Every mother’s worst nightmare

Living through a child’s dire health condition

May 2021 was the last month of school and our family was gearing up to spend yet another COVID-19 pandemic summer. One more staycation summer, uneventful and quiet. This until the fateful day when my pre-teen daughter pulled me aside to whisper that she saw blood in her stool.

Is she coming of age? I wasn’t sure. I took it lightly and went through the customary mother-daughter conversation about a woman’s monthly cycle. She took it in stride.

Case closed.

More than a week later, she casually mentioned the blood was still flowing. My ears perked. What? It had been over 10 days. This needed closer examination.

A visual stool check revealed a hellish red nightmare. Instantly I did what everyone does — I Googled it. The web lords had scary advice painted all over.

I told her dad; he took it calmly. For all we know, it could be a simple stomach infection, parasites, or some form of food poisoning. He advised that we let it heal naturally. After all, our body is intelligent and has an intrinsic power to self-heal.

Okay. Maybe I was overreacting, plus the internet is full of doomsday verdicts. Let’s wait.

But the nutritionist in me felt her diet needed attention. So, I eliminated added sugar and dairy from it. We waited a few more days, a few more weeks. Nothing changed.

I consulted some doctor friends. One said it could be an infection. The other, a lady doctor, advised that I take her to the Gastroenterologist (GI) Specialist immediately. Now, this doctor friend rarely raises an alarm so when she said — act now, I had to listen.

Where are the Doctors?

Getting a GI Specialist appointment during this pandemic is no cakewalk. Many turned us down saying they don’t see children. Those that did, were booked for months.

The next logical step was to take her to a pediatrician. We found one who was highly experienced and well-respected. She immediately ordered a blood and stool test to rule out any parasitic or bacterial infections.

The results came back negative. But the stool test detected blood and my daughter’s inflammation level (C reactive protein) was through the roof at 8000 — the normal range is below 50.

The high inflammatory marker led the Pediatrician to suspect polyps, ulcers, or some other chronic GI tract condition. My heart sank.

What bothered me most was that I had always prided myself on being the uber-cautious mom. Feeding my child nutritious home-cooked meals, little to no processed foods, and strictly no sugar-laden sodas. Plus, my child till this point, was always physically active and healthy.

Where did I go wrong?

The Pediatrician helped us get a GI Specialist appointment but the first available was 3 weeks away — on Zoom. Clearly, these pandemic times are tough in many ways besides the dreaded COVID-19.

The mother in me was not happy just waiting around. I took a new path with her diet. With my background in nutrition health, I added some science-backed supplements and foods to tame her inflammation.

Besides cutting dairy and sugar, I also eliminated wheat from her diet and added anti-inflammatory supplements like Probiotics, Turmeric, Omega-3, D3, and B12 to her daily routine.

Her condition improved.

Finally, by the 3rd month, her bleeding abated. I was over the moon.

The Zoom call with the GI Specialist went well. She told me to continue her regimented diet and supplements and asked that we retest her blood and stool in 2 weeks.

Just when I thought her condition was on the mend, a week later, it restarted.

Something was gravely amiss. We took her for the second round of tests. The same results, blood in stool and inflammation levels at 1000, much lower, but still far above the normal range of 50.

This time we met the GI Specialist in person to review the results. She was concerned with the continued bleeding and ordered an immediate colonoscopy and endoscopy. The only way to diagnose the root of her problem.

Despite putting in an urgent request, the colonoscopy appointment was scheduled for 3 weeks later.

By now we were tired of this waiting game.

After 3 months of internal bleeding, my child was melting away with low stamina, and fatigue while we helplessly waited for a doctor's appointment! This is America, the #1 country in the world — and we have the best PPO insurance in hand.

I spent many a night awake at 3 a.m. chanting my Buddhist prayers to keep calm and stay positive.

I often went against my better judgment, to research her symptoms on the internet only to wound up more alarmed and anxious.

The GI Specialist was suspecting Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, or Polyps. From my internet research, all these chronic conditions sounded bad. Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s have no proven cures.

The toughest part of this ordeal was to rise above my anxiety and hope for the best.

Her daily bowel movement exam felt like a stab in my chest. How did this happen? Where did I falter?

None of my friends or immediate family members had ever experienced a similar issue with their child. They generously offered prayers and warm words of encouragement. It wasn’t enough.

My own mother — who lives continents apart — angered me by saying I was overthinking my child’s health issue and that it was nothing more than a bad case of constipation.

Is she joking?

If only I could show her the blood bath I was witnessing daily. Constipation my foot!

While I was wilting in Worry Ville, my child kept up her usual chirpy front. She would hug me tenderly and say, “Don’t worry mom, I’ll be fine.”

As the procedure date drew closer, we had to mentally prepare her for the invasive colonoscopy and endoscopy.

My needle-averse child was tired of all the blood tests, and stool tests and was definitely not keen on a doctor putting a camera inside her body. Can this nightmare end soon?

This was our common prayer.

By now, most of her summer holiday was spent juggling between tests and doctor visits. To keep her spirits high, we tried to cheer her up by squeezing in play dates and fun activities.

Two days before the procedure the hospital required us to get her COVID-19 PCR test to ensure she was negative. My daughter detested the thought of ramming a long nasal swab up her nostril. On our drive to Walgreens, she asked if we could chant together(Buddhist prayer). We did. When we drove up to the clinic, the test turned out to be a breeze. They handed us a swab kit for self-testing saying there was no need to shove it up the nose. Just a gentle swab around each nostril is enough. My daughter heaved a sigh of relief and giggled her way through the silly process. She tested negative. Phew!

One test done, and one more to go.

A day before her colonoscopy and endoscopy we had to prepare for the procedure. The prep required her to guzzle down stool softeners and multi-dose laxatives; leading to endless bathroom trips to empty her entire gut. Not an easy process for any age group; definitely not for a child. I sincerely hope no mother and child have to go through it.

The hospital admission was at 5 a.m. We were all nervous. Not so much from the process but more from the findings.

4 months into her health issue, this was judgment day.

We truly appreciated all the front-line workers and staff at the hospital. The nurses were kind and gentle through the lengthy process of locating my child’s evading vein for the IV insertion. Finally, after 5 pokes they found her vein. My daughter braved this first process. Then we met the doctor and anesthesiologist. They explained that the entire process would take 60 minutes or less unless they found a polyp. In that case, it would take longer.

When they wheeled her into preop we walked our nervous selves to the waiting lounge. At that instant, I realized that our umbilical cords are never truly severed.

I was chanting and glancing at the patient monitor, the light was pink, which meant the procedure was in progress. Please, universal powers, let this be over soon.

I prayed.

50 minutes went by, and I was getting antsy. I could see doctors coming out to speak with other parents. The waiting process when your child is in the OT is cruel and excruciatingly slow. I could no longer control my tears and rushed to the restroom to cry. No one said being a mother is easy.

When I walked out my husband looked nervous. The doctor had asked to meet her in the consulting room. We walked in apprehensively.

What’s the verdict?

She sat down to review a stack of our daughter’s Upper and Lower GI photos. Explaining each image in her scientific jargon, racking up our nerves. After what felt like an eternity, she got to the last few pages and said that everything inside her gut looks normal EXCEPT her lower GI which is inflamed.

She explained my child’s condition may have been worse a few months back when this whole saga began but with a controlled anti-inflammatory diet and health supplements, it was healing. The rest she said, can be easily treated with medications. She did not find any sign of Helicobacter Pylori Infection, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, or Polyps. The best words I could ever hear!

I asked the doctor what may have caused her condition and months of bleeding?

She said it could be a case of severe chronic constipation.

Later, when I shared this diagnosis with my mother — who lives continents away — I could sense her smiling and thinking aloud — “I told you so!”

I realize I’m not the first or last mother to face a health challenge with her child. I’m just relieved that my nightmare ended on a mild note leaving me wiser and grateful through this harrowing experience.

Lessons learned from this health scare.

1. A mother’s instincts are ALWAYS right. Follow them.

2. Health is a precious gift. Maintain it.

3. The food we eat can fight or feed any disease. Eat wisely.

4. Don’t Google your symptoms. It adds negativity.

5. Prayer is a powerful tool to combat any problem. Have Faith.