. My oldest outgrew it around age 4. My middle one around age 1 when he was mostly eating solids. Hugs to you and little Eli!
i’m glad you have answers. My Sister’s boy also has Reflux, but now that’s causing apnea events.
It’s just not right that such a sweet boy should have such miserable problems. I’m glad you’re on top of it though and it sounds like he will outgrow it so that’s good. I love his picture in his motorcycle garb. Adorable!
Hi Beth,
I agree with the first poster about taking him to the chiropractor. I wish I would have known about the chiropractor when my two oldest were babies. They both had ear infections a lot and the chiropractor could have helped that too. It’s just a thought and a safe option if you find a chiropractor that specializes in kids…Maybe it would make him more comfortable so he would nurse better. Good for you for hanging in there with nursing. I might have quit by now! You are so dedicated to nursing so I pray that it works out for you. Jana
You just wrote the events of the last 4 months of MY life. Well, almost. You’re more of a trooper than I! We are almost solely on formula now, and I am down to just 2 pump sessions a day (verses 6-7 when I pumped exclusively for months 2 and 3! It really becomes your life!) Sadly, I discovered this week that my little boy is starting to prefer the consistent taste of formula over my breast milk. *sniff sniff* I don’t know how I am going to get him to eat all the 150 ounces in the freezer now, though I am going to try!
Oh the journey of breast feeding. I just hope I have better luck with my second! At least now I know how this works (or at least should work.) But I am thankful that we were able to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first month and continue to nourish him with my milk via the bottle. His problem from the start is that he just never got more than the initial letdown. He didn’t know he could get more. Poor kid. And poor mom!
He’s such a handsome little fella. You are doing perfect, because you’ve persevered through every test God has sent your way. To ask for textbook perfection is hard, since it’s so rarely achieved. You’re doing fantastic!