Hi. My name is Maggie and I’m from NY. I just thought I would share my story regarding my son’s diagnosis at the age of 14.
Thanksgiving day 2010 (11/25), was my son’s 14th birthday.
Not long after eating Thanksgiving dinner, he started feeling cramps, used the restroom and told me he had diarrhea. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. The following Tuesday (11/30), he noticed blood in his stool (still had diarrhea), so I called his pediatrician. The pediatrician performed an exam and took a stool sample. While waiting for the results, on Tuesday (12/7), I was out, about an hour’s ride from home. My son called me up and sounded so tired. I asked him if he was ok and all he said was”so much blood”. I rushed home and took him to the E.R.
He was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and sent home. I again called his pediatrician and brought him back in. She re-examined him, said she was still waiting for the test results and would call as soon as she received them. On Monday(12/13), the pediatrician called and told me to take him to a pediatric gastroenterologist she had called for me. On Tuesday (12/14) I took him to see the peds GE. He told me to take him immediately over to the hospital and he would meet us there.
He called ahead and told them we were coming and to admit my son. This poor kid had lost 23 lbs. in 19 days, needed a blood transfusion and was in the hospital for 5 days. We have been VERY fortunate since then, as he has not had a flare up. He was put on Lialda, but in the beginning, it was hard to get him to take everything the doctor prescribed (iron, probiotic, etc). It totalled 14 pills a day. He will be 17 soon and I hope that, for the most part, we have it under control and it won’t affect his life too much as he gets older.
written by Maggie
submitted in the colitis venting area
Hi. My name is Maggie and I’m from NY. I just thought I would share my story regarding my son’s diagnosis at the age of 14.
