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One of the common issues that many families face is that of giardia. Giardia is a parasite that comes from tainted water. It causes frequent loose bowel movements, often accompanied by a very foul smell and lots of cramping and gas. Our first Ethiopian daughter had a good case of it, and I suspected it right away. Unfortunately when we had her tested in the US, three different stool specimens came back negative. The lab couldn’t find a thing.
Finally our doctor got tired of not being able to figure out why she was having 6 dirty diapers a day, and he prescribed a 10 day course of Flagyl, the standard treatment for giardia. Three days after she began the medicine, her diarrhea was gone. Who knows why the lab couldn’t find the organism, but I am quite sure that she did have giardia.
With our newest daughters, I wanted to make sure they were healthy. But I really did not want to embarrass them by asking them for stool specimens. I felt even more that way when I learned that previous tests had not been done very sensitively, and the girls were violently opposed to a repeat of stool testing.
I spoke with our very kind pediatrician about my concerns, both with the competency of our lab and for the health of our girls. He decided that given the circumstances, he felt fine about prescribing the Flagyl on a ‘just-in-case’ basis. The girls were fine with taking the pills for 10 days, and I was very grateful to be able to ensure their health without embarrassing them to pieces.
I know that not all pediatricians would be comfortable with prescribing the medication without knowing for sure that they needed it. And not all parents would want to do it even if it was offered. But I was very grateful that our pediatrician listened to our concerns and offered us a solution that felt right for us.
Other Possible Health Issues
Head lice
Hepatitis A
Kids with Hepatitis B
Molluscum
I was just thinking about giardia and such the other day. i need to talk to our pedi about pre-prescribing… i hope she will do it.