- Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:40 pm
#209000
I'd like to share with you something that happened to our family this past summer. I believe it really shows God's providence at work. My 11 yr old daughter has ulcerative colitis. She's had it since the age of 4, and of course, we've been praying for her. She's had it under control with medication, but the drugs aren't really that good for you long term.
This past July we had a nice vacation planned. After the 4th, we planned to head out on a week long road trip. Had hotels booked and everything. Husband had taken a week off of work (not an easy thing to accomplish). So it's the evening of the 4th, after dinner, and we were thinking of going to our usual spot to see the fireworks in a few hours. But, my daughter starts to complain of increasing abdominal pain. Thinking it might be a stomach bug, I check her temp. 101. Now she's complaining of pain in her lower right hand side. Uh-oh... red flags go up in my mind. I look up the symptoms of appendicitis... then I call her pediatrician to confirm. He tells us to go ahead to the ER, he'll let them know to expect us.
Now she's never had pain with her colitis, so I have a feeling that it's her appendix. To make a long story short, I left the ER with her little brother around midnight, and they still didn't have a diagnosis. Ultrasound was too painful for her, so they were getting her a cat scan (or was it MRI, don't remember). Anyway, she stayed with her dad and we return first thing next morning to find that she's been admitted and being wheeled into surgery right as I walk into her room! They said it was gangrenous, or just getting ready to burst! They caught it just in time.
So she was recovering in the hospital the next 4-5 days. It was good that her dad had all that time off, let me tell you. That was provident item #1. It was also good that she didn't start having symptoms while we were on the road in the middle of nowhere, USA. Provident item#2. And here's a biggie (#3): it's been documented that ulcerative colitis symptoms can be greatly improved, if not eliminated, by appendectomy. Not always, but often. In fact, people who have had an appendectomy are much less likely to get UC that those still with their appendix. There's a theory out there that UC is caused by an infectious agent that hangs around/hides out in the appendix and causes recurring inflammation. Kind of like how H. pylori causes stomach ulcers.
She's still on medication, of course, but I'm praying that she will be allowed to be taken off it eventually to see how she does. And praying that the true cause of UC will be discovered.
This past July we had a nice vacation planned. After the 4th, we planned to head out on a week long road trip. Had hotels booked and everything. Husband had taken a week off of work (not an easy thing to accomplish). So it's the evening of the 4th, after dinner, and we were thinking of going to our usual spot to see the fireworks in a few hours. But, my daughter starts to complain of increasing abdominal pain. Thinking it might be a stomach bug, I check her temp. 101. Now she's complaining of pain in her lower right hand side. Uh-oh... red flags go up in my mind. I look up the symptoms of appendicitis... then I call her pediatrician to confirm. He tells us to go ahead to the ER, he'll let them know to expect us.
Now she's never had pain with her colitis, so I have a feeling that it's her appendix. To make a long story short, I left the ER with her little brother around midnight, and they still didn't have a diagnosis. Ultrasound was too painful for her, so they were getting her a cat scan (or was it MRI, don't remember). Anyway, she stayed with her dad and we return first thing next morning to find that she's been admitted and being wheeled into surgery right as I walk into her room! They said it was gangrenous, or just getting ready to burst! They caught it just in time.
So she was recovering in the hospital the next 4-5 days. It was good that her dad had all that time off, let me tell you. That was provident item #1. It was also good that she didn't start having symptoms while we were on the road in the middle of nowhere, USA. Provident item#2. And here's a biggie (#3): it's been documented that ulcerative colitis symptoms can be greatly improved, if not eliminated, by appendectomy. Not always, but often. In fact, people who have had an appendectomy are much less likely to get UC that those still with their appendix. There's a theory out there that UC is caused by an infectious agent that hangs around/hides out in the appendix and causes recurring inflammation. Kind of like how H. pylori causes stomach ulcers.
She's still on medication, of course, but I'm praying that she will be allowed to be taken off it eventually to see how she does. And praying that the true cause of UC will be discovered.