All pooped out! Literally!

Last night, I noticed that Jenelle's mic-key button (the entrance for her g-tube) was leaking. When I checked it, I realized the balloon was broken and we needed to switch it out for a new button. Something I've done many times in the past. As I pulled out the old one and went to replace it with the new one, some fluid came out to distract my view. I tried to feel my way in and felt some pressure as I pushed it in. As soon as it was in, Jenelle immediately started screaming, crying and writhing in pain. Not her normal reaction to changing the mic-key button, which is usually as simple as changing a pair of earrings. Worried that I may have punctured her abdominal wall or stomach, we ran to the ER.

The wait was a bit long, and Jenelle screamed constantly in the waiting area. Definitely not normal for our girl with a high tolerance for pain. I was sorta surprised they didn't take us right away with her screaming alone. Once we got back into a room, a young intern checked it out and thought she was OK. When the Attending came in, Jenelle immediately became quiet. The Attending recognized us from past visits, checked the site and said it looked fine. He started to tell me me what to look for in signs of infection and was about to send us home when Jenelle resumed her screaming. Having remembered her from past visits, he said that was the worst he'd ever seen her in pain, so he was immediately concerned and ordered an x-ray.

As it turns out, Jenelle was severely constipated and my putting pressure on her tummy earlier that evening when I replaced the g-tube added gas to make her pain worse. Two enemas later we were on our way home around 2:00 a.m. (and after watching all of the Olympics for the evening.) Looking back, Jenelle has been on the anti-biotic and Motrin all week for her teeth, and that may have had added to her constipation. I'm relieved it was something simple to fix. Thankfully all is well, and Jenelle is officially all pooped out!

And in case you were wondering, the teething is going OK. Her pain has subsided some and we are using the Motrin with less frequency. Unfortunately, it looks like she is started to get the molar on the other side as it has started to swell. We're using a teething medicine a friend recommended, so hopefully that will cut back on the use of the Motrin, which while also constipating can upset the stomach with extended use.

That is all for now. Thanks for the continued prayers. I'll keep you posted.