Please Tell Me Why Your Hangover is More Important Than My Son's Life

So lately, I have witnessed a new "hangover cure" being popularized by celebrities on social media.
Essentially, the "cure" is just an IV being placed by providers that specialize in relieving hangovers, exhaustion and jet lag.  And this practice is being popularized by celebrities.  Because, golly, it's just so HARD being them, and they need a pick-me-up every once in a while.
Forget coffee!  The hangover cure will fix you right up.

Under normal circumstances, I could not care less what celebrities are popularizing.

But since there's a shortage of the very same life-saving components  used in these hangover cures, I feel the need to speak up.


You see, there are many people who need these nutrients to live.  Not to feel better.  TO LIVE.  Such as this family, who shared their story two years ago.

And this mother who spoke out against this "hangover cure".

People who only are in this world due to the life-saving components that are in short supply, and have been for years.

So can anyone explain to me how it is possible that this same life-saving elixir is being used to alleviate people's HANGOVERS?
All you have to do is Google "IV hangover cure" and scroll through the images to see not only how widespread this practice is becoming, but also how it is being marketed. Images of people lounging by the pool with IV bags set up next to them, pictures taken and posted on Facebook and Twitter of smiling, healthy adults showing off their IV sites, people loaded on a bus receiving this "therapy" because they couldn't be bothered to even go to the nearest clinic.

Better yet, check out how Buzzfeed decided to detail their hangover cures.




How about this image:

This is my son. Do you see this large white line going directly to his chest?  That is IV nutrition. And he wouldn't be here today without it. 

Please tell me why your hangover is more important than a mother getting to hold her baby for the first time. 

Or why jet lag is a good excuse for me never seeing this smile. 

That my son's life means less to you than a night of over-indulging. 

There are more faces than his. Premature babies, children with various medical issues that prevent them from eating and drinking, and adults as well. 

We only required TPN for a short while.  Others live with it in their daily lives. 

How is okay to deprive anyone of something they need to live just so you won't be inconvenienced? 

Tell me how the life he leads is less than yours. 

I don't understand it. 

And neither does he. 

All he knows is that he is loved. 

So please, please, don't "like" pictures of people receiving this treatment.  Don't send the message that it's okay.  And if you want to take it one step further, how about speaking out against it?

You can contact Melissa Harkey, the mother I referenced above, who is fighting to bring to light the consequences of this misuse of IV nutrition.  She will send you a form letter to send to your state senator. 

Melissaharkey@gmail.com

Time to update

Well, as usual, I've failed to update my blog regularly.  When I last updated, we were receiving a diagnosis of diabetes insipidus for Kayla.  

Since then, we've been told that her MRI came back perfectly normal (epic high-fives all around) and that her lack of anti-diuretic hormone could possibly be caused by habit drinking.  But don't limit her liquids, just in case. 

I'm skeptical.  I've been watching her drinking habits, finding that she goes through periods where she is drinking an amazing amount of liquids, and other times she is drinking only excessively. 

She still gets upset if there is not a drink nearby.  

Her 2nd birthday is coming up fast in April, and her checkup with her pediatrician with it. At that time, I'll be talking to her to let her know we haven't seen improvement since we spoke last. 

Otherwise, Kayla is her usual strong-willed self. She's talking more, discovered the word "mine" (oh, goody) and covers her big brother in lots of love. Well, love and some wrestling, anyway. 

And Evan?  He's doing great.  Last week, he tried both raisins and apple slices (big win on our part- getting him to eat an apple has been years in the making), and ate enormously for a few days. 

I was practically doing cartwheels over his request for a sandwich and chips at 9:30 the other night. 

He's been discovering the joys of "writing" in some dry-erase books he got for Christmas. 

Christmas was a big hit.  

We got lots of books, which both kids enjoy. 

The biggest news for Evan is that we have been given the opportunity to have him enrolled full time in ABA therapy. 

ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis.  

This will be an all day thing, 5 days a week, taking place of his pre-k classes for now. 

They'll be working with him one on one to address behaviors that can be problematic, such as.... Well, this: 

I often joke about Evan's NEED to create a chaotic environment.  But there is an underlying issue with this. There are days he never stops- banging things repeatedly non-stop for as long as I will allow because he like the sound, moving on to destroy something else if he's re-directed. 

As soon as laundry or toys are put away in their proper places, they must be pulled out again, scattered across the floor. 

There are days he's just going non-stop. 

We've also been trying to deal with his frustration and anxiety. Evan can be so very sweet and loving. He's one of the sweetest kids I know. 

But sometimes, he gets frustrated and hits, or will bite. It's been a while since he did bite, but while we've reduced the hitting of other people, he's taken to hitting his hand on surfaces.

Another benefit of the ABA therapy will be the coordination between us and the therapists. 

Strategies that work for him, both at home and in his therapy environment can be shared, and used to help him make more progress. 

His speech is still delayed, but we have been seeing growth there.  He's saying "thank you, Mama" and requesting specific foods (usually chips or popcorn), talking about Curious George, and even starting to ask about the potty. 

Potty training has been difficult- he often refuses to even sit and try, displaying a lot of anxiety when asked.  So we've taken a relaxed approach, and have made minuscule steps forward. 

I hope that ABA therapy will be a good thing for him. I believe that it will.