Isaac ’s story: A ‘new normal’ with short bowel syndrome

It was the morning after their baby son Isaac had come home from the hospital, and Jennifer and Brian Campbell were performing the same sweet act of bonding as many new parents: giving him a bath in the sink. But as they maneuvered around the room, they suddenly realized something was very wrong. “I fell to the floor and started screaming and crying as formula shot out of his stomach,” remembers Jennifer. “I thought we’d broken him.” The reality, of course, was that the Campbells were simply adjusting to their new “normal” — something any parent of a medically complex child can understand. Isaac wasn’t a newborn. He had finally been discharged from the hospital after nine months. And his parents hadn’t hurt him. They’d just accidentally pulled out his gastrostomy (G-tube), which provided his body with nutritional support. After a reassuring call to the Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation (CAIR) at Boston Children’s Hospital and a trip to the emergency department, Isaac was back at home, G-tube intact. “Things were overwhelming in the beginning,” admits Jennifer. “It was a lot harder than I’d imagined.” Mother’s intuition One of a set of twins, Isaac “was initially my healthy baby,” says Jennifer. His brother, Christopher, had been born with esophageal atresia, a rare condition that caused him to aspirate when he tried to feed. As Christopher underwent surgery to correct the defect, his parents felt grateful that Isaac seemed ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation cerebral palsy Dr. Christopher Duggan Dr. Mark Puder Dr. Tom Jaksic necrotizing enterocolitis short bowel syndrome (SBS). Source Type: news