terrible. She wont eat, but is drinking some. She's had a minimal amount of diarrhea with no normal bowel movements. Stomach is distended and she complains of pain. She is playful when not vomiting. I'm terrified. Time for a 3rd opinion?
to inflammation and swelling that may eventually block or tear the intestine. If left untreated the condition can be life threatening, but when caught early it's almost always fixable.
About 2,500 children, most between the ages of 5 months and 3 years, develop this problem in the United States each year. The condition is rare in children over 5 years old. At any age, boys are about three times more likely to have the problem than are girls.
Researchers are pretty much in the dark about why it happens. In a few cases, a benign growth inside the bowel wall may be to blame, but the vast majority of cases have no apparent cause.
How would I know that my baby doesn't just have a bad stomachache?
Your baby won't be able to tell you what's wrong, but if she develops intussusception, she'll seem fine one minute and then be writhing in pain the next.
"The pain follows a colicky pattern," says Carol Miller, a pediatrician at the University of California, San Francisco. "It comes in spasms. During a wave of pain your baby will probably cry hard and draw up her legs, but between spasms she'll seem fairly comfortable." Unlike with colic, though, the waves of pain will get more intense and frequent, and your baby will probably be vomiting.
About half the babies with this condition will also have bloody, mucusy stools that look like currant jelly. She may also be sweaty and lethargic, and after a few hours may show signs of dehydration, such as sunken eyes, a dry or sticky mouth, and a continually dry diaper. As the condition progresses, your baby's stomach may become hard and distended, and you may be able to feel a sausage-shaped mass in the upper mid or right abdomen.
According to Miller, though, you shouldn't wait for all the symptoms to appear to get on the phone. "If your baby is having intermittent, worsening pain you should call your doctor," she says.
Your pediatrician will tell you whether to bring your child to the office or take her to the emergency room. If you can't reach the doctor right away, go ahead and take your baby to the ER. Intussusception is an emergency that requires skilled medical care — it's not likely to go away on its own."
She has been to the hospital twice and seen 4 doctors. After xrays and blood work, they have no idea what's wrong. And she doesn't seem to be in any pain, other than soreness from vomiting.