Hello treemcd,
Thank you for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. I understand iTunes is not recognizing your iOS devices, when it's connected.
Having the ability to sync your media content and to create backups with iTunes is vital. I'll be happy to point you in the right direction.
To help troubleshoot this issue, I recommend to follow the steps outlined in this helpful article: If your computer doesn't recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod This can help resolve the behavior you're experiencing.
Please let me know, if that helps.
Kind regards.