Then, Later That Night ...

Bathroom meltdown horror.

James was refusing food again and could not sit still. Was acting up. So I had him use the bathroom. He knew if he could not produce on his own, he'd be getting an assist from the enema kit.

So he locked the door.

And got panicky and angry. Very vocally. And would not unlock the door.

I could tell his anxiety was on an uptrend and would not be stopping soon. And I was tired.

So I got out the screwdriver and took apart the door knob, because he refused to open the door.

Frenzied screams of anguish and terror happened for about 10 minutes. It felt like forever. He held his part of the door knob in his hand and waved it about furiously. He bellowed very teeneagerish things at me, punctuated with "I HATE you!" and "Sorry, sorry, sorry I yelled, Mother." There was rageful crying. And no poop.

He was trying to make it happen. It hurt *me* to see how much he was trying. All I could do was keep calm. I am going to try and forget all the specifics. In the end, he made 3 mighty efforts and produced a fine specimen.

We both hugged and almost cried with relief it was over, no lie. This time. For now.

The next day he was back to playing and eating. I went to work. I feel like having a little Foggy Morning Breakdown, but it aint' going to happen anytime soon. Onward.

P.S.: Steve: You're a genius. Arrow through the head sounds about right just now.

Constipation Constrictions, Encore

This latest all-stop constipation episode has been coming on gradually, in spite of my upping his morning Miralax dose in milk. He's stopped eating regular meals and claims he hates food. He wants a new James. The yammying and not feeling good have been taking a toll on James and the rest of us. Getting him out of the house is a trial and involves extreme, loud melt downs that are not typical for James.

Good news is that it's not as excruciating as other occurrences. Bad news is that his bowels are plugged with matter and air and he's good only while at home. So I have been looking up home remedies. So far I've tried adding probiotics to his yogurts, trying to get him to drink more water and less milk (which is always now spiked with at least a little Miralax. Tonight I added some Magnesium Citrate to his apple juice and he actually ate half a pb&j on whole wheat bread with plum jam. The pharmacy in town gave us some lotion that contains magnesium - I rubbed some on his tummy.

Next up: adding baking soda to some water -- supposed to be good for clearing air out of the system. He'll be out tomorrow from school and his doctor is supposed to call back with results from the epically screamy blood draw last Friday. Hopefully there will not be anything new to contend with.

Morning at the Med Center

After another rough night and early morning, I brought James in to see the doctor. I wanted to rule out everything else (e.g., ear or throat infection, stomach bug). Because I wanted one of the first appointments of the morning, we saw a new doctor. She introduced herself to us and told me she'd reviewed James' chart as well as the information coming in for today's visit before asking me about my concerns as she checked James' breathing, ears, and throat. She was very calm, thorough, and quick. She did however, have concerns it might be appendicitis.

Oh God. 

This, this, this, and this flashed through my mind, and I teared up.

I explained as calmly as I could to the doctor that we'd been this route before, and it was rather traumatic and we really didn't want to do another ER stint unless it was absolutely necessary. I give her all kinds of kudos because she did make it a much more positive experience for us, while still taking steps to make sure we were not dealing with appendicitis.

First, she ordered an x-ray of James' digestive system, which could be done on the same floor of the building. She had a wheelchair brought so that James would not have to walk. The x-ray was quick and efficient. James even perked up because he thought the technician was cute. We were soon back in the waiting room, and the new doctor saw us before I could get halfway through a short Winne-the-Pooh book.

This makes sense if you read down to the end.

Next, she showed us BOTH his x-ray, and answered our questions. Because yes, James was interested and asked "Is that me?" I loved how she communicated with us. The image showed some constipation and air in his intestines, as well as a stomach full of even more air. So the diagnosis now leaned more towards constipation. The doctor offered having an enema done down the hall in the Treatment Room and then recommended getting blood drawn to definitely rule out appendicitis. That being far preferable to an ER trip at another facility a mile or so away, I agreed.

Well, the enema triggered nausea and yammying. Not much happened at the other end. I did, however, manage to get a urine sample. There was a bit of a mess. How weird am I to be happy that it happened in a med center and not the car or our house? After it was over, we had no BMs, but a much more relaxed guy.

I did a quick emergency call to his Nana to please bring clean jammies and underwear. While we waited, James was able to lie on a padded gurney and watch a movie, covered by a beach towel from home. The doctor came back to check in. She told me the urine sample had no indicators for appendicitis and asked James to jump up and down on his toes, which he did. She then told me she didn't need a blood test, that James would not have been able to do that if he'd had appendicitis.

I almost kissed her feet, I was so happy. Everything was checked out with a minimum of fuss and delay and a maximum of compassionate assistance. James could go home to rest, and they even sent some suppositories home with us to try later tonight and tomorrow. Good Lord, I hope they work!

This looks like a cool x-ray app for the iPad - I think we'll check it out. Click the image above for more info.

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Endurance

Third night of little sleep and a lot of discomfort. I finally broke down and administered an enema this morning. It produced a little result. Encouraging, but I wish it was more immediately helpful.

Our brave guy is on the sofa, trying to keep himself occupied. It still hurts.

Why, oh why, oh why, oh why does his constipation keep coming back and being so bad? I wish I knew.

I keep trying to be calm and patient. And James shows me the meaning of endurance.


For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday

Full Stoppage

James' world has crashed to a halt yet again as a massive bout of constipation lays him low.

Like the previous two instances, we thought at first it was the flu. The absence of a fever and fruitless trips to the bathroom made us realize we were in for another few epic days. And we're still trying to get things moving.

So, no school for James; out weekday routines are scrapped. New things pile up as the backlog ages further and my husband and I try our darndest to make James comfortable and undo the blockage as non-invasively as possible:

• We use the prescription anti-nausea pills that dissolve quickly in his mouth; it relieves pain and vomiting bouts, and allows him to sleep. 
• We offer James sippy cups of iced electrolyte water; according to latest bathroom trips, he's hydrated. 
• We give him milk whenever he asks for it and make sure the Miralax is in there as well; we hope this will prevail and keep us all from the pandemonium that ensues with James after an enema is administered.
• Bathroom trips are checked for results (a few tiny BMs have started to appear and he's able to pass gas).
• We help James finish up bathroom trips with disposable wipes and ointment, to keep him clean and comfortable; I keep hoping this will relax him enough to help things along.
• James is given yogurt squeeze-ups when he requests food (we did try letting him have an apple bar once but that was a mistake). Oh how I wish he took prune juice and that it did not trigger a gag reflex from Hell.

And now, we rest, and hope that tomorrow is a better day.

Long Night in the ER (Day 5-6)

Open Letter to Emergency Rooms: We have to stop meeting like this. It's wrong, wrong, wrong and I want it to stop.

I never intended to spend so much time with you and have you reach so far into my life. But you have. No one can save lives like you, ER; you make life and living seem so precious. I've met some amazing people through you and had to stretch to keep up with your bursts of frantic energy, shifting teams, and constantly change of game plans. My life will never be the same after being so much with you recently.

I will always remember our special times together, especially late at night. The waiting during those fantastic hours between 2 and 4am, where time seems seems slow and the world narrows to just the two of us. The random weekends and odd vacations cut short, where we had the unscripted rendez-vous.

But the sleep deprivation and anxiety are wearing. I think it best that we just be friends, and see each other in a much less frequent basis, in future. Can we just try that, please?

Yours, sincerely - Me

P.S.: Yes, we are back home, and intend to stay there together.

Sunday Trip to the Med Center

After sleeping beautifully for two 10-hour+ stints and responding to OTC pain meds, I settled into waiting out the GI bug. I called in sick to my work shift and sent an email to James' teacher.

Then James started crying and moaning again early this morning, and I could not get him started on the acetaminophen. He ate only a little and drank less than yesterday. I asked him to point where it hurt and he consistently pointed to the right side of his abdomen.

So I called the advice nurse, who confirmed there was no fever, no yamminess (a polite euphemism for result of nausea),  and that he could walk. She booked an telephone appointment with an on-call doctor for later that day. This is a person who knows James, so I felt better about talking with them.

We had our call, and to be on the safe side, she had me bring him in this afternoon. After a friendly and thorough exam, new diagnosis is: constipation. Back to square one. We did another blood test just in case, and this one did not go smoothly.

I am now trying to figure out how to get mineral oil into James without triggering his gag reflex. And not pound my head against the wall until all is calm once more.

Deep breaths ...