I just wanted to say thank you again for the thoughts and prayers We had a follow up with the doctor today and found out LO's barium enema was completely clear (yay no Hirachsprungs = no surgery!) and the dilations are helping! She's a much happier baby now and I could not be more grateful.
Much love ------------------------------------------------ Hello ladies,
Since my baby was born, I've gone from posting once in a while to a lurker, so I know a lot of you don't recognize me, but I am in desperate need of some advice.
My baby girl just turned a month old and for the past couple of weeks has had major issues when she tries to have a bowel movement. She strains, cries and seems to be struggling so much and when it finally happens it's quite explosive. I knew some straining was normal, but I felt like this was excessive so I asked the pediatrician about it. She did an exam and sent us to a pediatric surgeon to do a workup for anal stenosis, meaning she believes her anus is too narrow for her age.
The pediatric surgeon gave us dilators to use on her twice a day (which is so miserable for all of us, she hates it) but also wanted to work her up for Hirschsprung Disease. The work up includes a barium enema (done yesterday) and a possible biopsy.
I had never heard of either of these conditions before and was wondering if any other mamas out there have had experience with them. Seeing my baby in pain without being able to help is killing me.
Thanks in advance.
Ps. This board has been such an amazing source of support for me since the beginning of my pregnancy and I wish all of you nothing but the best with your beautiful babies.
No experience, but maybe try posting on the special needs board too? Perhaps some of the ladies there have dealt with it and will have some insight. Best of luck.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers everyone, today's been a particularly rough day for my DD so they're very much appreciated. I really hope we get some good news soon too
My cousins child had something where he was born without an anus. I don't know if they are related but he had 3 surgeries to correct it and is now 7 months and thriving. It hasn't slowed him down at all. Hopefully your LO won't require any of that but I say this to hopefully make you feel better about her being okay in the long run.
My cousins child had something where he was born without an anus. I don't know if they are related but he had 3 surgeries to correct it and is now 7 months and thriving. It hasn't slowed him down at all. Hopefully your LO won't require any of that but I say this to hopefully make you feel better about her being okay in the long run.
Good luck! Hopefully things turn around!
Thanks so much for this information, it actually does help me feel better. The pediatric surgeon indicated that there are varying degrees of anal stenosis; sometimes the anus is not there, other times it's not in line with the rest of the colon or it's just too small. I'm glad your cousin's little one is doing so well and I hope to soon see the same success with mine
No experience but I wonder if that's what's wrong with my LO
I'm sorry your little one is experiencing similar symptoms I was doing some reading and apparently mild cases can look a lot like colic, which is what we thought it was initially. I hope your baby feels better soon!
I don't have experience with those diseases but Max has had trouble passing gas and bowel movements as well (most likely related to the antibiotic I was taking to treat mastitis) and I can relate to how hard it is to see them in pain. It is miserable knowing you can't explain it to them or help. I hope your LO can get some treatment and feel better soon!
Yeah, I try to always hold her and pat her back/soothe her when she's having an episode, but it never feels like enough I hope your little Max is feeling better now!
Hi! I'm a June mom, though I've only been a lurker. The thought of posting has always made me nervous, but I wanted to let you know of our experience! My daughter has anal stenosis as well as an anterior displaced anus due to diamond blackfan anemia. We've been using dialators for about three weeks now. Unfortunately, I can't say it gets easier, as my daughter has learned quickly when it's about to happen. The best method we've come up with is to have one parent talk to and sooth her while the other does the dialater. For us, we just try to remember that what we are doing is more uncomfortable for her than painful and it's much better than surgery. I hope all goes well for you! And though the dialators have not helpled her placement, she's a pooping machine now and it requires very little effort on her part! I should also mention... after a week or two, she started shooting poop out at a great distance when removing the dialator so I recommend being prepared to hold up paper towels or something to block it when it comes flying!
Hi! I'm a June mom, though I've only been a lurker. The thought of posting has always made me nervous, but I wanted to let you know of our experience! My daughter has anal stenosis as well as an anterior displaced anus due to diamond blackfan anemia. We've been using dialators for about three weeks now. Unfortunately, I can't say it gets easier, as my daughter has learned quickly when it's about to happen. The best method we've come up with is to have one parent talk to and sooth her while the other does the dialater. For us, we just try to remember that what we are doing is more uncomfortable for her than painful and it's much better than surgery. I hope all goes well for you! And though the dialators have not helpled her placement, she's a pooping machine now and it requires very little effort on her part! I should also mention... after a week or two, she started shooting poop out at a great distance when removing the dialator so I recommend being prepared to hold up paper towels or something to block it when it comes flying!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! I have not been able to find much information at all, so this helps me so much. I'm so happy to hear your daughter's condition is improving and I will definitely keep y'all in my thoughts and prayers.
I just wanted to say thank you again for the thoughts and prayers We had a follow up with the doctor today and found out LO's barium enema was completely clear (yay no Hirachsprungs = no surgery!) and the dilations are helping! She's a much happier baby now and I could not be more grateful.
Much love ------------------------------------------------
Re: Hirschsprung Disease/Anal Stenosis: Update
No experience, but maybe try posting on the special needs board too? Perhaps some of the ladies there have dealt with it and will have some insight. Best of luck.
Good luck! Hopefully things turn around!
I'm not new. I just hate The Bump.
I'm not new. I just hate The Bump.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! I have not been able to find much information at all, so this helps me so much. I'm so happy to hear your daughter's condition is improving and I will definitely keep y'all in my thoughts and prayers.
I just wanted to say thank you again for the thoughts and prayers We had a follow up with the doctor today and found out LO's barium enema was completely clear (yay no Hirachsprungs = no surgery!) and the dilations are helping! She's a much happier baby now and I could not be more grateful.
Much love
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