When it rains it pours.
I mentioned yesterday how our house has been plagued with sick babies as of late. I'm happy to report that Harrison is feeling much like his old self again today, and is in the process of destroying the house as I type (good parenting going on right now, right?). I also mentioned that Harper's colic/reflux issues have been in full force. Her abdominal x-ray came back normal so we were relieved that she doesn't appear to have any obstructions in her intestines. But her crying has and discomfort has gotten worse. Even after increasing her dosage of Prevacid we haven't seen any improvement, so this morning I called and left a message for the nurse to see about switching medications. Dr. Binder called me back this afternoon and is concerned that it could be something more than colic and reflux, and he scheduled us to go to the hospital tomorrow for an ultrasound of her abdomen. He wants to rule out pyloric stenosis and feels that an ultrasound will give us a more conclusive diagnosis, even if it is just severe reflux or GERD.
I have mixed feelings about all of this. I hate to jump on the prescription bandwagon (especially since it isn't even helping), but I also can't take seeing her this upset and in pain. And the constant crying and screaming is starting to take a toll on us mentally. After 2 straight nights of next to zero sleep between two sick kids, I finally hit my breaking point this morning. I actually locked myself in my closet for a good 10 minutes, got a good cry in and let out a scream as loud as I could (sounds a little crazy, I know, but it actually made me feel a lot better). I just feel really helpless and when you're stuck in such a stressful environment for hours on end it's hard to look at the big picture and stay focused on the fact that this phase will pass at some point. (it will, right? :))
I fully trust her doctor and I've been very impressed with his concern and thoroughness. I hope the ultrasound will finally at least give us some firm answers one way or another. It could very well just be colic (whatever the hell that is, anyway. it's basically the catch all diagnosis for we-don't-know-what-is-causing-your-baby-pain-but-if-you-just-wait-it-out-(like-you-have-a-choice-anyway)-she-will-likely-grow-out-of-it-within-the-next-1-to-11-months) that is causing her pain, and not the reflux at all. Or the ultrasound could point to GERD and we will know that medication is the best option. I just really hope that it isn't pyloric stenosis, because that would mean surgery. And I'm not sure I could take my baby going back to the hospital.
I have mixed feelings about all of this. I hate to jump on the prescription bandwagon (especially since it isn't even helping), but I also can't take seeing her this upset and in pain. And the constant crying and screaming is starting to take a toll on us mentally. After 2 straight nights of next to zero sleep between two sick kids, I finally hit my breaking point this morning. I actually locked myself in my closet for a good 10 minutes, got a good cry in and let out a scream as loud as I could (sounds a little crazy, I know, but it actually made me feel a lot better). I just feel really helpless and when you're stuck in such a stressful environment for hours on end it's hard to look at the big picture and stay focused on the fact that this phase will pass at some point. (it will, right? :))
I fully trust her doctor and I've been very impressed with his concern and thoroughness. I hope the ultrasound will finally at least give us some firm answers one way or another. It could very well just be colic (whatever the hell that is, anyway. it's basically the catch all diagnosis for we-don't-know-what-is-causing-your-baby-pain-but-if-you-just-wait-it-out-(like-you-have-a-choice-anyway)-she-will-likely-grow-out-of-it-within-the-next-1-to-11-months) that is causing her pain, and not the reflux at all. Or the ultrasound could point to GERD and we will know that medication is the best option. I just really hope that it isn't pyloric stenosis, because that would mean surgery. And I'm not sure I could take my baby going back to the hospital.
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