[MommyAlysia]

The agency DH and I are leaning towards has different foster programs- therapeutic, medically fragile, emergency placement, etc. I don't think at this point in time we could handle therapeutic kiddos, but i would like to look into fostering medically fragile kiddos. Our agency does all the training. Because we have bio kids and want to keep age order, we would be taking in babies/toddlers in case it matters. I know it has to be a very broad term but can someone give me an idea of makes a child medically fragile? I guess I am trying to figure out what to expect. when i hear medically fragile i automatically think of wheel chairs and oxygen tanks but I am sure theres more to it. would a preemie be considered MF? or a "drug baby"? what about children with medical conditions that aren't as "serious", like asthma or reflux? i guess both of those can be serious, but 2 of my 3 bio kids have asthma, the 3rd had reflux (she outgrew it),I wouldn't consider any of them as MF, though all of them have/had mild cases so maybe thats not the norm? for those who specialize in caring for medically fragile children is there a certain condition you are placed with more often than others?

thanks for you help. we will be asking the agency these questions once we start the process but we have awhile til we get to that point and i have really been wondering.

[athikers]

I think everyone might have their own definition. But, as a mommy to a medically fragile little man I would consider a medically fragile child one with a chronic and life threatening health condition. I don't think "most" preemies are considered medically fragile after they are sent home. I think they would then have an additional dx to be considered fragile.

[SuzBerg]

We adopted our Med-Fragile daughter at age 2.5, she is now 6. We did not do foster care so I'm not sure if things are different in that situation. Our daughter has a very complex congenital heart defect which is her main diagnosis and the reason she is considered Medically Fragile. From my experience very severe asthma or reflux would be considered but not mild cases. I think what athickers said, life threatening or chronic health conditions would be med-fragile. I do know diagnosis, such as pre-natal drug-exposure, shaken baby syndrome, cerebral palsey, cystic fibrosis, etc are considered med-frag. A preemie with health concerns would also be considered med-fragile.

My daughter has a wheel-chair and has been on oxygen but doesn't use them all the time or even most of the time but she does use them. Med-fragile kiddos also have lots of appointments (doctor's, specialist's, therapy etc). I think your agency would really be able to help you with what their definition of medical fragile is (it could vary from State to State or Agency to Agency).

If you have any other questions or concerns, Please Post them and we'll try to help. Welcome to the boards! - Suz

[devildogwife]

We never fostered, it was straight adoption with my son. Also, we didn't know about his CHD before he ws born.

My son is medically fragile and has the same CHD as Suz's daughter. We are currently 6 & 1/2 weeks into at least a 9 & 1/2 week PICU stay. My son was born very VERY sick and has come very far, but still has very far to go. Like Suz said, lots of appointments (sometimes 4 in one week), long hospital stays, learning how to monitor different things, use different equipment, feed different ways. For instance with my son, first time home I had to feed him with an NG tube, weigh him daily, record his feedings, give him meds (that you absolutely can never forget!), monitor his 02 sats, etc. Whenever we go home again, he'll be going home on oxygen (due to a paralyzed vocal cord), and possibly all the same stuff as before, including giving him shots in his stomach.

To be considered medically fragile, like Suz and athikers have said, the diagnosis is very serious.

[Adoption_Ally]

I'm trying to get my head around the 'medically fragile' term as well.

My daughter is sort of betwix and between. Her diagnosis is Pallister-Hall Syndrome, which comes with a whole host of sub-conditions. My understanding is that there are only a few hundred people in the world with PHS.

Right now she is the picture of health, and rarely sick in the traditional sense.

However, she is on growth hormone for pituitary dwarfism and lupron for central precoccious puberty. This is probably due to a growth on her hypothalamus.

When M got here in 2000, she definitely WAS medically fragile. A friend of mine who saw M in the orphanage in Cambodia was sure that she wasn't going to survive. Six abdominal surgeries, a bowel obstruction, and a fungal sepsis later, she was on the road to good health. Because of all those abdominal surgeries, there is still some risk of a blockage, although since it's been nearly eight years, the chance of that happening continues to diminish.

She also was born with extra fingers and an extra toe. Again, right now her hands and foot are OK, but she will need major reconstructive surgery on both of her hands sometime in the future. She has already had surgery on two of her fingers and her foot.

Because of all the abdominal surgeries, she has a MAJOR scar that bisects her tummy. That too needs to be repaired down the road.

She also needs major orthodontia because she has no top front teeth. The baby teeth were so rotten they had to be pulled and the permanent teeth have never come in.

M has a bifid epiglottis. Again, it's not causing a problem right now, but may need to be repaired in the future.

Etc. Etc.

So, while she is currently healthy, managing her health care so she stays that way is complex and time consuming. I'm not sure that 'medically fragile' is really the best term, but I don't know what else to use. She's not really chronically ill, either.

So anyone have any ideas on what the right term is?

[Lylac]

I have 3 (will be 4 kids this summer)Out of the 4 only one is considered medically fragile. All of them are special needs tho. I guess how they define medically fragile here is a condition that could possibly turn life threatening at any moment.

With Abbie, she has Diabetes Insipidus ( her body doesn't produce the hormone that tells her body how much of her fluids to turn into urine or how much to send back into the bloodstream).

Before she got her feeding tube, a little cold could become critical for her, because of not being able to drink enough to keep herself hydrated. And then she asperates on everything and won't ever be able to eat/drink by mouth again.

And then she has Infantile Spasms(type of seizures)..which is the hardest on kids, and that could also become critical, if she has so many that it throws her into a major seizure.