Let me start by saying that Elias is fine...just so you won't worry.
On September 7th, Elias went in for a colonoscopy and endoscopy. He had been having blood in his stools for a few months, and the treatment we had been trying (a laxative) wasn't fixing the problem. They were hoping it was just caused by constipation, but since the laxative didn't seem to be working, they wanted to be sure there weren't any polyps or other problems. Turns out it was just constipation, and the laxative doesn't work if you give it in milk. The doctor finally emphasized (after the procedure) that Elias needed to take it in juice (which we don't drink) or water. After begging Elias to finish drinking his juice (what world is this?), I decided water was the way to go...and now, it seems to be doing the trick. Too bad I hadn't gotten the message before the $10,000+ procedure occurred. Luckily, we have insurance. And now we know Elias' intestine is healthy. We even got pictures.
When I signed Elias up for this, I was hoping that the process wasn't going to be quite as grueling as it is for adults. Wrong. The day before the procedure, Elias couldn't eat anything after breakfast except clear liquids. Luckily, he was excited about the Jello and Popsicles. He had to drink more than half of a 64oz bottle of Gatorade with a laxative mixed into it. Then he had to take a stronger laxative pill around lunch which caused him to sit on the potty for about 3+ hours. Luckily, it was all a bit new, and he and I played games and did crafts the whole day long.
The next morning, he still couldn't eat (he was soooo thirsty, poor guy), and we headed to the hospital. He loved his warm rainbow colored PJs (he wanted to take them home), the bear they gave him (now named Christmas Bear because of his green shirt and red ribbon) and getting to watch Happy Feet on the T.V. (which he also wanted to take home...the T.V. that is). He had to have an enema which he was very calm and relaxed about. Even though I think he was nervous while we were at the hospital, no one could tell but me. When they were starting to put him under (to go to sleepy land), he laid back with his hands behind his head and stayed that way for the whole procedure which only took about 20 minutes.
He was very groggy when he woke up and just wanted to be sure he would never have to drink the Gatorade again. I told him hopefully not until he was at least 50. Maybe he will be able to stomach it by then.
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