Potty Talk

We use a lot of potty talk at our house. Discussing all aspects of bathroom visits is something we've been forced to become comfortable with. We can't be embarrassed by questions of timing, quanity, texture and shape; it's just a part of our everyday lives.

Yesterday's wait for the doctor seemed unusually long. We were growing restless and finding it increasly difficult to contain our energetic two-year old. We don't normally bring her to Caleb's appointments but Jon wanted to be involved with this latest visit, to meet the doctor that has been treating Caleb for the last several months, so it became a family outing of sorts. (Alyssa had gladly accepted a playdate offer instead.) As we waited, Natalie climbed all over the office. At one point she lay on the exam table, kicked her feet in the air, and mischievously laughed, "Caleb poops!" If only it were that simple!

We've definitely had our moments of finding humor in an extremely frustrating situation. Caleb's doctor has a very thick accent which makes potty talk all the funnier! She pronounces his name 'Ka leeb' and the 'oo' in poop seems particularly accentuated. Her accent combined with Caleb's speech and language difficulties makes for very interesting patient/doctor conversations. I serve as translator on both sides! Jon and I have laughed about this many times as I've rehearsed this scenario for him. We both struggled to contain our giggles behind tight-lipped grins as Jon experienced it in person for the first time yesterday.

But really, this is no laughing matter. X-rays showed that Caleb is every bit as "full" as he's always been. How can it be that four gallons of TriLyte, daily doses of Mirilax and frequent bathroom visits don't work? He's been going twice a day and there's still that much inside? Unbelievable!

The next step in his treatment invovles a medication called GoLytely which is administered via a nasogastric tube. Who named this drug GoLytely? Are you kidding? If it's anything like the TriLyte, GoViolently would be much more accurate!
The procedure, done in the office, involves having a tube inserted through the nose and into the stomach. His nose will be numbed to the make the insertion more comfortable. He will also have an IV to control his fluids since he won't be allowed to eat or drink. The GoLytely will be given throughout the day in increasing volumes and he will have to walk the halls every half-hour to encourage movement. An x-ray will be done at the end of the day to confirm that all is clear.




Caleb did his best to be brave but he eventually broke down, crying. He has seen two other children in the office going through the same procedure and he didn't want to "look funny" like them. I choked back my own tears as my heart broke for him. He's been so cooperative through all of this, taking massive amounts of disgusting medicine. We tried to console him by saying, "Just think how fast you'll be able to run when we get your tummy cleaned out!"

I know he'll be able to handle this procedure as gracefully as any boy can and I have high hopes that this could be the solution to this poopy situation. Maybe then, we won't have so much potty talk at our house!