gastroenterologist

Back on June 22nd, I took this cute girl to Cook Children's in Fort Worth for a GI consult. I had expressed concern at Brooke's two year check-up that her GI issues were not improving, despite a good diet full of fiber.  I have written about these concerns on the blog before, so I won't go into all the details again, but I was ready to take the next step, which was the consult.

They have a pretty great system at Cook's Specialty Clinic, complete with a free valet service when you park.  We were called back to the exam room pretty quickly, but did have to wait almost 25 minutes to see the doctor.  Thankfully I had a blanket because Brooke wasn't exactly thrilled about being naked. She was happy about the cartoons, though :)

When Dr. Hunt finally came into the room, she immediately started asking me what my concerns were and what I had done so far to remedy the situation.  She was really direct, which wasn't a bad thing, but I felt a little like I was on trial.  Once I explained what was happening, she informed me that it sounded like Brooke was withholding her stools, rather than trying to pass them.  I guess that kind of makes sense, due to the pain they were causing her, but I also think she was trying to pass them and they were just too hard and impacted.  Dr. Hunt explained that Brooke's condition is termed "chronic constipation", and that if untreated, could lead to stretching of the colon, which could result in lifelong issues.  She explained that the role of the colon is to absorb the water in the stool before you pass it, but Brooke's colon was just getting her stools too dry.  Miralax (which I told her I had tried for a few days with great results) simply brings water to the GI tract to soften the stool, without any negative side effects.  She was surprised that I was only giving Brooke 1-1.5 tsp of Miralax, and was still having results.  Some toddlers rely on multiple caps full of the stuff in order to stay regular.  She recommended that I keep Brooke on the Miralax for a minimum of 2-3 years until all painful memories of passing stools are gone.  At that point, we could try to cut back and see how her body responds.

I felt relieved that she didn't feel the need for further testing, as long as the Miralax seemed to be helping her pass soft stools daily.  Especially being on such a low dosage.  And I appreciated the little GI lesson as well, because it helped me more fully understand the situation and what the Miralax was actually doing.

We have been consistent with 1.5 tsp in her milk both morning and night, and she hasn't been in pain since!  When she has a day where she goes more than once, I normally skip the next dose just to avoid diarrhea-like stools.  I also love that she tells me immediately that she "needs fresh diaper". The whole experience also seems to have made her more aware of when she pees as well.  This will definitely help in the potty training that lies ahead!!