Melanie, Bird with a Broken Wing by Beth Harry

Author:Beth Harry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brookes Publishing
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Fourteen months, a very sick baby

Philip's closing words gave me the perspective I needed. He said, “Bee, don't blame yourself. You've tried everything possible, and you've been wonderful. You've done everything in your power. It's time for someone else to try now. Accept what has happened, and give the responsibility over to the doctors. Let them try!”

Chapter 24

THE TURNING POINT

Clive flew back from New York the next day, cutting his stay short, and together we began a month of watching and waiting. Of that month, the first week was the most harrowing for me, as I found myself in the unaccustomed role of helpless spectator as Melanie gradually returned to life. Within 48 hours the intravenous rehydration process had achieved the brunt of its miraculous work, bringing the chemical balance of Melanie's body back within normal limits although the process would not be perfect for a week or so.

Melanie's awareness was returning gradually, and on about the 4th morning, as I walked into the ward entering through a door directly in her line of vision, my Little Bird responded immediately with her jerky start, eyes filling with tears, and the little mouth puckered to make the only sound she knew how—00000.

Melanie was back with us and, like any other child in hospital, was simultaneously glad to see her Mummy and yet angry at having been betrayed into the hands of strangers in sterile white coats. Within another day or so, she was also beginning to show her annoyance at the physical constraints of the intravenous tubing, her hands strapped down to the bed to ensure the security of the needle in the tiny veins. From time to time, her struggles would result in the needle slipping out, only to be replaced in another spot, varying from waist to ankle and on occasion even to her temple.

So Melanie was engulfed in tubes, the intravenous ones continuing the process of rehydration and also feeding antibiotic medication directly into her bloodstream to combat the aspiration pneumonia. Meanwhile the naso-gastric tubes were permanently in place for all her feeding. Within a week, the life-endangering electrolyte imbalance had been fully corrected, but it would be another week before the pneumonia would be cleared up.

But Dr. Greenberg was concerned about the root cause of this terrible crisis in Melanie's life. What could be done to improve her feeding system to ensure that this would not happen again? His decision was to keep her in the hospital to enable a thorough study of the problem through observation and the trial of various foods and medications. I cannot describe how grateful I was for this approach. Philip had been right—it was their turn to try, and this experienced medical team would do all in its power to solve the problem of Melanie's continuing failure to thrive.

It was a challenging month of tubes, formulas, and medications. The challenge for the dietician was to come up with a liquid formula composed of all the nutrients needed in an appropriate balance,

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