Worth every mile: Short bowel syndrome brings family to Boston

During his most recent visit to Boston Children’s Hospital, 3-year-old Konrad Schienke resembles a tiny tornado, gleefully scampering around the room as he mugged for the camera and shouted, “Cheese!” Later, he smiles as a doctor gently felt his abdomen, giggling as if he was being tickled. “It’s hard to believe what a sick little kid he has been,” says his father, Erich. Yet, just a few years ago, this energetic boy resided in the neonatal intensive care unit at his local hospital in Pennsylvania, struggling with a diagnosis of short bowel syndrome. This rare but serious condition can occur when a child either loses or is born without enough small intestine, preventing the body from extracting the nutrients it needs to survive. Untreated, short bowel syndrome can lead to severe dehydration and malnutrition. Although Konrad’s physicians recommended an intestinal transplant, his parents believed there had to be a less extreme approach. “While we are very fortunate that intestinal transplants are a possibility, we discovered that the rate of complications remains high compared with results from programs doing intestinal rehabilitation,” says his mom, Neyda. “We’re both university professors, so our inclination is always to research things,” she explains. “As we tried to understand the best route to take, it became obvious that we wanted to go to Boston Children’s to see Dr. Mark Puder and his colleagues. The hospital has a record of success in inte...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation Mark Puder short bowel syndrome (SBS). Source Type: news