Normal or Not?.. #10

Isaac did really well for the first few months he was home. We had no issues or have anything pop up in regards to the Hirschsprung's. We learned so much about what to look for and also A LOT about a new baby!! You don't know ANYTHING until you have a baby. It was really hard to decipher if things were "normal" baby stuff or something to do with the Hirschsprung's. As soon as we got into a routine, he would switch it up on us again. Isaac has always been a good baby. Never been fussy; always smiling.

I started to notice a little bit of what I thought was reflux. Spitting up, gassy, congested all the time. I decided to bring him into the pediatrician to have him checked out. They gave us a prescription for Zantac and basically sent us on our way. I respect all doctors but seriously if another pediatrician tells me "it's normal" I will blow up. The reason I am saying this is because I brought Isaac to the doctor numerous times because of his gas and spitting up. And also other things related to his tummy that I just didn't feel right about. And I was told every time it was "normal." One day I just felt deep down inside that something was not right with him. He had been straining really hard, turning bright red, and grunting A LOT. And then a boom in his diaper. Hirschsprung kids can get an infection called enterocolitis which if left untreated can be VERY life threatening. Kids that get enterocolitis get constipated before hand and then the back up stool causes bacteria to over grow, causing this terrible infection. It can also come on very fast and furious. We were given strict guidelines to follow and what to look for in regards to enterocolitis. When we went to change his diaper he literally was straining so hard and then it happened... Explosive diarrhea that literally launched about 3 feet on to the wall. THIS was one of the signs of enterocolitis. Explosive diarrhea.  At this point I was sure something was going on.. And it was BAD.

I immediately picked up my phone and dialed the on call pediatric surgeon. It was a Saturday and why does crap always go down on the weekends! I knew we would be heading into the ER.. Luckily we were given "in case" instructions beforehand so we knew what we needed to do. We were instructed to call the on call pager and speak with the surgeon on call to let them know what was going on so they could let the ER know we were on our way.. That way the surgeon could tell them exactly what tests they needed to run and then they would be down to check Isaac out. I kept telling myself I was just over reacting.. The phone rang about 2 minutes after I had dialed in our number and pressed pound.. The surgeon was calling back..