12/12/15 |
"Physician Heal Thyself" (1992) - Joe Coleman |
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After three years of struggling with our ten-year-old son's illness and being told it was behavioral, I took our son to Children's Hospital Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado for an answer to his abrupt and unexplained change in stooling habits. I stayed by his side all twelve days he was there.
- Each of the MANY "health professionals" who treated my son seemed more clueless than the last.
- All insisted upon the physiologically-impossible explanation that my son was "holding in his poop" and tried hard to insinuate he was overly-anxious and autistic.
- They kept my son on a clear liquid diet the entire time he was there, yet refused to allow me to eat...telling me I either had to go home or brown-bag it.
- They seemed unconcerned that my son grew dangerously thin and vomited green bile the entire time he was in their care.
- They theorized my son had withheld his stool until it had become hard and difficult to pass... but seemed unfazed when what they discovered was "an enormous ball of soft poop just sitting there in his colon."
- They placed my son under general anesthesia four times.
- The many, many tests and procedures they performed on my son did nothing to enlighten them.
- I did not feel free to take my son and flee their dangerous, shoddy care, and was too afraid to leave his side for fear of what they might do to him while I was away.
- A careless nurse nearly killed my son right in front of my face with a medication error, a terrifying sight which is permanently etched on my inner vision.
- The very next day, they discharged him with a diagnosis of "viral gastritis."
- They reported me to Child Protective Services in order to cover up the many mistakes they made on my son.
- Dr. Samantha Woodruff, Pediatric Gastroenterologist/Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, falsely testified that I suffered from Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy and had done something to deliberately sicken my son.
- They helped remove my children from my care in order to silence me and stop me from complaining about the horribly inept care he received at this hospital.
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| Anorectal Biofeedback Probes, used to treat "behavioral withholding" |
My husband and I got a jury trial, and it was awful; three doctors testilied against us, and none of the attorneys involved on either side were sufficiently medically astute to effectively question or cross examine; none of our exculpatory evidence was ever presented -- not one shred, and we had LOTS that proved beyond any doubt that we had done nothing wrong; the 'preponderance of the evidence' standard is an easy win when only one side presents any...and allowing our son to testify was never even considered by a single one of these esteemed "officers of the court."
The court had a 'plant' on the jury panel, pretending to be an engineer: but we recorded all of the proceedings -- including the recesses -- and learned that during the ten-minute breaks and lunch, this juror was actually an attorney who conferred with the DA, GAL and even our own court-appointed lackeys, er, I mean attorneys. The judge allowed the entire jury panel -- including the alternate -- to deliberate the verdict; the deliberation occurred over the lunch hour...pizza was ordered, and the judge lunched with the jurors, so that he could be on hand to answer any questions that might arise.
My husband and I stood for the verdict that of course adjudicated our children dependent and neglected -- and just like that, our three day ordeal in court was over, just in time for everyone to get a head-start on the three-day Labor Day weekend; we were left standing in a virtual wasteland feeling like we had been brutally gang-raped, while the caseworker cows tittered and mooed and made plans to celebrate their 'win' that night at happy hour.
The court abetted in the malfeasance and malpractice of the negligence of the yahoos at Children's Hospital Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, who nearly took my son's life. Their treatment plan requires my husband and I to draft and sign a statement absolving the doctors of any and all wrong-doing, to personally take accountability for medically neglecting our son, and to divorce after 24 years of marriage. Law & Order, Matlock it sure wasn't and our trust in the legal system and doctors has been altered for life.
Twenty months later, and they are still gone; I have been permitted ZERO contact with my children since December 26, 2014...and it hurts me...it hurts me so bad...
Doctors take an oath to "do no harm" but when it came to my son, the doctors at Children's Hospital Memorial in Colorado Springs broke their Hippocratic oath; they hurt him physically and nearly cost him his life, and were so anxious to conceal their manifold mistakes that it didn't matter and they didn't care if it meant covering their asses with my family.
There are some wounds that time never heals, some furies that never fade, some voids that can never be filled. My heart and soul will bleed and seethe over this injustice, and I will live with the emptiness of their absence until they day my children are returned to my care, or until the day I die -- whichever comes first. Until then, I will spend the remainder of my days on earth warning others about our nightmare, in hopes of sparing another child and family the pain and sorrow we've endured after making the mistake of taking my son to this ghoulish institution and entrusting his tender life to these monstrous physicians.
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Treatment for Kids with Colorectal Disorders and Bowel Incontinence
Kids born with conditions like anorectal malformation, Hirschsprung's disease, or who have experienced tumors or trauma in the pelvis may have bowl accidents even if he or she had surgery earlier in life.
Experts at Children’s Colorado understand that this issue affects all areas of a child’s and parent’s life. When a child cannot control his or her bowel movements, parents can feel anxious in social situations. The Program at Children’s Colorado helps parents improve their child’s and family’s quality of life.
What to expect from the Colorectal and Complex Floor Disorders Program
If your child has been diagnosed with a condition at birth and is struggling with incontinence (bowel accidents), the first step is to make an appointment with the Program. During your visit, a pediatric surgeon will complete an evaluation and discuss your child’s full medical history.Specialists address any additional heart, spine and urinary health challenges your child may be having.
Initial evaluations do not include any invasive testing. Additional x-rays, MRI, ultrasounds or a contrast enema may be needed later in the treatment process. Children’s Colorado performs all testing on site.
The goal of the first visit is to identify the cause of his or her symptoms. At the end of the visit, we will provide a treatment plan tailored specifically to your child’s needs.
Why choose Children’s Hospital Colorado?
The most experienced pediatric colorectal program in the western United States
Our dedicated team of surgeons, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants make up the most experienced program in the western half of the United States, treating children born with colorectal conditions who have bowel accidents. We treat kids from our local communities in Colorado, the entire Rocky Mountain region and as far away as Louisiana. This program supports, counsels and provides management options for families struggling with incontinence.Access to specialists from multiple departments
We are dedicated to helping your child achieve optimal bowel function and to improving your child's physical and social quality of life. Specialists that your child may see include:- Pediatric surgeon
- Pediatric urologist
- Neurosurgeon
- Nurse practitioner
- Psychologist
- Dietitian
- Child life specialist
- Gastroenterologist
Conditions we treat
- Anorectal malformations or imperforate anus
- Cloacal anomaly/cloacal extrophy
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Pelvic tumors
- Pelvic trauma
- Incontinence, or bowel accidents and soiling, due to spina bifida, neurogenic bowel, tethered spinal cord, and sacral agenesis
Treatment options we offer
Our Program offers many treatment options for patients, including:Bowel Management Week
We offer a week-long bowel management program called Bowel Management Week. The goal is for children of potty-training age to achieve bowel control in social situations.Colorectal surgery
Colorectal surgery is an operation on the large intestine, colon or rectum.Types of colorectal surgeries we perform:
- Pull-through (PSARP): a surgery performed with minimally invasive techniques to create a working anus and rectum.
- Anoplasty: a surgery that brings back function of the rectum.
- Bowel resection: removal of all or part of the intestine.
- Antegrade Continence Enema (ACE): a long-term option that allows children to give their own enemas through an opening in the abdominal wall to relieve constipation or cleanse the bowel.
- Cecostomy: a tube is placed in the large intestine to flush out waste. A cecostomy is a lifelong option for some patients. This is not a common treatment option; please speak with a specialist about your child's treatment plan.
- Rectal biopsy: the removal of rectal tissue for testing.
- Surgical revision for children: surgery for children who have had surgery as babies; this is not a treatment option for all patients.
Emotional support for patients and families
- A parent support group meets every other month at Children’s Colorado’s on Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Please contact us for more information.
- A clinical psychologist counsels and supports patients and families who are struggling with a new diagnosis, having a difficult time providing care, experiencing teasing or bullying at school and other similar problems.
Pediatric urologists care for kids with bladder problems
Children with colorectal and complex pelvic floor disorders may also have kidney and bladder problems. As part of the Program, the pediatric urology department evaluates children regularly.- Pediatric urologists perform non-invasive bladder function tests with state-of-the-art video cystometrograms and will see children until they have full bladder control.
- Pediatric urologists help minimize urinary tract infections and kidney damage.
- Many children have genital differences that pediatric urologists evaluate and treat when necessary.
Resources for patients and families
- Pull-thru Network is the largest organization in the world that informs, educates, supports and advocates for patients and families affected by conditions like anorectal malformation and colon disease.
- United Ostomy Association of America, Inc. provides support groups and services for children and families dealing with bowel and urinary conditions.
- Youth Rally is a five-night summer camp for kids and teens living with conditions that affect the bowel and/or bladder.
- The Department of Pediatric Urology at Children’s Hospital Colorado is part of the colorectal care team. Learn more about their experience and programs.
- The Department of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital Colorado is one of the best programs in the country. Learn more.
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