The E Word

Enterocolitis.  From the time Baby J was diagnosed with Hirschprungs Disease doctors and nurses started mentioning this word.  They said we had to be on constant watch for it because it could be deadly.  As if I wasn't worried about enough, having just had a baby and having that baby be diagnosed with a condition that I had never heard of.  Now I had to watch for an infection that could potentially kill my baby.  No one really told me what it was or what caused it, just signs and symptoms to look out for.

We were pretty lucky while Baby J had his colostomy.  We were extremely cautious too.  He didn't go to church, I didn't take him shopping (except in an emergency), and we avoided sick people at all costs.  He never got this dreaded infection.

I finally figured out what this dreaded word means.  Enterocolitis is an infection caused by a build up of bacteria in the intestines and is very common in people with HD, especially babies and young children.  See, your intestines house a lot of bacteria.  Much of this bacteria is good and helps with the digestion process, it is supposed to be there (think probiotics).  But if you get too much of the bacteria, or if bad bacteria doesn't get expelled, it makes you sick.  Enterocolitis can kill the appetite with nausea, cause swelling which can block things up, releases toxins into the blood, and often lands the person in the hospital.  It can be caused by any kind of infection such as flu, colds, ear infections, and common antibiotics (which can cause a build up of yeast in the gut).  The best way to cure it is to clean everything out, which often means other antibiotics, specifically one called Flagyl.  This particular antibiotic basically kills everything, even the good bacteria.  It is hard on the body and apparently tastes awful.  Another way to cure it is to clean things out in a different way, a rather unpleasant way, with washouts or enemas.  If caught early enough this can clean things out without using antibiotics and without a hospital stay.

Baby J has had some follow-up appointments with his surgeon to make sure everything is healing how it should.  At each appointment I have been admonished to watch out for this unpleasant infection.  At his most recent appointment I was given equipment to perform the washouts.  She instructed me that, should Baby J get so much as a cold or should have to take antibiotics for anything (including flagyl) that we would have to do washouts to prevent enterocolitis.

The weekend before this appointment Baby J had been having a small fever, diarrhea, and vomitting.  I was getting worried as these are signs of the E word.  But he was acting pretty much normally, the fever was low and didn't last long and the other tummy problems were inconsistent.  After the appointment his appetite started to diminish and he became increasingly fussy.  I prayed about how to help my baby, Lawrence blessed him that he would get better, and soon I decided to try the washouts and see if that helped.  Immediately after the first washout his appetite was back and he became his happy self again.  After a few days Baby J is feeling much better and his symptoms are quickly disappearing.  He most certainly had this nasty infection and we caught it early enough that the washouts have cleaned it out without a hospital stay or the nasty flagyl.  I am so very thankful for answers to prayers and Priesthood blessings that helped my baby get better without having to go to the hospital.  I am also grateful for doctors that have studied and know how to help with things like this.