Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffEmergency medical care is required to treat intussusception. As a result, you may not have much time to prepare for the appointment.
What to expect from your doctor
Your child's doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, including:
- When did your child begin experiencing abdominal pain or other symptoms?
- Does your child's pain appear to be continuous — or is it occurring in bouts?
- Does the pain begin and end suddenly?
- Has your child experienced nausea, vomiting or diarrhea?
- Have you noticed any blood in your child's stool?
- Have you noticed any swelling or a lump in your child's abdomen?
What you can do in the meantime
Don't give your child any over-the-counter medications to treat symptoms before the appointment.
- Intussusception. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec19/ch275/ch275c.html?qt=intussusception&alt=sh. Accessed July 25, 2010.
- Kitigawa S, et al. Intussusception in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Anatomic problems of the colon. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/anatomiccolon/. Accessed July 25, 2010.
- Sondheimer JM, et al. Gastrointestinal tract. In: Hay WW, Jr., et al. Current Diagnosis and Treatment: Pediatrics. 19th ed. New York, N.Y.; McGraw Hill Medical: 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3403837. Accessed July 26, 2010.
- Rotavirus vaccine (RotaShield) and intussusception. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rotavirus/vac-rotashield-historical.htm. Accessed July 26, 2010.
- Waseem M, et al. Intussusception. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2008;24:793.

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