Question:
Male, 2.5, UPD
My son has had a decrease in appetite (eats breakfast and lunch but not dinner) but has been drinking regularly the past two days. His BMs are a lighter brown/tan/beige color, and he has had smelly gas. His stomach at night looks slightly distended but is gone by morning. The stomach bug has hit my husband and I over the last week. Should I be concerned about a blockage? Or any other GI complications? No fever or vomiting present. He at times appeared to be uncomfortable but continued with daily activities.
Nurse Lynn’s Response:
I do think that bringing your son in for an x-ray is reasonable. There could also be undiagnosed food allergies that can cause these symptoms.
You are right to question a blockage. The decreased appetite and distention are concerning. Our kids can have BM’s and still be constipated or worse obstructed. Until the x ray, give his tummy a break and give easily digested foods. Monitor the distention, bowel movements (color/amount/frequency).
It can be difficult to discern what is emergent and what is not with our loved ones. They do still get sick like everyone else. I tend to err on the side of caution and have them evaluated.
I have attached the GI Algorithm.
Resource:
GI-Algorithm-Chart-2022.pdf (pwsausa.org)
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Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.