Our Five Ring Circus: A brutally honest post about poop

Friday, July 31, 2009

A brutally honest post about poop

Other than giving general updates about Lexie, I try not to discuss her ongoing problem. I hate to complain. The only person I frequently discuss my stress with is my mom. I try to remind myself that what we are going through with Lexie is NOTHING compared to what some parents are dealing with. My heart goes out to all parents with a critically ill child.

To be honest, as frustrating as Lexie's problem is, it's become "normal" to me. I know it's not the case, but at this point, I feel like we'll be dealing with this issue forever, and never have an answer. So I just suck it up, deal with the frustration, and pretend like she's 100% healthy.

Just by looking at Lexie, you would never think that she had a health problem. She is the picture of good health...a beautiful, spirited, talkative, active 2 year old. She has good days, and bad days. On the good days, I try to convince myself that her chronic diarrhea will just go away. But then a bad day-a really bad day-strikes, and I know, for a fact, that there is something wrong with her. The truth is, she has not had a solid poop in over 7 months.

Nobody knows exactly what I deal with on a daily basis. Just imagine...

...your child has an eczema-like rash that never goes away. Her skin feels like sandpaper all the time, and no prescription cream or treatment works. You were told this is eczema, and she's had it almost all her life, but it never clears up.

...not being able to completely potty train your child because she has no control over her bowels.

...cleaning out a tub filled with diarrhea at least once a week, because once again, no control.

...changing up to 6 diarrhea diapers a day. That number was once 8-10. We're not just talking loose stools. We're talking, run-down-the-legs diarrhea.

...your child smelling so bad when she poops that she clears the room, and literally makes people gag. The smell is not something I will ever forget, nor will I ever get used to it.

...being afraid of taking your child to a public pool for fear of a diaper explosion in the water.

...seeing major diaper rash on your child most of the time. At least once a month, a bleeding diaper rash that requires a prescription cream.

...seeing stuff in a diaper that should never be seen.

...diligently logging every item


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