Saturday, March 6, 2010

Just want my kid back!!

It has been too long now since I've seen my little Faith be her regular happy go lucky 5 year old self! She fought a really tough battle with bronchitis and a sinus infection for about 13 days. She never really perked up when that battle was over, she continued to be very fatigued.

Then she began to complain of back aches intermittently, and double vision started on Monday night this week. On Tuesday morning when she woke with the double vision still happening Mike and I took her to the doctor who told us he didn't see any lazy eye, like we saw, but he "believed us". He made her an appointment with a pediatric eye doctor for Friday and sent us home.

Her eye improved after about 36 hours, Wednesday afternoon, so we were relieved with that, but she was still not herself and obviously still fatigued. Privately, as couples do, Mike and I were discussing different things that could be going on with her. We were racking our brains. We did conclude that maybe she hadn't gone to the bathroom in about a week. However, it is hard to tell with a child that age, it isn't like they tell you. But why would that make her legs hurt or her back ache and most certainly would not give her double vision.

Then on Wednesday night while she slept she began waking up and moaning in pain whenever she moved. She vomited a couple times early Thursday morning, nothing significant, and she wasn't running a fever. In the morning however, Mike and I decided to take her to the doctor again. We told him about her rough night. He looked her over, a little, gave us a cup for a urine specimen, drew some blood and sent us home. He was thinking she may have a urinary track infection and if we could get a urine sample he could check that out. He was checking her kidney, and liver function with the blood sample and would have results on Friday.

At home she was now afraid to urinate because we wanted to collect it and just exhausted. She napped again for a couple of hours in the afternoon, which has become her routine, and we pumped her with fluids. She finally peed in the afternoon only after we told her we wouldn't collect it. Mike and I were back to discussing what to do and what may be wrong.

After some serious deliberation and discussion over our frustration with our doctor and his lack of interest or concern we decided to take her to the emergency room at about 5:30 Thursday evening. We wanted answers and we couldn't stand to see her upset and not herself any longer!

The doctor there got her to tell him where the pain was and he poked her and felt her belly. He felt it wasn't her appendix or liver. Phew! They took some urine and it looked normal. Again Phew! He decided she was constipated. Really? All this because she hadn't pooped? Not that we weren't relieved to know it was so simple, but we were baffled that something so simple could cause all this!! Wow!! He gave us some Merilax to help the process and we came home.

The eye doctor appt. had to be canceled on Friday morning and rescheduled to the 16th, for fear of her having an accident while we were out. We weren't sure how well or fast the merilax would work. The lab results came back from the doctors office as all normal. This I guess can confirm that it must be she just needs a good poop.

Now we are pumping her full of fruit, nuts, plum juice and merilax. Still no "movement", well not anything significant. She is still very fatigued and moaning a lot about body aches and pains. Here she is this morning enjoying some strawberries. We do see some glimpses of our sweet 5 yo, but she isn't skipping and running all over the house like usual, and is very much fatigued.
I'm bearing my burden, Lord! I'm being patient, Lord! I'm praying to you, Lord! I just want my kid back, Lord!!

3 comments:

  1. It's so distressing when our kids are ill.

    Prayers. . .

    Jenna Pope

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  2. I would completely second the doctor's diagnosis. I have had personal experience with how horrible this particular problem can affect a body. After having been pregnant 9 times I can say that constipation can make you feel horrendously sick. I am in early pregnancy now and have been taking a medication to alleviate the hyperemesis (severe morning sickness) that in the past has forced me to be hospitalized. One of the not so good side effects of the meds is constipation and I can attest that it is almost worse than the nausea and constant vomiting, it makes me feel as if I am being beaten and tortured, I am exhausted and even walking is a chore..... I am enjoying my morning snack of chia seeds to help that.

    I hope that Faith is feeling better soon, it is not fun at all to feel like this. I would also look into a probiotic and natural yogurt to keep the intestinal tract in good order, this is sometimes the result of the body reacting to an antibiotic and the havoc that can be wrought on the digestive system.

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