A Journey with Love and Laughs: May there be Poop!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

May there be Poop!

Anyone who is squeamish or not interested when they see the initials T.M.I. you might want to skip this post.

I have been looking and thinking about poop for the last couple of months.
The polite way of discussing poop is 'bowel management'.

I am so ready for some bowel management!
Nickolas has been dry between cathing for a while, so it's just poop right now.

I have dreams of getting him in big boy underwear.
I know it is just a dream right now. I know it. But I still have it.
So I've been looking at ways to get there.

I've talked alot with Julia our nurse at Bloorview, both on email and at baby group, about what we need to do, and she's had a number of suggestions. As well, our January education session involved poop talk, and we all got copies of this chart.

I have started to record what we get and when, and how. I have a whole excel spreadsheet (that Jennifer - our daycare - has been wonderful in not thinking I'm crazy and filling out).
My plan is to try to figure out what works and what doesn't.

We have been fighting differing degrees of constipation for a while. And I'm really sick of it. I want something to clean him out so we don't have the constipation.
And of course being clean in between.

I know this is not something that happens over night. And I know that we are super early in trying to get a handle on this. But I still want to try.

I've also been doing my research.
Through SB University and their bowel session. Also I watched a online web session with Dr Levitt at The Colorectal Center through Cincinnati Centre. I've looked all over and can't find the link.
I took notes.
They have a whole bowel management program to get kids out of diapers starting at about 3 years. (OK we aren't at 3 years yet, I know that).
Part of this program is a 1 week program using contrast and x-ray to actually visualize that what you are doing to clean kids out, actually is cleaning them out.

So we are just in the beginning of my clean-out project. I know this is going to be one of the most challenging parts of our spina bifida journey. I know we'll get lots of bumps in the road and I'm probably setting myself up for failure by starting so young, but I'm a bit impatient.

So far our experiences have been
Glycerin suppository - doesn't move anything.
Fleet (or saline) Enema - works, only if it stays in. And very messy
Julia doesn't recommend the enema because it is more difficult to stay in. She recommends going the suppository route for now.
- and after a couple of recent messy attempts that really got us nowhere, I'm finally listening to her.

Our newest line of defence, which seems to be working is another suppository. Child version (5 mg - or half of the 10mg).

Sorry again if this is all TMI, but I did warn you.

I have also been looking at getting out of the store diapers and into more cotton ones - more big boy underwear?
Not really ready yet, but these are where I've looked so far.