Friday, June 20, 2008

Fast Acting

As I sat down here to begin this entry, the boys were prepping for the bathtub when I heard Eric yell, “Help.” Not loud, not shrieking, just pleading. That almost scared me more than crashes or shrieks. I went upstairs to find Christopher naked on Daddy’s arm, which was literally dripping with poo, splatters on the floor. “I could use some help.” I was paralyzed with shock. “The Miralax worked”, he said.
Yes, the miralax worked, or rather has begun working. Perhaps being a "Wee Wicked Beastie"is the new sign and symptom for constipation, because just when I can't take anymore of my wee wicked beastie, I find out that there is a very good reason for erratic behavior. I am sorry for backtracking and bouncing a bit, but Chris is constipated. Earlier, this evening, we gave him a full capful in 8 ounces of water, and pushed it right into his g-tube, over an hour. I don't think we've seen a full colon's worth, but it was indeed fast acting. 2 hours later...zowie! We were told to double his miralax by Dr. Z, who very kindly took us in and did an X-ray at the spur of the moment this afternoon. (I love that office) I was on the phone with the nurse from the Developmental Pediatrics at Riley, when the subject of constipation came up, as it often does. I can't recognize his signs anymore, so sure, anytime you ask me, has he pooped? I'll say yes, he goes every 2 hours. He's constipated if he goes more than all night without going. Come to think of it, he hasn't gone much today, and his diaper was actually NOT muddy this morning. And Tuesday after his MRI, nothing was moving. She said, why don’t you run over to Dr. Cooper, and see if you can get an x-ray? Umm, ok. I called, they said come now, we did, and bam, x-ray. Though, I don’t think they are as accustomed to giving kiddoes Chris’s age x-rays. They wanted diaper off, directly on the hard table. I’m like, wanna put a sheet under him, or something over his places, you might regret otherwise? I had him pinned in place, his hands with a death grip on mine, him crying, shades of blue, and she suddenly asks me, wanna wear a vest? Puh-lease. Anyway, in spite of small problems, we got the x-ray. And yes, his colon was full.
Eric brought up the very good point, when has his colon not been full? Mmmm…never. That got me thinking, thinking I was glad I stalked the Developmental Peds department. One of the things that the nurse that I spoke with asked, Has Chris ever seen GI (Gastro Intestinal)? All of a sudden, light bulbs flashed in our minds. Ah ha! Yes, that’s what he needs! Why didn’t we think of that before? God bless this nurse, who finally had a bloody brilliant idea! Of course, 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon is not the time to pursue a new specialist, but still. A few colorful metaphors flew out of my mouth in my excitement and relief. Of course! A Specialist that covers the WHOLE flipping colon! Perhaps a GI specialist can figure out why Chris is puking and is constantly plugged up?! The G-tube was supposed to make things easier, but honestly, it really hasn't. Sure he's gaining weight, but we've got all new problems, he still doesn't eat, accept for 3 chips, now he can't drink either, and we need to work on fixing that, which we haven't really done because we're bulking him up. He wasn't eating much before, now he's not eating to keep his skills fresh. I mean seriously, just what I wanted was more doctors, but on the other hand, we want to figure out what's going on....and more importantly, FIX it.
I must comment that I find it strange that earlier today in my Friday Fill Ins, I said I want more Jesus, and less Medical Drama. So what do I get? More medical drama. Part of me laughs at God's sense of humor and timing. I wrote that before I finally got a hold of Riley, and before the X-ray. Even with all that has gone on, and as helpless as I feel so much of the time, I remember I can always pray. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that prayer is being Proactive, it IS doing something, because so often I turn to it when there is nothing left physically I can do. But perhaps the reason I get more medical drama is so that it can bring me closer to Jesus. These last few weeks, I've been praying all the time.
Seriously, keep off the roads, because I have a tendency to pray while driving, and you know how the Spirit can really work in prayer; sometimes the Spirit closes my eyes. Someone is watching out for us, obviously; I haven't had an accident while praying.

4 comments:

amypfan said...

Pooptastic. :)

Next time one of our children is cranky, let's remind each other that it's probably a poop issue.

Andrea said...

I had to laugh at the thought of poor Eric, covered in poo. I wouldn't have found it quite as funny if it was me, of course. ;)

Jenibug7 said...

I think you have hit the jackpot- More medical drama = more Jesus. At least for now. And that may be just the reason He is allowing all of this to go on...

Jenibug7 said...

Actually Elena had the same do in all the pics, just different accessories in it...