Yesterday we saw Lucas' allergist for the test results to the recent bloodwork he had done. It turns out that the only thing that came back seeming to be a food allergy at this point is egg whites. Milk and nuts are ok for him to have. We came home and celebrated with a normal kid meal of PB&J for lunch and he liked it!
I was pretty happy with the visit and the good news that we received. My kid can finally eat most anything. It's been a long road. And then the doctor looked at his weight chart and burst my bubble. Lucas is off the charts skinny weightwise--far below average. I know this. I've been dealing with this issue for most of his life. We've gone to the doctor monthly for weight checks, seen a GI specialist, gone to a nutritionist. I feed him well and try to give him tons of fatty things. My kid is just small. I've come to accept this as normal for him. There is nothing else that I can do aside from injecting Crisco into his veins.
She called him a case of "Failure to Thrive." Isn't that a great thing to say to a worry-wart, easily pissed off, pregnant mom? My first instinct was to cry and then pop her one in the mouth. Bite me, Dr. Downer!
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Since Lucas received this diagnosis, we have heard that several children of friends and co-workers also were labeled with this also, and they turned out to be just fine and healthy.
So since these doctors are pretty comfortable giving out this crappy label, let's analyze it.
The definitions of Thrive:
1. To make steady progress; prosper.
2. To grow vigorously; flourish:
3. Grow stronger
Amanda recorded 50 words that Lucas can speak a couple of months ago and he has definitely progressed since then. So he can probably speak 75 - 100 words. He can run pretty quick now, he can lift and walk while carring items that weigh several pounds (the bathroom scale, a bath bucket full of water, etc). He can climb up on anything that he can lift his leg high enough to get up on, and he can maintain his balance while walking on beds, or any other uneven or unstable surface.
He's smart, active, healthy, mischievous, silly, and he's increasing in these traits consistently. SO HOW IS HE FAILING TO THRIVE?!
He's thriving like crazy! He's just not gaining as much weight as expected. So how about "failure to consume", or something else more accurate and less annoying.
-Michael (aka "adda")
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