Sunday, June 28, 2009

Poop and More

We went out to eat on Saturday night with the in-laws...somewhere that Evan has never been. He gave the usually few screams as we pulled into the parking lot and fussed all the way to the table. It was fairly crowded, but luckily, we found some tables in the corner that we pushed together.
Soon after we sat down, he got really upset--with tears. It was rather noisy, but his reaction still seemed a bit extreme. It didn't take long to figure out that it was the noise of the ice being dumped into the ice bin that bothered him. Really, though, it's not like we were right next to this ice bin! I carried him around for a while to get food (a buffet style restaurant), and he was content while we did that--not happy, but content. He wouldn't eat much, only applesauce and a few meatballs. He was right next to the window, so he frequently pointed outside while saying (whispering) "bye bye."
On to today: He had diarrhea six times today!!! Amazingly, 4 out of the 6 times was on the toilet; the other 2 were in a diaper. Although this time it "may" be a bit of an illness, there is something not right with this kid's bowel movements. Friday and Saturday he only went once on both of the days--on the toilet :)--, but both times it was pure diarrhea! He has NEVER been constipated a day in his life. That's sound like a good thing, but unfortunately, he is quite the opposite. I've tried narrowing it down, but I don't think it's as simple as that; there just seems to be so many foods that give him icky, runny poop! Example: Cheerios or any other cereal that I can get him to eat! That one I'm 99.9 percent sure about. Sometimes, when was take a food out of his diet, there seems to be a change for the better, and we think, "Oh, that was it." But then after a week or so, it's back to icky. He has slight ridges in his nails, and from what I've read on-line, that can be a sign of malnutrition/malabsorption. He has a doctor's appointment on Friday. I'm wondering about an allergy to gluten, but I want to get the doctor's input on all of this before I make any drastic changes. It could be something completely different.
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In other Evan news, he recently walked down our stairs with just holding onto the railing with one hand and the other hand against that same wall. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs while he was doing this, with my heart going thump thump very loudly.
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The number of shows on TV he can watch without getting upset is getting smaller and smaller. These shows, in order, are now out: Super Why (that was the first to go), Dora the Explorer, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Club House, Winnie the Pooh, and, this one, which he just got into not too long ago, is still touch and go: Blue's Clues. He also recently started watching Veggie Tales, but there are scenes that make him really upset. A new one for him is Sesame Street, so far, so good; he's in love with Elmo, but I can be fairly certain that relationship is going to deteriorate quickly. The one that he likes that seems to cause the fewest problems for him: Tom and Jerry. Really, though, he doesn't watch much TV with "his shows. " He takes note of the games shows his brothers watch, NASCAR, and most recently, Monster Trucks. Matt and I watch that together in the mornings at 7. It's actually quite entertaining...for now.

7 comments:

Kim said...

Just so you're aware, ridges and/or white spots on the fingernails can also be a sign of low in Zinc. That doesn't help a bit when it comes to the diarrhea, but I wanted to pass that information along!

Jen said...

Thanks, I didn't know that!

fragilemom said...

I heard about the zinc thing too. Sounds like lots going on!

Momma Mayhem said...

Autism and Gastrointestinal Complaints by Rosemary Kessick is a very interesting read if you have an autistic/special needs child with odd GI symptoms. After seeing Dr. Margaret Bauman at the Ladders Clinic in Boston, I finally found someone who agreed with me that my sons GI issues were somehow related to his neurological and behavioral issues. Now comes the chicken vs the egg question. Which is the cause? We are going for a sedated endoscopy from one end to the other because Jacobs diarrhea has lasted on and off for three years and recently he has begun to sweat ammonia occasionally which is a sign of metabolism gone wrong. Acidophilus tablets have helped curb the frequency of the diarrhea somewhat. Best of Luck.

Jen said...

Wow, Momma M.! I hope we find some "simple" answer and not have to go through what you guys are going through!

Holly's Mom said...

Jen.. I so get the diarrhea thing.. Holly, normally constipated, normally pooping every morning at 10:00 1 time a day, has had diarrhea since I started these new antibiotics for her burst ear drum and infection.. Like 5-8 poops a day, very messy in her G-Diapers, I am thinking about using disposables until she is better... Have you thought about feeding him a lot of constipating foods like bananas, Bread, Pasta, Eggs.. If he will eat any of those... Also, has he watched Yo Gabba Gabba? Thats Holly's favorite show, and NiHao KiLan. She mostly just watched baby Einstein, she loves Language Nursery, Numbers, My First Signs, and Lullaby time too... Hope he gets better soon.

Jen said...

Vicki, he loves bananas...has at least one a day. I haven't given him eggs in a long time, because those give him major gas and icky diapers. He's not a big bread fan--eats some, and he also eats pasta. But, if we find out that he's sensitive to gluten, then those are out. Like spaghetti, I used to think it was the sauce causing the major explosions the next day in his diaper, but even when I give him it without the sauce, the same thing happens.
He does do better with the TV shows that are slower moving, like Little Bear and Franklin, and I think he has seen NiHao KiLan. Yo Gabba Gabba definitely doesn't work for him.
He doesn't watch much TV, but it's nice to have shows he can watch without getting upset.