A brief history

We received some good news about Colby's progress today. He has passed gas! In fact, he has also pooped! Only a mommy would get excited by either of these bodily functions. He has graduated to eating real foods (grilled cheese is real, right?), and they have discinnected his IV. That last bit is super good, because he HATED that thing. Of course, who really likes having a needle stuck in them, except drug addicts?

Anyway, This story really started about 3 years ago. I had stopped breastfeeding, as I had completely dried up. We switched him to formula, but he started becoming constipated. Our pediatrician tried everything she knew, then sent us to the local specialist. He felt Colby's belly, ran some blood tests, but could find nothing. Colby went on the first of 3 laxatives. We would go back to the specialist periodically, complain that the laxative wasn't working consistently, and they would tell us that we weren't feeding him the right foods. This happened for about 2 and a half years.

Finally, like any good mom, I was fed up! I asked our pediatrician to send us to another specialist. So, in January of this year, we were sent to Charleston for the first time. The new guy ordered the same blood tests, but also ordered a barium enema. That was something new and different, and completely unpleasant. I hope to never see one again! Either way, the results of the enema came back pretty conclusive: Colby has Hirschprung's Disease. A rectal biopsy later confirmed the diagnosis.

Hirschprung's Disease (HD) affects the nerve cells in the colon. Those cells are missing. So, he didn't know when he had to poop. Finally, the demon had a name. So, in April, we went in for a (first) colostomy. It was to help his intestines shrink back to normal size. Then, in June, we had the colostomy reversed and a pull-through surgery was performed. This removed the damaged part of his colon and reconnected the good part to his rectum. Yay! He was fixed!

Forward to now, there was an infection after the pull-though, which formed an abcess. Yuck. And of course, the best way to correct that? Another colostomy! So here we are. At least this time, we know what to expect. We've dealt with a colostomy before, and while unpleasant at times, we know what to do. I just hope everything heals quickly, and we can get him "normal" again. Healthy and happy. Healthy and happy. All I want for my little angel.