Cancer-FREE

Cancer-FREE

Monday, June 28, 2010

Praying for Poop (yes, you read that right)

First, some business from Ann Thornton:


Hello Everyone!
I wanted to send a personal letter to everyone. However, I am under some pretty serious time constraints so I thought I would use technology to get the message out. As many of you know, my BFF, Amanda is helping her youngest son, Gideon battle Leukemia. He was diagnosed with ALL approximately 2 weeks ago. Gideon is the sweetest, most fun-loving kid you will ever meet. He reminds me of my BFF and it breaks my heart that he has aged beyond his years in these 2 weeks due to the treatments that will save his life.

I wanted to do something to help. That is why I have decided to complete a 1/2 marathon with the Team in Training. TNT raises money to fight leukemia and lymphoma. The money we raise goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, which funds research to eradicate these terrible diseases.

I am not really a fan of running. I primarily run to be able to play hockey and soccer, the sports I LOVE. I have done my fair share of 5K's and 10K's and never dreamed I would be motivated to complete a 1/2 marathon. When I found out about Gideon's diagnosis, I wanted to join in his fight. I figured pushing my body to complete a 1/2 marathon would figuratively help me join in his fight. While his body is being tested and challenged by the chemo and the leukemia, I will be testing and challenging my body during the training for the race. Not only will I be challenging myself, but I will also be raising money to fight this terrible disease.

This is where you can help me. I need to raise $500 by July 13th and $1250 by September 14th. If you are willing to support me (and ultimately Gideon and all the others who are fighting this disease), please send a check made out to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to my address: 1679 Drayton Ct. Portage, MI 49002.

Thank you for helping me and for helping Gideon. You can follow Gideon's fight by viewing his mom's blog: www.gideonschripsema.blogspot.com

Sincerely,
Ann Thornton

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Disclaimer: If you are easily offended or have a crazy weak stomach, please do not continue.

Do disclaimers really work? I know they only make ME want to watch more closely. I guess subconsciously I feel like disclaimers are a dare. BUT, if you are still reading and you really do have a weak stomach, maybe you should stop.

See what I did there? That was a double disclaimer...

Okay, so here is the Gideon update: He is eating like he has never eaten before! The past two nights he has woken me up at 2:45-3 in the morning to make him food. I knew the steroids would do this, and this is MUCH better than him puking and puking and puking some more. Two nights ago it was tomato soup (which he calls "tornado soup" -- and you're right, I don't correct him. It's too cute) and grilled cheese, and last night it was sausage and eggs. At least he's not requesting bags and bags of potato chips, right? Anyway, I have been gladly shoving food his way, but the kid is NOT pooping. He is shoveling it in at a constant rate, and then cries about his belly hurting. He ends up requesting his bed. He then sleeps most of the day (only to wake to shovel more food in).

As my family can attest, I am kind of poop obsessed when it comes to my kids. When they were babies, I studied each BM to see how they were feeling and if they were getting enough. I charted their poop and noted the color as newborns. I know, I know... A little OCD for a type B girl, but that was my only way of knowing if I was feeding them enough since I didn't use formula and bottles. Plus, they are my babies. All moms have Type A tendencies with their dependent itty-bitty ones. Poop is one of the first signs of being sick, I am sure. This probably explains why both of my boys are so very proud of their healthy and humongous poop piles, and why they call me over to see them before flushing... that's another story.

So, now you know about my poop obsession. I am about ready to crawl out of my skin since Gideon has not pooped in two days. And his poop two days ago was minimal, at best. It was tiny and hardly there. I know many of these meds constipate, but come ON! He looks like a little malnourished child now. His belly is hard and sticks out. I have been giving him his daily dosage of Miralox, but to no avail. It only seems to hurt his tummy more. And since his feast at 3 a.m., Gideon has said that his tummy is very hungry, but that it hurts too much to eat. He actually sleeps more than he is awake, and I feel like that is his way of dealing with the pain. Sick admission: I would pull out that poop if I could. I am going crazy over here because I can't ease his discomfort in this one. Even my cheering him on while he sits on the toilet isn't working. The whole "Let's get the poop out so that they can slide down the poop slide to Poop City!" isn't encouraging him at all like it once did.

So, the headaches are gone and the bellyaches have moved in. It feels like we trade one pain for another. Once the Oncology nurse calls back, I will do whatever she says to help him! For now, I will pray for poop. Have you ever done that before? Well, there's a first for everything and your prayers are working. :)

15 comments:

  1. Praying for poop with you Amanda!!!!!!!

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  2. Amanda,
    I have prayed for poop many a times. And, my girls also call me in when they have a big poop. Once, Lexi told me that she "pooped out an alligator" and I just had to go see it. LOL! So, I will join with you in praying for poop for Gideon. Glad to hear his appetite is back. ~Teresa

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  3. Amanda,
    maybe this is too much, but have you thought of trying an enima? i konw they sound horrible, but when arianna had surgery she refused to 'go' for several days. finally i called the doctor and they recommended giving her an enima. it worked wonders. once she was 'unplugged' she was a new kid. just a thought.
    Laura
    ps. i have prayed for poop many times :)

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  4. I have been called the "human laxative" before with babies:) Seriously. If Miralax isn't working, I would ask for a stool softener, which kind of helps things along without being a laxative. But, since he's looking the way he does, I would go straight to a suppository...easier on the belly. See if doc can prescribe them for you!

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  5. They make liquid suppositories that work wonders as well. They are the Pedialax brand, and work almost immediately - you don't have to wait like you do for the the normal 'hard' suppositories to start working. Pedialax also makes an enema that is gentle on wee ones.

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  6. Try doing baby exercises with his legs...it maybe because he is not as active as he had been, it tends to constipate as well.
    Have him lay on his back and bend his legs at the knees and push upward toward his tummy (not hard), you can also do one leg at a time.
    *Fingers-crossed for poop*

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  7. Manda, these are all great suggestions. Jacey was really constipated his first six months or so and needed daily Miralax, but sometimes he'd be really bad (like go 5-7 days with no BM's) and we'd have to double it and add prune juice to his bottles. We'd also do the vaseline on a q-tip in his bottom to break up impactions. Milk of Magnesia is good too. Try everything from above and below to keep him goin'. He may have to have an impaction manually relieved (a regular occurance we'd have to do at the nursing home). :( We are praying that you'll quickly find the right poop solution!!

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  8. Praying for poop - no blockage!

    Please ask Ann if there is a website or more info for donation because I want to donate AND want my employer to match EVERY cent! To do that, I need more details about the fund raiser. If there's no web site for donation, have her contact me at bschaafsma at hot mail dot com and we'll see if we can figure it out.

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  9. Disclaimer and all... I kept reading :) Pretty good, wouldn't you say? And I wasn't even surprised that your kids know of a poop city :) I can only imagine what potty training was like at your house :) Love it! Just want you to know that we're all praying for you. You are such a great mom and have so much strength. Sausage & eggs, grilled cheese & tomato soup... love it that he pairs them. What a sweetheart. It wouldn't be the first grilled cheese you've made at 3 a.m. Hang in there and know that you're surrounded in prayer. Lots of love, Katie

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  10. My 5 yr old calls me over every single time he goes #2 (i hate saying the other word, ha ha) to observe before flushing. I don't even think twice. I'm with you on this topic! Praising God for the headaches gone, will pray for his tummy. Love u Gideon!! And Amanda, I'm so happy you got to be pampered by your girlfriends!! God's way of blessing you! You are amazing! Jenelle

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  11. PS Love the new picture of Gideon you put up! What a cutie pie! I wish I could give him 100 kisses!! :) Jenelle

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  12. Haha...I love all of the suggestions! Amanda, when I had surgery I had the same problem! Finally I called the doctor and they said to drink some prune juice. It was disgusting but it worked! So, maybe you could mix some in his drink....just a thought, but I think the enima ideas are better!

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  13. Oh, Amanda, how I laughed over this post! It brought back such memories of your cousins... and my own foibles as a new mom. You would have gone nuts if you'd had your cousin Jessica - try ONCE A WEEK. Yup, the kid was *normal* at once a WEEK!! And now she's gonna yell at me for posting her secrets here, LOL!
    ;D
    MORE HUGS AND PRAYERS, yes, even for pooping!
    Lots of Love,
    ~~Aunt Nancy~~

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  14. Too funny about the "poop city" story, I tell my girls that the poop needs to come out so it can go to the poop party with all the other poop! I WILL pray for poop! Lots of it!

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  15. oh! i'm sorry, amanda! we struggle with poop here, too. tildie often goes a few days without pooping and has tummy troubles. :( something that helps me is called "natural calm"-- it's a calcium/magnesium fizzy drink. it naturally relaxes your muscles and helps you process calcium and anyway... it loosens your bowels! (it helps me sleep, too, as i struggle with anxiety, headaches, and not sleeping!) i know they make a kid formula. i get the regular stuff at the natural food store and have thought about just giving tildie a pinch. you could ask your doc if it would be safe to try. here's a link: http://www.petergillham.com/wp/

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