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12 Yr. Old Olivia Gastroparesis

Olivia's Gastroparesis- The Story

When Olivia was 11 years old she contracted what everyone thought was a temporary stomach virus.
She was in severe pain and vomited every day; the doctors ran Olivia through a whole list of tests but nothing seemed to fit her condition. She had a stabbing pain on the left side of her abdomen and would cry with pain.  Days turned into weeks with no answers. Olivia's parents , Karen and Roger went to appointment after appointment trying to figure out what was happening with their daughter. Why couldn't she keep her food down?

6 weeks passed when finally, the doctors called Roger and Karen with a diagnosis; gastroparesis. 

WebMd defines gastroparesis as:

"a condition in which your stomach cannot empty itself of food in a normal fashion. It is caused by damage to the vagus nerve, which regulates the digestive system."

Olivia's was now malnourished and in desperate need of medical action. The doctors inserted a feeding tube that went through her nose and straight into the small intestine. For 2 straight months Olivia's survival was tied to this tube. The tube sent a formula of nutrients to her small intestine which was just enough to sustain life but it did nothing to quell her constant hunger pangs;  it felt like she was starving to death. 






In December of 2014 Olivia had the feeding tube removed and she was put on an all liquid diet.  After a small amount of success with the liquid diet the doctors were hopeful that perhaps she could try eating some pureed foods. Unfortunately their hopes were dashed as her nausea only increased. She was once again quickly slipping into a dangerous level of malnourishment. 

In desperation the doctors scheduled Olivia to have a gastric pacer surgically inserted into the abdominal wall.  They hoped this would stimulate her digestive system to work on its own.

The pacer kept Olivia out of the hospital for only 2 months. In May 2015 Olivia was once again admitted to the hospital for uncontrolled vomiting; she was hospitalized for 5 days. In addition to her gastroparesis she was given a medication that she ended up being allergic to. 

May was also the month when Roger (Olivia's father) lost his job. Now insurance would not cover her medical expenses. Roger and Karen rushed to sign up for COBRA coverage despite its cost of $1700 a month. 

In August Olivia started complaining of severe pain on the right side of her body. The gastroparesis pain had always been on the left; what was causing this new pain? She was rushed back to the Gastroenterologist who began another series of tests. Olivia's vomiting returned with a vengeance.  Once again she was admitted to the hospital for another 9 days. 

Olivia was now vomiting around 15 times a day. They tried to once again insert a feeding tube but this did not help; she was vomiting with the tube attached. 


The medical team scrambled to find answers but the confusion mounted as every test came back as negative. Finally,  the doctors performed a barium test which revealed that on top of her gastroparesis Olivia had superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome. Which "is a rare, potentially life-threatening gastro-vascular disorder." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_mesenteric_artery_syndrome



Olivia had to get some nutrients ASAP. They quickly prescribed her the anti-nausea medication Kytril (usually used for cancer patients). The Kytril brought her vomiting down from 15 times a day to 10 times a day; not even close enough to get her into a stable condition.

Her parents reached a new level of panic as she began not just vomiting her formula but blood as well.  The medical team now diagnosed her as having a Mallory Weiss tear which was probably from her continual retching. 

It was obvious that if something else was not done Olivia would die from starvation; it was time to insert a PICC line and try to feed her via total parenteral nutrition. The PICC line was surgically implanted on her left arm. 




Olivia's Condition Today:
Olivia's vomiting has not improved; she vomits multiple times a day and since September 3rd she has not had a single day where she did not vomit. On average she throws up 5-10 times a day with her worst days being 15-16 times.  She is on a 24-hour formula cycle which means every hour of the day she is attached to a backpack that contains her formula.

Once a week Karen drives Olivia to the pain clinic at the Children's Hospital to try alleviate some of her severe chronic pain. 

Roger is still searching for employment; he is in a specialized industry that is not growing. This is the longest period in his life that he has been out of work and because of Olivia's condition he cannot relocate.  Karen and Roger are attempting to pay out of pocket for COBRA insurance even though they have no cash flow coming in and their medical bills are still mounting. 


There Is Hope
 Everyone in Olivia's family is praying and searching for a better solution for this sweet young girl.  She told her mom that she wants to be a doctor some day to help people who are sick.  Olivia's dream CAN COME TRUE: there is hope!! Her parents are filled with faith and gratitude; they believe that with the proper care Olivia can live a normal life. 

Any donations received will be used to help the Prueitt family get through this difficult time. We are ever so grateful for whatever donation you can send their way. God Bless!

Organizer and beneficiary

Jasmine Hansen
Organizer
Littleton, CO
Karen Prueitt
Beneficiary

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