Hi all, I'm hoping putting this in words will help understand whats happened this last week. I have 2 children Harry 13 and emily-grace 11 who both have ADHD. they take Concerta XL at an appropriate dose for each of their weight, height and need etc.
Harry went into hospital for an elective Camera top and bottom, to examine his whole digestive system. As he's been passing loose blood stained stools. Myself, my sister and mum all have ulcerative colitis. I made an assumption that he too was starting with this condition. I therefore took him to the GP November 2009 and expressed my concerns. A referral was done, appt after appt was cancelled by the trust. He was eventually given a date 12/4/11 (last Tuesday).
I stayed with harry for his admission.Once he was under the general anaesthetic. I went over to the ward I work on, which is just a few buildings away, to distract me, whilst he had this procedure. The advise was to returning in an 1hr.
Unawares to me at that time.Theatre had been frantically trying to get hold of me (no signal on my wd!) I came bk early to see if he was ok after about 45 Min's, to be meet by surgeons nurses specialists you name it. They had discovered minutes into the procedure 8 foreign objects including an 8" knitting needle, some 6" pens pencils,felt tips and large wide key rings all in his stomach !!!
They needed permission to move to an open abdominal procedure to remove them all. He's had a psych review, and the community team for his ADHD have now took back over his case. I'm not shocked easily as both children act impulsively, BUT never to this extreme. Harry is a highly intelegent child who attends Grammar school and is academically at the top of his class. PICA has been mentioned as a possible reason, I just don't know what to think and we are very worried for his welfare as i dont know how to stop this from happening again!!
That must have been such a shock.
Since he's 13, I'm going wtih the obvious quesion. Did you ask him why he swallowed those things? He may not exactly know, but it would be interesting to see what he says. Is it like kids who cut themselves and he feels it helps relieve stress? Or is it PICA and he craves eating those things? Althought I always thought PICA was more things you could chew and eat, not things that would be difficult to swallow. Maybe it's a way to garner attention and impress his friends? Curious to hear his thoughts.
Hi momto4boys
Thank-you for your reply. I'm sorry im so late replying, I have been so wrapped up with it all and trying to explaining to work why I'm off.
Harry's initial reaction after his operation was one of denial. He said he didnt know how they had got into his tummy! I was just straight with him and said, I'm sure you would have remembered if someone else had done it to you.
His next explanation was that it had all been an experiment to see if they would corrode!! His most recent explanation was that it was an impulsive reaction. He went on to say I was having a bath on one of the occasions he did it, and i told him to stop making silly noises, when he was gagging! This statement has absolutely devastated me. He makes noises all the time, I'm forever telling him to stop it. I certainly don't remember him gagging at all.
He's now recovering well, sitting his year 8 exams. He appears to be ok. But we are watching him like a hawk.
PICA hasn't been mentioned again, so it might just have been a passing thought of the psychologist.