Colonoscopy

[kendall9]

I'm looking for parents of toddlers who had a colonoscopy. My 2.5yo is having an endoscopy and colonoscopy next week, and I'm so worried about how both the prep and the recovery post procedure will be. Specifically regarding the colonoscopy. Can anyone ease my worries, or at least, tell me how bad it is so I can prepare as much as possible? Thank you.

Background- she's had intermittent bloody stools that have become a daily occurrence. Her tTG is >150, so the doctor suspects celiac, but is also scoping her lower end to look for a source of the bleeding which has caused pretty significant anemia.

[Gemini]

I don't know how you do a prep for such a young child and I'm not sure I would be too willing myself to go along with that but I wish you heaps of good luck and hope everything works out well for your little girl!  I know that many celiac's have bloody stool pre-diagnosis so with a tTg that high, I am guessing they will find nothing other than the fact she needs to go gluten-free and heal.

That is a very high tTg for such a young child but at least you have definitive answers coming.  The anemia most likely is more from malabsorption with blood results like that. 

I understand your worries but I'm sure your daughter will be OK! 

[kendall9]

I don't know how you do a prep for such a young child and I'm not sure I would be too willing myself to go along with that but I wish you heaps of good luck and hope everything works out well for your little girl!  I know that many celiac's have bloody stool pre-diagnosis so with a tTg that high, I am guessing they will find nothing other than the fact she needs to go gluten-free and heal.

That is a very high tTg for such a young child but at least you have definitive answers coming.  The anemia most likely is more from malabsorption with blood results like that. 

I understand your worries but I'm sure your daughter will be OK! 

Thanks for the words of support.  Yes, I'm dreading the prep- nothing but clear liquids after breakfast the day before, then a pedialyte and miralax cocktail the night before and morning of.  Good times. 

Really just can't wait to go gluten free and be done with this mess.  I feel horrible every time I feed her a piece of toast or a bowl of pasta.  I've been so keen to feed her nutritious whole foods since she started solids, and here I was slowly poisoning her.  It's just awful. 

[Gemini]

No, no, no!  You were not poisoning your daughter because you just did not know.  We all did the same thing.  I do not have chldren myself BUT I should have figured out mine much sooner than I did....I think, for me, on some level it was denial.  Unfortunately, gluten needs to be ingested if you want it to show on biopsy.  Personally, I think with a tTg that high in a 2 year old, she is going to show damage anyway.  It is rare to get a positive on a blood test in a child so young so she must have triggered right from the get go. There is a woman here at work and her nephews went through hell.....failure to thrive and they both nearly died from malnutrition.  At least you are finding out early so your daughter will be spared all those other autoimmune issues that go with late diagnosis.  That is huge.

 

I give you credit because I cannot imagine how you explain to a 2 year old they have to have nothing but jello for a day.  Please tell me that she doesn't have to ingest as much prep as an adult?     The good news is that the gluten-free diet is easy compared to this hurdle.  Really....there is so much great stuff out there now, kids and adults do not need to feel deprived.  Your daughter is young...she will heal fast!

 

Keep us informed of the results and how your daughter did through it all!

[Denine]

Thanks for the words of support.  Yes, I'm dreading the prep- nothing but clear liquids after breakfast the day before, then a pedialyte and miralax cocktail the night before and morning of.  Good times. 

Really just can't wait to go gluten free and be done with this mess.  I feel horrible every time I feed her a piece of toast or a bowl of pasta.  I've been so keen to feed her nutritious whole foods since she started solids, and here I was slowly poisoning her.  It's just awful. 

I know how you feel.  I was feeding out family whole wheat this and whole wheat that.  Now, I feel like I was poisoning my daughter.  I know I wasn't because I didn't know, but hindsight is 20/20.

 

My daughter is 10 and was dx'd at the end of January.  She had an endoscopy at that time.  She was still having a lot of pain and other problems, so we were concerned that she may have Chron's disease on top of the celiac.  So, we did another endoscopy and a colonoscopy.  I was nervous about the prep at her age.  I can sure understand you concerns.  Push electrolyte fluids as well as the prep.  DD drank her prep in gatorade, but it wasn't enough.  She complained in the evening about being dizzy.  They did give her a liter of fluids IV prior to her procedure.  It was the same people and at the same place as the first endo.  They gave her medicine to sedate her, did the scope and she came back.  She was a bit unsteady on her feet when she first woke up and had to go to the bathroom, but quickly woke up. I hope this helps.  My daughter does not have Chron's for which we are very thankful!