(Treatment Review and Tips) Call 119 in case of pediatric emergencies, treatment review due to child's bloody stool~

(An incredibly long message... all gone in an instant due to an error... I'm flustered, but... I'll try writing it again ㅠㅠ)

 

I believe there are very few people who raise children smoothly without any difficulties.

I am currently raising two children, ages 7 and 11, and I have experienced many things...

 

The story of my first child just turning two, falling at daycare, and having his forehead cracked open with exposed bone that was stitched up...

My first child, who has a weak tonsil, always had a fever of 30-40 degrees... a story of constantly going to the hospital as if it were his own home...

The second story is about being born with a congenital mole and receiving treatment for it (I'll tell you about this separately).

The story of falling at home again and injuring my forehead, leading to a trip to the emergency room...

I left a review after the last treatment, but both of them suffered from water warts, and they recovered without hospital treatment.

 

And the story I am about to tell now is... about what happened when our first child had bloody stool.

It was 2020... COVID-19 spread rapidly... Our eldest couldn't attend the kindergarten graduation or the first-grade school entrance ceremony.

One day in October, when I was diligently adapting to wearing masks and adjusting to school

My son is looking for me because he says blood came out when he pooped.

 

When I went there, I saw that the blood had spread across the toilet in a red stain.

Fortunately, our children have bowel movements once or twice a day without constipation.

I think the stool is hard, and it might have caused a wound in the anus.

First, I decided to clean it thoroughly and observe, but the next day there was again blood in the stool...

If it is dark red, bleeding occurs in the stomach or small intestine, and it is digested and excreted with stool.

This is a very bloody stool, so I took my husband to a nearby proctology clinic in the morning after he took half a day off.

That day was a Friday.

 

The results from visiting the proctology department... there are no wounds on the anus.

There didn't seem to be any major issues when looking at the colon area.

 

First, I returned home, my husband went to work, and I left the child with my mother.

When I got home from work, the child was cheerful and in good condition.

While preparing dinner... the child's face was as white as paper and their lips were purple.

Wow!! I had a feeling there was a problem! I told my husband on his way home from work.

Sending you to the emergency room at the university hospital near your house.

It was not long after Chungnam National University Hospital opened in Sejong.

The groom is trying to contact me, and my son said he's feeling dizzy and vomited as soon as he got out of the car.

Chungnam National University Hospital still cannot perform pediatric endoscopy, etc.

They told me to go to Chungnam National University Hospital, the main hospital in Daejeon.

 

On Friday after work, it will be extremely crowded, so I think I shouldn't take my sick child on the usual 40-50 minute trip.

First, I told my groom to come home, and I called 119.

Explaining the situation, the 119 crew arrived around the same time and examined the child.

He looked at the pale face, turned up the eyelid below the eye, and said there was no redness.

First, they are taking the child by ambulance to find a hospital where an endoscopy can be performed.

 

My child and I will ride in an ambulance, while my husband will follow in a 119 ambulance.

I was really very grateful to this paramedic.

Gently soothing the child who was afraid and explaining calmly, then telling me that it was good I contacted 119.

They say that parents often take their children to the hospital without a clear plan and end up wandering around, so they advise contacting 119 in such cases.

 

Paramedics are communicating via radio near Daejeon/Sejong to a university hospital general hospital.

I am inquiring about hospitals that perform pediatric endoscopy. Since the next day is Saturday, there probably won't be many hospitals that offer pediatric endoscopy.

Has it been about 7-8 minutes? All three university hospitals in Daejeon have said they are unavailable.

I heard that even one general hospital is difficult, and I was wondering what to do, but then I received a call saying it is possible at Chungbuk National University Hospital in Cheongju.

I turned the ambulance around, contacted my husband, and told him to come to Chungbuk National University Hospital, then we left.

 

Chungbuk National University has a Department of Pediatrics as follows.

 

 

And in the case of our son, he needed to see a pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition specialist who could perform pediatric endoscopy.

 

 

Since they are children, it is correct to go to a place where pediatric endoscopy is available.

 

Since we arrived at the emergency room during the COVID situation, only one guardian is allowed.

Since the child is young and we both needed someone to soothe and care for the child, both my husband and I were able to go into the emergency room.

Doctor Lee Ji-hyuk came down to take a look, and after reviewing the blood stool photo taken by the groom, he said,

First, before performing the upper endoscopy, insert a nasal tube into the nose and insert saline solution into the stomach, then withdraw it.

They are asking to check if blood is coming out mixed.

 

No one who hasn't experienced it knows how painful a nasal cannula is.

I was just busy soothing and holding my crying son at that time...

Having experienced a serious illness last year and having a nasal tube inserted... it was very painful and distressing even for adults... I was crying and struggling... it was really tough ㅠㅠ

 

My groom and I held our son and comforted him, then inserted a nasal tube to remove the object upstairs.

And then add and remove saline solution again... Fortunately, the bleeding is not coming out, so it's not an upper gastrointestinal bleed.

First of all, if you look very pale and have low anemia levels, a blood transfusion may be necessary.

Hospitalization is decided. Of course, you also need to undergo an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy.

 

 

I felt so sorry for my son who was exhausted after getting injections in both arms.

I'm sorry, but I wonder why this happened suddenly...

 

Since I left my 4-year-old second child in my mother's care, I will go home first, and my husband will stay behind.

Fortunately, it was the weekend.

On Saturday, I had a gastroscopy and colonoscopy... the results... there were no abnormalities.

There are no traces of bleeding either...

 

And then you said it seems like a Meckel's diverticulum...

Meckel's diverticulum.....???? What on earth is this?

 

Meckel's diverticulumMeckel's diverticulum

A congenital intestinal malformation caused by the persistence of the vitelline duct, which is the blood supply pathway of the early fetus's primitive gut, instead of degenerating.

 

You probably still don't understand even after reading the explanation, right?

 

It is a truly rare disease that occurs...

There is a part where the intestine protrudes without normally regressing at birth.

There are cases where this causes bleeding, and even as adults, bleeding can occur, leading to surgery.

Professor Lee from Chungbuk National University mentioned that there was a case where the surgery was only performed after becoming an adult, even a year ago.

 

They said that a nuclear medicine scan is necessary to confirm whether it is a Meckel's diverticulum.

 

 

 

Fortunately, my son has not had any bloody stool since Sunday, and his color has greatly improved.

There was no need for a blood transfusion, and it was decided that he could be discharged on Monday.

Still, since I need to know the cause, I scheduled the nuclear medicine test for two weeks later.

On Sunday, my son is taking a walk because the hospital room feels stuffy.

My son, who still happily smiles with needles in both hands, looks so pitiful... ㅠㅠ

 

 

Starting from Tuesday, my son returned to normal life, and two weeks later, we went for a nuclear medicine test.

You have to stay completely still and not move at all during this test.

I remember soothing my son who was struggling while showing him a video...

 

And a few days later, I visited again with my groom, and fortunately(?) they said it wasn't a "Meckel's diverticulum."

Then what is the cause... 😢

For now, everything has returned to normal.. but if you happen to pass blood again

At that time, they suggest proceeding with capsule endoscopy.

Capsule endoscopy involves swallowing a small camera-equipped pill that passes through the stomach, capturing images as it goes.

This is a method to locate the site of bleeding...

 

Fortunately... everything returned to normal for my son after that.

I am still living healthily and very well so far.

Really.. I still wonder why I had bloody stool while lying down back then.. I’m a bit curious about the unknown cause, though.

 

So far... among the things I experienced while raising my child

I shared a story where I wanted to give a tip...

 

There are two tips I want to share with you~

1. In case of an emergency involving a child, do not automatically go to the hospital; instead, contact 119.

Call 119 to explain the situation; they will listen and, if necessary, come directly to assess the child and transport them by ambulance.

You will be transferring the child to a suitable hospital.

The fact that parents move unconditionally doesn't mean the problem will be solved.

Even when my daughter’s forehead was injured late at night, I first called 119. I looked for a hospital with plastic surgery to see if they could stitch her forehead.

They guided me to go there, explaining which hospital's emergency room and plastic surgery are available until what time.

 

2. If the child has bloody stool or gastrointestinal issues, find a hospital where a child endoscopy can be performed.

Since children are young, there are hospitals that specialize in pediatric endoscopy.

In situations like this, parents can take their children around here and there when they are flustered, but it's important not to waste a trip.

 

I hope my story can be helpful to some people.

Thank you for reading this lengthy message.

I hope you have a good day~