In the ER they did an x-ray to confirm their diagnosis, which was intussusception, or a telescoping of the bowel. Poor little guy had been in pain and very lethargic because of this condition. They put him on an IV with antibiotics before taking him to radiology. Below a tired father soothes Elliot in the ER.
The first, easiest way to fix the problem is an air-flow enema. Just like it sounds, they blew air up his behind to try and push the bowel back into place. It was quite stressful, as too much air could cause a perforation of the bowel and several ER surgeons were standing by to wisk him off to surgery if there were complications! Luckily, about 8 minutes in the problem was fixed. There is a small rate or recurrence, so we'll have to be on the lookout.
Elliot had to be admitted for observation for 24 hours afterwards, and unfortunately for him he had to wait 6 hours before eating again. He was cranky, to say the least. When they finally let him have some pedialyte, below you can see him gladly taking it.
Back in the hospital room, Elliot almost immediately became a happier child and played with toys and interacted with us. If only they had infant gowns that fit!
Overall we were happy with our Children's Hospital visit, because ultimately it was about fixing the problem. The ER staff were great, and got to us quickly. The nursing staff on the floor wasn't fantastic, but they still got the job done. Hopefully we won't see them again!
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4 comments:
Ah, poor baby! I'm glad they fixed him up. Kiss him extra for Auntie Lainie.
So glad that is over and will hopefully never be something you have to go through again. Though he is a boy, so you probably can't count out the occasional ER visit! Rest up. Best wishes and hugs all around.
Poor guy! Hope all of you are resting comfortably at home!
I'm so glad Jill let me know about you guys' blog!! And SOOO glad that sweet little E is OK after all this. Hope you guys are settling back in and catching up on some sleep and down time.
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