Tuesday, December 28, 2010

poo problems

I'm just going to warn you up front: if you don't want to read about poo, don't read this. If you really couldn't care less about what Reagan and I are currently facing, don't read this. And if you are squeamish, I wouldn't read this either. It's just too bad that I'm the squeamish one...

Reagan's diarrhea situation doesn't seem to be improving at all. Poor girl had wicked poo for two weeks before the doctor told us to put her on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast/carbs + yogurt). Since that time, she's really only eaten bananas, yogurt, and a load of cookies because she basically refuses anything else on the BRAT diet. She'll readily gobble down other baby foods that she had no issue with before, but it a move we've learned not to make. Those other foods caused Keith and my mom to have to scrub Reagan and clean her sheets and clothing on Christmas morning. Not good.

Now two weeks in to this adjusted diet and seeing no real progress in her tummy situation, I contacted her pediatrician today. They were concerned enough to have me bring her in today. Her heart and lungs sound fine. Her eyes, ears, and mouth look good. Her behavior isn't anything out of the ordinary; like I told the doctor, she is her normal "princess" self. He suggested getting a stool sample. Sounds simple right? Not so much.

So I walk into the lab place and when I request the kit, the girl literally laughs out loud when I explain that this is for my 11 month old daughter. She hands me a Target-sized plastic bag filled with vials and slides and instructions and plastic gloves. What the heck am I going to be doing with rubber gloves?!? Turns out that I have to collect Reagan's poo over the course of the next three days. They need two room-temperature vials of poo from the first two days in addition to the slide smears on both of those days. On the third day I have to fill four vials in addition to the two smears: three room-temperature and one refrigerated.

Really. Really? I'm having her checked due to diarrhea. How am I supposed to get enough poo to accomplish this task? Luckily her poo this afternoon wasn't watery like it had been in the past few weeks. Still completely disgusting, but manageable for the poo recovery. I really felt like some mad scientist today extracting "stool samples" from Reagan's diaper. When I signed on to this whole Mom business, this isn't quite what I had in mind. And how gross is it that I'm going to have to store her poo in our refrigerator? Yuck.

To end on a positive note, I would like to give myself a small pat on the back for not gagging too much through this whole ordeal. I consider it a success that Reagan hasn't been vomited on by now. And she has taken all this like a champ. She has been patient when I need to take a breather and is always there smiling back at me. That smile makes every second of this disgustingness worth it.

2 comments:

Mattie said...

UGH! I'm just imagining myself having to do this and am so thankful that I'm not! I think you definitely should be receiving a Mommy award for this.

Justin said...

Yeah I would have a very hard time with that...I have a pretty weak stomach. Luckily, my Reagan hasn't started making any horrid smells yet, just a little bit.
On a side note Mia saw me changing a Reagan diaper and said "gross" I reminded her that when she goes in her pants it's about 200% the amount and smells 9,000,000 times worse.