And the results are in

Gala was scheduled for two appointments. One with a GI surgeon & one with a GI (nutritional) specialist. Before the appointments were made, I was on the fence about even scheduling an appointment with the surgeon. I was, & still am, 100% sure we would not have had her go through surgery. So what was the use in seeing one? Her primary care Dr. said that we could at least see what he had to say. Plus, she added, I could ask about the dreaded "knot". So I agreed.

On the other hand, I was stoked about the GI specialist appointment. It was like a gift. We were finally going to get an answer. We'd finally know what was causing all the diarrhea. I wasn't excited about Gala going through a slew of tests but it would be worth it to know what to avoid to clear up this whole mess.

At the 1st appointment, the surgeon's nurse (SN) came in to do a quick medical history before we seen the surgeon. First we talked about the prolapse. When did it first happen, how many times has it occurred, how long & how often she's had diarrhea, etc. I gave her the photos I had taken of the prolapse. And then she asked if I had any other concerns. I told her about the knot on Gala's stomach & lifted her dress to show SN. She told us it was a hernia. I was excited. Not that it was hernia, silly. I was excited we might actually get acknowledgement here. I gave her the ultrasound films that were taken at our primary care Dr office. And then we waited for the surgeon.

He came in & spoke with us about it all. He said she definitely had rectal prolapse & said the pics were great. He asked about her diet & how it was working out. I told him how Gala's bowels have been great off of dairy. He told us how he rarely does surgical fixes for rectal prolapses since the outcome is never great & the chance for having to have it redone are high. And since it seems we could control her bowel through diet, that was his recommendation. Then he did an exam (which was awful for Gala).

After that we talked about the knot. When I said, we had been told it was "nothing" & I found that hard to believe, since you could physically see it, both he & SN agreed. He said it was definitely a hernia. Could be her stomach or part of her intestine coming through a tear in her abdominal wall. He told us how these types of hernias are generally non-bothersome & wouldn't need intervention. BUT sometimes they can cause problems, such as trapping stools, so he would be reviewing the ultrasounds we brought along. He asked us if she ever complained of pain. She hasn't. He told us if they had gotten all the shots/angles he needed & he didn't see anything worry some, we'd do nothing OR I could elect to do cosmetic surgery but then she'd have a scar instead of a knot. (No thanks, a knot is good for us.) BUT if they didn't have the shots/angles he needed OR if he seen something "off" we'd go from there.

He also wanted to check her for cystic fibrosis & would send the order over to her 2nd appointment since he was sure they'd be running several tests & they could just tack that one on. And he suggested keeping a daily food/bowel diary on her. He said we'd just play phone tag from here on out unless something major came up. His nurse gave us their office info & said she'd be in touch in about a week. Leaving that appointment, I almost felt like I was on cloud nine. No major invasive surgery needed for either issue, but acknowledgement that we are not nuts.

At the 2nd appointment, the NP (GI specialist) came in & asked why we were there. I started with my "hunch" of a diary allergy & was interrupted with a scrunched WTH face & "What would make you suspect that?" question. I answered with a Karla style answer (remember that's a long story) the whole while getting the WTH face. I was starting to feel embarrassed & irritated when I finally got, an "I see". Followed by a "well, I don't think she has a dairy allergy. You see, it is very rare, I mean it can happen, but it is very rare that children have an allergy to a protein in dairy."

Hmmm, weird?, since RD has a classmate that is & I know a few other kids who are as well. Woah. Small world for me, I guess. OK. So then it's not dairy "allergy."

Then she says, "Now, she could possibly have a lactose intolerance." GREAT!, I'm thinking, lets check for that! She then tells me that diary is VERY important to a child's diet (like I don't know this) & that I could remove dairy to see if that is, in fact, the problem but I'd need to add dairy back in gradually to see how she does. I explain that we have been on a dairy free diet for 3 weeks & the few times I did add back in dairy, she got the runs & prolapsed. "Hmmm, well, I'll give you a sheet on what she can & can't have. I won't need to see you again."

OK, I said. Do I need to call you to let you know how she's doing?

"You can. If you do, just tell the front desk."

OK. Did the Surgeon call to let you know he was ordering a test?

"Yes, but I don't believe she has cystic fibrosis, so I will not be running that test."

And out the door we were booted. Seriously?! I mean they could have told me that back home. I drove, well my hubby drove, 2.5 hours to be told that?!? What a freaking joke! I was fuming mad. I still am. I was left feeling so let down & put off yet again. I can grasp the fact that she is NOT "allergic" to dairy. BUT that doesn't explain the diarrhea related issue. And yes, I understand that a lactose intolerance could but there isn't a test? What about all the other tests Gala's primary said this "NP specialist" would run. Tests that they could handle better there because "Mrs. NP specialist" would have child size equipment. What about the the tests the GI surgeon assumed "NP specialist" would run? What about the one test he wanted ran?

Deep sigh. I guess all I can do is keep on keeping on. She's doing great off dairy & that's what we're sticking with. The crazy thing about all this was the one appointment, I thought was not necessary, ended up being the best of the two.