It has been five months since the writing of Angel Baby - Part 2. I purposely did not keep you apprised of the happenings, as I was so unsure of what exactly was going on... After the ultrasound, Kristen had an MRI to rule out the possibility of a brain tumor. She continued to have rectal fissures, and she was finally referred (4 months ago) to a Pediatric GI.

Her first visit to the Pediatric GI revealed a "blood blister" type of bruise, beginning at the outside of the vaginal opening and extending inward. The possibility of sexual abuse was ruled out, although I did take her for an interview with a representative of Child Protection Services, as I know these things can happen to the most unsuspecting families.

Kristen continued to see the Pediatric GI a minimum of once per month. She continued to have rectal fissures, extreme discomfort, vaginal abrasions and bruises, and vaginal/rectal "rashes". Four months of visits, and not a single test. I searched the internet endlessly, trying to find symptoms that matched what my Angel Baby was experiencing, unfortunately, to no avail. I even kept a flashlite by the bed and checked her bottom periodically for pinworms (what a totally awful thing to do...). Then, this past week, we reached the end of the road as we had known it...

Kristen had a regularly scheduled appointment with the Pediatric GI on Tuesday morning. She had stayed on her daily milk of magnesia regimen for the entire month, and, on the Sunday 9 days prior to her appointment, had a very loose (almost liquid) bowel movement. When I wiped her, the toilet paper was covered with fresh blood. It seems that the rash she developed came shortly thereafter, and started out looking like all the rest of them. Then, over the weekend following, it escalated at an unbelievable pace. From experience, I knew I could not move her appointment forward, so I did the best I could to keep her clean and dry while waiting. In addition to the total front to back extreme rash, Kristen had a peeling of skin around the rectal opening - about the size of a half dollar. Dead skin not yet shed could be seen around the perimeter of the circle.

The specialist seemed to have no extreme concern over the condition of her bottom. He did take a culture at the rectal area to determine if there was infection, and told me to call him after 1:00 p.m. the following day to see what the results were. In the meantime, he suggested we wash her with soap and water after every potty trip, rinse her well, turn a blow dryer on low heat and blow her bottom area dry, then put on talcum powder.

At this point, it is important to note that Kristen could not urinate without screaming and crying for at least 15 minutes. The pain of urine on the open wounds was unbearable for her; the pain from bowel movements was no better. I feel it is also important to note that she did have open wounds, and, as I thought it over for an hour or so, I decided it had to be absolutely insane to put talcum powder in that area! I telephoned my pediatrician early that afternoon, and only got as far as the nurse. I explained, in detail, the situation, and was told that there was "no way" that Kristen could be seen that day, but the message would be relayed and perhaps she could be seen the "next time the pediatrician was in the office."

I took it upon myself to discontinue talcum powder immediately. I washed and dried Kristen (NO, not with a blow dryer...), then left her bottom bare so that the air could aid in drying of the area.

At 11:00 a.m. the next day, I received the call from my pediatrician. Again, I repeated the full story. When asked what I "personally" thought could have caused the condition, I said it appeared that it was somehow an allergic reaction to the bowel movement, if that was at all possible. The pediatrician said to bring Kristen in at 1:00 that afternoon, which absolutely thrilled me! I knew, I said, that she would want to see Kristen!!

We got prompt attention at the pediatrician's office. She looked at Kristen's bottom very hard, and very long. And then...

The instructions were quite clear. Go straight to the hospital. Do not go anywhere first. Kristen's test results revealed a severe strep infection in the bottom area, and the bruises and abrasions were indicative of... The doctor told me she would be contacting Child Protection Services for a sexual abuse exam in conjunction with the arrangements for hospitalization. Also, I was informed the Pediatric GI would be doing a rectal scope to rule out the possibility of some type of bowel disorder causing the rectal fissures...

Needless to say, the rest of that day, and the following two days, are a bit of an exhaustive blur. Kristen and I checked in (ok - she checked in, but I never left) and from there, we just did as we were told to do. I refused to think, to conjecture, to consider... Because the only way she could have been sexually abused would mean that either her day care (which is heavily staffed and professional) or someone in the immediate family would be responsible...

There were several exams and interviews over the course of that visit. Kristen was treated with an oral dose of amoxil for the infection, so I knew we had been "imprisoned" until sexual abuse had been outruled. On Thursday, the proctoscope was scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and the sexual abuse exam was scheduled immediately afterward, while Kristen was still asleep under anesthesia. We were assured the proctoscope would take only five minutes, and were instructed to stay in the room and wait for the telephone call. An hour passed before the telephone rang, and when I answered, it was not the doctor performing the proctoscope, it was the doctor performing the sexual abuse exam.

She was telephoning requesting permission to perform a biopsy on the skin surrounding the bottom area. She said it looked very much like Kristen had a skin disease known as Lichen Sclerosis. This particular disease is chronic (and non-curable), and undiagnosed patients are often mistaken as sexually abused patients, as there is atrophy of the skin, lending to extreme weakness, and resulting in brusing, abrasions, and fissures. I verbally agreed, and was brought the necessary release forms for signature.

We spent one more night in the hospital, primarily to be sure the biopsy didn't end in yet another infection; then we were released. We have yet to hear the results of the biopsy, but, having been given a rather thorough explanation of the symptoms, I am near 100% confident that the results will come back positive.

How do I feel about this? Well, strangely, I feel greatly relieved. After having searched for over six months for a reason that my Angel Baby has experienced what she has experienced, any real answer is a relief. So, my friends, if all goes well, this will be the last installment of Angel Baby. And I truly pray that it is...