My 13 month old son is having chronic diarrhea. He has had this issue since birth. My Pediatrician have done extensive stool samples, and testing and recently referred us to a Ped. Gastro. She has scheduled him for an Endoscopy & Colonoscopy at the same time on Tues. I am nervous. Are these 2 procedures ok to do at the same time? Can he get hurt? I just don't like the thought of my child being under anesthesia. Anyone experience this before? How did you/your child handle this?
My son had the procedure done last Tuesday and things looked O.K. The GI said that his stomach was more red than she would have liked to see and that he has white bumps in the lining of his intestines & esophagus which to her indicated food allergies. So, we will end up having him allergy tested. We see Dr. Annette Whitney at Medical City Dallas and she is FABULOUS! And the surgery center (Pediatric Surgery Center of Plano) was SO nice! I am just waiting on the results from his biopsies and to find out the results of his Celiac Disease test & we will follow up with the proper physician. I really appreciate everyone's advice on this! It really put my mind at ease going into this. It was overall pretty stressful, but at least we have answers.
Have you had him allergy tested? You may want to see if you can get that done. It could be a simple food allergy. Good luck and we will keep your family in our prayers.
My husband is in the medical arena...he says that while anesthesia is always something to be cautious about, the type they do for scopes like endo and colonoscopies is a lighter sedation, so there is less risk. Likely better to do both of these at the same time than have him sedated twice, and there isn't really any problem doing both at once. That way the doc can assess the entire digestive tract at once and determine the cause. Good luck!!!
Hi B.,
Have you had your son tested for food allergies? Food allergies can cause the digestive tract to "react" resulting in diarrhea, constipation and pain. I am a chiropractor, and I use Applied Kinesiology (muscle testing) to determine food allergies. There can also be areas in his back that are out of place that correlate with the digestive tract. If they are out of place, it can put pressure on the nerves that supply the intestines which doesn't allow it to function properly. Another possibility is a parasite. Those are easily treated with nutritional products. If you have any questions, or are interested in getting him checked out, please give me a call at ###-###-####. Thanks!
Dr. Sandra S.
Both my kids have had endo's for reflux issues. The first time I was WAY more skeptical about the anesthesia. The second time, I was ready to go ahead earlier. DS had it at 9 mo and dd at 5 mo. They were both fine. I'd do it now, b/c much older and it's tough to keep them corraled during the long wait! We had our's at Cooks. If you go there, my suggestion would be to request it done at Hurst, it went much more smoothly there with DS than with dd downttown and was a lot cleaner and WAY less scary and crowded.
R.
I don't know about babies but the way they put me under for these procedures was very mild and I came out of it quickly.
Besides allergy testing, which I hope they've done, did the doc check for celiac disease?
Best of luck and remember to post the follow up so we all know what happened.
Hello there. Read your post by chance and felt obligated to respond. Please do not stress yourself more than you have to for these procedures. As awful as they sound, they really are not. I just had one myself 2 weeks ago and I promise you that I asked every question in the world imaginable, and I had already had one 5 years ago!!! He will be under sedation of course, but it is milder than that of what he would have if he were being operated on. It is simple, almost. He will get in his little gown and they will put an I.V in. Ask for it to be in his arm as opposed to his little hand. There are more nerves there, so he will be more comfortable. Then, you can love on him and kiss him while they check all of his vitals. I imagine at that age, they will let you around more while they sedate him as well. The first push in his I.V he won't feel, and about 30 seconds later he will feel like he is ridiculously tired. Then the next thing your young man knows, you are staring at him, promising him ice cream and toys!!! He will be a lot more comfy than you, I promise. You get to be nervous and await results and what not. But please, know that the two together are VERY common and the best way for your son. This way he avoids going through this later. The endoscopy takes all of 5 min, and the colonoscopy about 30 mon on an adult. So, as far as a kid goes, I'm unsure. Maybe a bit more time since their little stomachs are tinier.
I hope that I have helped you. I know I can ramble, but I want you to feel better. It is not a difficult procedure and it really isn't dangerous. It sounds scary but it is not. As far as after effects, he will be groggy. He will be hungry, too!!! They will give you a long list of things that could happen...just like anything else. Watch him later for a spike in temperature or abdominal pain. Dont freak out if he has a bit...there is air put in the colon to look around in there. It has to come out. You can email me at anytime if you need anything. Hope all is well for you and your family!!
B.: After your little one have all his procedures done, I highly recommend you to get a copy (every public library has two or more copies), of the book THE MAKERS DIET.
It's amazing how a guy with chronic diarrea and several more digestive problems, foud the cure for his food allergiens, illneses etc. just to having a change in his diet.
You may take a look.
Everything is going to be all right. My heart and prayers with you and family.
Eli
Hi B.. I am sure your son will do great. I don't have any children that have had this done, but my husband had both done at the same time and sometimes he can be a big baby. We even went out to eat right after leaving the hospital. I am sure there is a little more concern for your child, but I hope I helped ease your mind a little.
B.,
Having your baby under anestesia is very scarry, but he will probably do just fine. My son had an endoscopy done when he was about 10 months and he did great. He woke up coughing and threw up a little (not uncommon with him at all because of his reflux). But within 30 minutes he was himself again and showed no signs that he had any effects from the meds. Ths scope also showed a few things which really helped the gi doctor with which meds to use. She changed his meds after the scope and that was the beginning of HUGE improvements in his health and happiness. It was well worth it. I would ask that the check for celiac as well just to rule it out. Who is your GI doc?
