I'm not sure I belong here, but I'd like to share with you everything in my journey thus far- which has quite frankly gotten me no where.
My son is 2 1/2 years old (30 months). Since he was younger, I noticed his stools would never solidify. He breastfed exclusively until about 6 months, where he skipped baby food and went straight to easy table foods (not for lack of trying on our part). He wasn't able to tolerate milk at 1 year (around his anus would bleed), and his stools remained similar to those of a newborn starting on solid foods. I was told to try milk again at 15 months, then again at 18 months. When the 18 month mark hit, and still no improvement with dairy, they told us to try lactaid. Lactaid didn't help, so I tried almond milk and finally found a substitute for how often he was breastfeeding. I was also pregnant, and did not want to tandem feed with how rough and tumble I knew my son was during nursing times (completely different than my oldest daughter was). He stopped growing when I weaned him (starting at 15m, completely at 20 months old), both height and weight. I think he's gained an inch and maybe 2lbs (dropping him under the 3% for height and under 25% for weight when he was in the high 75+ range). He simply plateaued.
He has bowel movements up to 10 times a day, and they are typically right after he eats. Almost every stool has undigested food particles from the previous meal and/or snack. They are always green/yellow in color- never a normal looking stool. I've explained it as yogurt, chunky mashed potatoes, peanut butter. We've never had issues with reflux, constipation or blood (save for diaper rashes, but nothing internal). They've told me that there is no issue with him, that he would outgrow this "diarrhea" phase. I kept insisting his stools had never been normal, save for maybe 10, and all at random times. We went through elimination diets at home, save for gluten, and nothing seemed to help. He was suffering from diaper rashes, yeast infections, and eventually diaper burns. He was stooling so frequently, that the medicine wasn't able to even help him before the next stool would come. Thankfully I found a product called Calmoseptine helped his skin to heal and keep him with a sufficient barrier.
Finally, I became fed up with my pediatrician (well, specifically, a different doctor at our practice) and sent in for an allergist appointment. We had a scratch test done, which I was told it wasn't a food allergy but a gastro issue. I called the local children's hospital network and scheduled an appointment. Some time after the appointment was set, I received a nasty phone call telling me my son was normal, and she had "3 kids of her own and could vouch that nothing was wrong with my son" and shame on me for not following proper referral procedures.
Here is everything we've been through, test wise:
9/26/13
Stool samples (salmonella/shigella, campylobacter, yersinia, e coli shiga, giardia, cryptosporidium) - Normal
CMP - Normal
ESR - 26 (flagged high)
CBC - Abs Neut: 9392 (flagged high), Abs Mono: 1042 (flagged high)
CRP - 1.08 (flagged high)
Celiac Panel - Normal
10/09/13
ESR - 17 (flagged)
CRP - Normal
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, Free T4 Assay, Stool Reducing Substances, Calprotectin - Normal
10/28/13
Scopes appeared normal
Biopsies: Duodenum, Stomach, Esophagus Distal, Esophagus Proximal, Terminal Ileum show no diagnostic abnormality
Colon, Random Biopsies: Colonic type mucosa showing patchy mild eosinophilia with reactive changes, nonspecific.
3/17/14
ER visit for breathing issues, diagnosed as acute asthma attack and prescribed prednisolone, albuterol in both inhaler/nebulizer forms. A few days into the treatment with prednisolone (we already have had to use albuterol with him), his stools went completely normal. He was going once a day, and they looked like normal stool and not soft serve with food chunks. This lasted approx 4 days after prednisolone stopped.
4/14/14
CBC - Abs Lymph: 3844 (flagged low), Abs Mono: 1277 (flagged high), Abs Eos: 818 (flagged high)
Urinalysis, Phosphorus Assay - Normal
There are 4 stool samples pending, as well as a few blood tests by GI and Endo
We are currently starting a milk/egg free elimination diet by the children's hospital allergist. Although the first allergist said he was not reactive to any of the scratch test, the children's doctor decided that even the smallest reaction was cause to eliminate from his diet completely, but said he did not think his issues were food allergy related, but gastro in nature.
Along with this, we are waiting for the growth hormone tests to come back, as GI also said my son's height issues (32.5" at 30months) was an endocrine issue, not GI. Endo says its not endocrine, but GI. I have all doctors pointing me towards GI, and GI sending me on wild goose chases with other specialists, to essentially weigh them out (and costing us a butt load of money, might I add!)
Do I belong here? No one can tell me anything. I'm running in circles, trying to help my son. I don't know what else to do, where else to go. I just know that for over half of my son's life, I've gotten excuse after excuse for his stool. I want answers, and help. If I don't belong here, where else can a mom go?
My son is 2 1/2 years old (30 months). Since he was younger, I noticed his stools would never solidify. He breastfed exclusively until about 6 months, where he skipped baby food and went straight to easy table foods (not for lack of trying on our part). He wasn't able to tolerate milk at 1 year (around his anus would bleed), and his stools remained similar to those of a newborn starting on solid foods. I was told to try milk again at 15 months, then again at 18 months. When the 18 month mark hit, and still no improvement with dairy, they told us to try lactaid. Lactaid didn't help, so I tried almond milk and finally found a substitute for how often he was breastfeeding. I was also pregnant, and did not want to tandem feed with how rough and tumble I knew my son was during nursing times (completely different than my oldest daughter was). He stopped growing when I weaned him (starting at 15m, completely at 20 months old), both height and weight. I think he's gained an inch and maybe 2lbs (dropping him under the 3% for height and under 25% for weight when he was in the high 75+ range). He simply plateaued.
He has bowel movements up to 10 times a day, and they are typically right after he eats. Almost every stool has undigested food particles from the previous meal and/or snack. They are always green/yellow in color- never a normal looking stool. I've explained it as yogurt, chunky mashed potatoes, peanut butter. We've never had issues with reflux, constipation or blood (save for diaper rashes, but nothing internal). They've told me that there is no issue with him, that he would outgrow this "diarrhea" phase. I kept insisting his stools had never been normal, save for maybe 10, and all at random times. We went through elimination diets at home, save for gluten, and nothing seemed to help. He was suffering from diaper rashes, yeast infections, and eventually diaper burns. He was stooling so frequently, that the medicine wasn't able to even help him before the next stool would come. Thankfully I found a product called Calmoseptine helped his skin to heal and keep him with a sufficient barrier.
Finally, I became fed up with my pediatrician (well, specifically, a different doctor at our practice) and sent in for an allergist appointment. We had a scratch test done, which I was told it wasn't a food allergy but a gastro issue. I called the local children's hospital network and scheduled an appointment. Some time after the appointment was set, I received a nasty phone call telling me my son was normal, and she had "3 kids of her own and could vouch that nothing was wrong with my son" and shame on me for not following proper referral procedures.
Here is everything we've been through, test wise:
9/26/13
Stool samples (salmonella/shigella, campylobacter, yersinia, e coli shiga, giardia, cryptosporidium) - Normal
CMP - Normal
ESR - 26 (flagged high)
CBC - Abs Neut: 9392 (flagged high), Abs Mono: 1042 (flagged high)
CRP - 1.08 (flagged high)
Celiac Panel - Normal
10/09/13
ESR - 17 (flagged)
CRP - Normal
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, Free T4 Assay, Stool Reducing Substances, Calprotectin - Normal
10/28/13
Scopes appeared normal
Biopsies: Duodenum, Stomach, Esophagus Distal, Esophagus Proximal, Terminal Ileum show no diagnostic abnormality
Colon, Random Biopsies: Colonic type mucosa showing patchy mild eosinophilia with reactive changes, nonspecific.
3/17/14
ER visit for breathing issues, diagnosed as acute asthma attack and prescribed prednisolone, albuterol in both inhaler/nebulizer forms. A few days into the treatment with prednisolone (we already have had to use albuterol with him), his stools went completely normal. He was going once a day, and they looked like normal stool and not soft serve with food chunks. This lasted approx 4 days after prednisolone stopped.
4/14/14
CBC - Abs Lymph: 3844 (flagged low), Abs Mono: 1277 (flagged high), Abs Eos: 818 (flagged high)
Urinalysis, Phosphorus Assay - Normal
There are 4 stool samples pending, as well as a few blood tests by GI and Endo
We are currently starting a milk/egg free elimination diet by the children's hospital allergist. Although the first allergist said he was not reactive to any of the scratch test, the children's doctor decided that even the smallest reaction was cause to eliminate from his diet completely, but said he did not think his issues were food allergy related, but gastro in nature.
Along with this, we are waiting for the growth hormone tests to come back, as GI also said my son's height issues (32.5" at 30months) was an endocrine issue, not GI. Endo says its not endocrine, but GI. I have all doctors pointing me towards GI, and GI sending me on wild goose chases with other specialists, to essentially weigh them out (and costing us a butt load of money, might I add!)
Do I belong here? No one can tell me anything. I'm running in circles, trying to help my son. I don't know what else to do, where else to go. I just know that for over half of my son's life, I've gotten excuse after excuse for his stool. I want answers, and help. If I don't belong here, where else can a mom go?
