To put it mildly, June has been an interesting month for us with Natalie.
In April, she was acting odd (Natalie has a high threshold for pain so it's hard for us to know when something's a real injury and when it's a fake one) so we brought her in to have her ear's checked. She had an ear infection and was given medication for it.
In May, she was still acting the same way (irritable, moody and overall not very enjoyable to be around). We headed back to the doctor and she had an ear infection again (and was given medication).
On June 4, we returned for her two-year checkup with her still in acting the same. This time she has a double ear infection. We are given a more powerful medication (which thankfully has returned our Nattie that we missed so dearly during April and May) and setup an appointment with an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) in July. It looks like tubes are undoubtably in her future.
After completing most of the two-year checkup with no issues, our doctor looks at one of Nattie's charts and drops a bombshell on us. Natalie has not grown since December. Not even 1/8 of an inch. In that time, she has lost two pounds as well (most likely because she was under the weather for so long). She was still 33 inches tall. A second measurement that day confirmed her height (the measurements at this age are not an exact science).
After a long talk (and some tears from Gina), our doctor suggestsed that we go to Children's Hospital (as a preventive measure, not necessarily because anything was wrong) and have an X-ray taken and some bloodwork done. Her main concern was that there was no progress for such a long period of time. Even if she had grown marginally it would have marked some level of development.
The X-ray was of her right hand and it checked Natalie's bone age. Part of the blood tests were to check her kidney and liver function as well as to confirm that she has acceptable iron levels to rule out any external issues within her system that may be affecting her body (and possibly her growth simply as a by-product of the problem).
The other more significant portion of the bloodtests were done to confirm that her thyroid was working properly and that her growth hormone levels were normal. While treatment can be administered to help both of these processes function "normally" and no major long term medical issues are imminent from them, medication/shots/etc. would be needed and we were never really given a time frame of how long she would need to be treated for.
On June 11, I took a half day and we went to have the tests done. Surprisingly, Nattie did very well with the nurses drawing blood from her arm. It was a major concern of ours, especially considering we had been told that they sometimes strap the child down to protect them from inadvertently hurting themselves while moving with the needle in their arm.
The results were expected back by early the following week at the latest.
On June 13, we were told that the kidney and liver were good. Part of me was more concerned with a lingering issue behind the scenes so the results were a major relief. Thankfully, the bone age also looked good. She was anemic, however. This was not a shock to us as she's not a big meat eater. We are currently addressing this issue (with eggs now being included in her meals regularly).
On June 23, I received a bill for the tests...>$1000. Granted, we will only need to pay for a portion of the amount after it passes through insurance but the irony of receiving the bill before the main test results were returned is quite humorous.
On June 25, we finally got the main results back. The test that the doctor was most concerned about came back normal. The secondary test was a little low but she said the test can be affected by diet and calorie intake so if Natalie had not eaten well the day before it would have affected the results, etc.
So...Natalie has been given a clean bill of health.
However, I wish I would not have measured her at 32 5/8 inches this weekend. I'd be feeling even better about everything if I had seen some sort of growth.
In April, she was acting odd (Natalie has a high threshold for pain so it's hard for us to know when something's a real injury and when it's a fake one) so we brought her in to have her ear's checked. She had an ear infection and was given medication for it.
In May, she was still acting the same way (irritable, moody and overall not very enjoyable to be around). We headed back to the doctor and she had an ear infection again (and was given medication).
On June 4, we returned for her two-year checkup with her still in acting the same. This time she has a double ear infection. We are given a more powerful medication (which thankfully has returned our Nattie that we missed so dearly during April and May) and setup an appointment with an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) in July. It looks like tubes are undoubtably in her future.
After completing most of the two-year checkup with no issues, our doctor looks at one of Nattie's charts and drops a bombshell on us. Natalie has not grown since December. Not even 1/8 of an inch. In that time, she has lost two pounds as well (most likely because she was under the weather for so long). She was still 33 inches tall. A second measurement that day confirmed her height (the measurements at this age are not an exact science).
After a long talk (and some tears from Gina), our doctor suggestsed that we go to Children's Hospital (as a preventive measure, not necessarily because anything was wrong) and have an X-ray taken and some bloodwork done. Her main concern was that there was no progress for such a long period of time. Even if she had grown marginally it would have marked some level of development.
The X-ray was of her right hand and it checked Natalie's bone age. Part of the blood tests were to check her kidney and liver function as well as to confirm that she has acceptable iron levels to rule out any external issues within her system that may be affecting her body (and possibly her growth simply as a by-product of the problem).
The other more significant portion of the bloodtests were done to confirm that her thyroid was working properly and that her growth hormone levels were normal. While treatment can be administered to help both of these processes function "normally" and no major long term medical issues are imminent from them, medication/shots/etc. would be needed and we were never really given a time frame of how long she would need to be treated for.
On June 11, I took a half day and we went to have the tests done. Surprisingly, Nattie did very well with the nurses drawing blood from her arm. It was a major concern of ours, especially considering we had been told that they sometimes strap the child down to protect them from inadvertently hurting themselves while moving with the needle in their arm.
The results were expected back by early the following week at the latest.
On June 13, we were told that the kidney and liver were good. Part of me was more concerned with a lingering issue behind the scenes so the results were a major relief. Thankfully, the bone age also looked good. She was anemic, however. This was not a shock to us as she's not a big meat eater. We are currently addressing this issue (with eggs now being included in her meals regularly).
On June 23, I received a bill for the tests...>$1000. Granted, we will only need to pay for a portion of the amount after it passes through insurance but the irony of receiving the bill before the main test results were returned is quite humorous.
On June 25, we finally got the main results back. The test that the doctor was most concerned about came back normal. The secondary test was a little low but she said the test can be affected by diet and calorie intake so if Natalie had not eaten well the day before it would have affected the results, etc.
So...Natalie has been given a clean bill of health.
The doctors will be keeping their eye on this closely (as will Gina and I with monthly measurements) and we will see what happens as we move forward. But at a minimum, we have averted any issues temporarily.
However, I wish I would not have measured her at 32 5/8 inches this weekend. I'd be feeling even better about everything if I had seen some sort of growth.
Oh wow. How terribly troubling to not know what was going on. I'm glad all is well.
ReplyDeleteI just commented on how I get this news via the internet. You POOPS! You didnt tell me everything came back ok.
ReplyDeleteWatch your back Mr. Stangl ... you might have an egg flying in your direction.
Thanks for the update. Hopefully the diet change will have positive effects.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Natalie to hear you got the desired results. Did she get measured standing up? And is that how she got measured in December? I am curious because our measurements were all wonky when that transition occurred and our doctor seemed to dismiss it. We, however, did not have weight loss so that may have raised some flags.
ReplyDeleteThey do it laying down, that's why it's not an exact science. She was 32.25 inches in October and 33 inches in December and June so they felt like the December number was probably pretty accurate.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the weight loss played into the decision much.
"So...Natalie has been given a clean bill of health." YAY! I meant to ask you about this, and appreciate the update. I also like the picture, what a cutie!
ReplyDelete