Poo (warning!)

Hannah had four days of pale, beige coloured poos, beginning last Thursday. (Pale poo can mean bile flow obstruction.) The first couple of days, I didn’t worry overmuch, but did begin making sure her food was not responsible (lots of oranges, carrots, tomatoes, lol). By day three, I was starting to stress a little. By day four, it was a struggle to not keep dwelling on it, and to stop myself conjuring up worst case scenarios. I fought particularly hard to keep the phrase Secondary Failure of Kasai from popping into my brain at random moments.

Monday morning, and I phoned Birmingham. There was no-one on Liver Direct, so I left a voicemail message. This turned out to be somewhat fortuitous, as at 1:30 pm Hannah produced a nicely brown coloured poo. When they phoned back at 2 pm, it turned out that the brown poo saved her from a blood test. The last two days have also seen lovely brown poos. If they get pale again, she will need bloods, so over the next couple of weeks I will be a bit anxious at nappy change time. Such is life with biliary atresia; this disease loves to keep you on the edge of your seat, never quite daring to completely sit back and relax.

I am left wondering why. Is this liver related, or just how poo varies? Unsurprisingly, I never took much interest before. Never had a burning desire to be a poo expert, or do much with it apart from flush it away. I am a fully self confessed knowledge junkie, and find it difficult to accept there are things I can’t find out the answer to. I won’t know, unless it happens again, which obviously I would rather avoid, so I suppose it is a waste of time worrying. It’s the same thing with her liver being enlarged, then not enlarged, then enlarged again. Why? But there won’t be any answers unless it turns out to be a problem, which it might not, yet.

In a few years, if this blog still exists, Hannah will not be impressed with me discussing the minutiae of her bowel movements with anyone who cares to read it. Sorry, Hannah.

Excitingly, I am fully booked with students, and loving every minute of the lessons, although it is an effort of willpower to drag myself out of the house in the evenings after the girls are tucked up in bed! It is amazing how much improvement can be made with individual encouragement, as long as there is an intrinsic work ethic present. I am beginning to wonder if there is a way I can teach one-to-one or small groups forever!

Today was wet and windy; the sort of weather that makes me feel glad to be alive, although somewhat defenceless. I braved the walk to nursery both ways, meaning, I think, that soon it will be time to say goodbye to my car.