We Are Going For A Second Opinion

Sophia was put on Donnatil a week ago. I began giving it to her (4x a day like the doctor said) on Tuesday I found that I am NOT a big fan. I was told that one of the side effects of this medication is drowsiness…Sophia slept 22 hours. I had to practically hang her by her toe nails to wake her up for her bottles. On Wednesday, I gave it to her again hoping that it was just her getting adjusted to the medication the day before and again she slept for 21 hours. So, on Thursday I skipped 2 doses and she was a happy smiley baby. I spoke to the doctor on Friday, by phone, and told her my concerns. She gave me the go-ahead to give her the medication on an as needed basis. This has been working. I met with the doctor yesterday. I was not impressed.

Here are my concerns; Sophia is still on a laxative and has not had a bowel movement without assistance since she was in the hospital after birth. Today I didn’t give her the laxative to see if she can go being aided by only the Donnatil. She has been pushing since 9:00am this morning and still hasn’t gone. Tonight has been rough because she is now in pain and the Donnatil is not helping. She continues to have reflux issues that have not been a focus and is getting worse. Her spasm problem is due to her digestion system working to fast and the doctor put her on a formula that goes quickly through the intestines. Wouldn’t that make the situation worse? She continues to have painful gas. I have begun to give her Mylicon is her bottles and it seems to be helping. Lastly, I have been noticing mucus in her stool. I was informed that this is the white blood cells in her intestines because they are inflamed. This is new in the last 4 days.When I spoke to the doctor I expressed my concerns above and told her that I am not comfortable with the diagnosis or the treatment. She reassured me that she will outgrow these problems. She also told me that even if this turns out to be a different problem that waiting until she is 3 months will not affect her in the long run. WELL THAT’S GREAT…UNTIL THEN?

So, Mike, Sophia, and I will be making our way into Children’s Hospital in Boston the second week of July. We will be meeting with the GI specialist there for a second opinion. There is no doubt that she will outgrow this, but until then I refuse to medicate my child to the extent that I am without another doctor’s opinion. Until then I will be keeping her comfortable with the medications that she is on. If she doesn’t have a bowl movement by tomorrow morning then I will be putting her back on the laxatives. Our next appointment at Mass General is 3 weeks from yesterday. We are not sure if we will return there. It will depend in the Children’s Hospital visit the week before. Until then!