My daughter has had diarrhea for 7 days now and doc just told me tonight over the phone (it took her a while to get my message and call back today, because the office closed early and she is out of town) that I may have to collect stool sample if this prolongs over the weekend.
I am of course worried about malnutrition because she is not keeping anything in.
Can you give me advice for how I can collect this -- in light of it being diarrhea.
My daughter is 19 months old.
Thanks,
Put a pull-up on her until she poops. Puck it in a plastic bag. You can give the doctor the diaper plastic bag and all
Yikes. I hate to ask this, but is it really watery, or just runny? Can you scoop it out of her diaper? Can you simply save the diaper[s] and bring them in to the doctor on monday? I've had to wrap up diapers in a plastic bag before and bring them in to show the doc when my son continued to have black poops [they tested the stool in the diapers for blood]. That is the easiest way, unless it is extremely watery diarrhea.
If it is very watery, maybe let her play without a diaper in the bath tub, and when she has a BM, use something to suck it up [I am imagining a turkey baster. I do not envy your position!] Being without a diaper in the tub would also help air it out if she is getting rashes.
I hope they figure it out and that your daughter gets better soon. I know at 19 months she may be a picky eater, but something that has always worked with my son is giving him cereal [fortified] along with Yo-J, yogurt, Gerber's yogurt melts, and cheese. Those are foods that have beneficial active cultures that may help combat whatever bug she is dealing with. However, I know that even a developing milk allergy can include diarrhea as one of the more subtle symptoms, so if she has any allergy obviously dairy would not be helpful.
Probiotics are the same, and we have used Lactinex granules as recommended by our pediatrician as well. That has always helped, but usually I stick to foods since our insurance does not cover probiotics even with a prescription.
my son was 18 months and in the hospital for a GI bug with diahrrea.
He pooped in a diaper and the nurse put some in a jar to take to the lab.
I would call the hospital lab and ask them what they need to run the test.
a small jar should be more than enough.
We did that for our son when he was having an extended bout of diarrhea. the office gave us the sample cups and told us what to do with them (one had to be frozen if I remember correctly). We collected them out of his diaper.
The biggest concern is dehydration. Make sure she is drinking a lot of fluids, you may want to give someone diluted gatorade or pedialyte to help replace electrolytes. You can google the common signs of dehydration if you're unfamiliar with them. She's unlikely to get malnourished that quickly, so she should be OK as long as she is drinking enough.
No real advice here as to the quesiton at hand, but I do have something to offer. At her age having diarrhea for 7 days has likely already wreaked havoc on her little body. I would seriously consider an ER visit...if nothing else but to get an IV in her and make sure she is properly hydrated. Diarrhea is a vicious cycle...it will dehydrate you in a hury, but at the same time, being dehydrated will cause diarrhea :( If it were me, I wouldn't wait to see if it keeps going over the weekend. She could very well have a case of Rotovirus.
We had to do this too. We went to the hospital lab and they gave us a pan to put on the toilet next time my daughter used the bathroom. The lab also gave me a jar to put some of the diarrhea in. After I collected the sample, I brought it back to the lab for the tests. Good luck.
Updated
We had to do this too. We went to the hospital lab and they gave us a pan to put on the toilet next time my daughter used the bathroom. The lab also gave me a jar to put some of the diarrhea in. After I collected the sample, I brought it back to the lab for the tests. Good luck.
Yucky. Get a disposable larger container like a foil pan and collect it first in that. Make sure the pan is very clean, though, (maybe even with alchol) so you don't have any foreign contaminents in the sample from the pan.
I went through this with my son. The doctor gave us a sample cup and we he had went in his diaper I had to use a spoon and get it into the cup. He was like water and very messy so I feel for you and good luck.
Hmmm.
I'm just curious. If the doctor is out of town, I'm wondering why she would want you to take the sample on Sunday. Her office will likely be closed and so will labs. What did she tell you to do with it once you get it and where are you supposed to keep it?
It makes more sense to me to wait until Monday when you can find out where you are supposed to take the sample. If you take it to her office or a lab, they should be able to give you a proper container to seal. It's human waste, which is a biohazard, so you can't just take it in to them in a ziploc for heaven's sake.
I think you should get some further info on collecting a "sterile" sample. They should be able to give you what you need.
I hope your daughter feels better soon, poor little thing.
Best wishes!
