Lab Work

"Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Here's my handsome boy playing with what he loves, blocks.  Daddy helped him out but he is doing well at creating smaller scale models all by himself.  I love this little guy!

Yesterday, I took Joshua to the hospital to have some lab work drawn up on him so that we might finally get some answers as to why he is not growing.  I don't know about you but doctor scribble is so hard to make out so I had to ask the lab tech what were all the things he was being tested for.  Please click on each one so you can understand what the test are specifically.  Through all of this, it is definately making me more aware of a lot of medical knowledge which if others hear me talk to a doctor they really wouldn't have a clue as to what we are saying...lol.  There is still so much I need to learn, so I ask for clarification from the doctors so I can know exactly what is going on at each stage.  Knowledge is power!

(1) Health Panel:

          CBC

          CMP

          TSH

(2) T4

(3) IGF-1

(4) IGFBP-3

Because of all the testing that Joshua has had to have done, he is terrified to even walk into a medical facility and will freak out.  He looked at the lab tech and said, "Oh, no.  Not you again!"  Then started trying to make every excuse as to why he didn't need to be there, but I just had to laugh at what he said.  He hadn't seen that tech in almost a year, yet he still remembered her face.  Joshua has a memory like no other. 

It took a few tries to get his blood but they finally got it.  He has several problems with his veins.  1-that they are still the size of an infant, 2-they roll, 3-they blow easily, 4-his blood clots very quickly and will cause no more blood to go up into the needle, and 5-he throws the biggest fit and has to be held down by several adults.  I hate; let me repeat, I hate it when he has to get anything done in a lab!  I know it is only temporary but Joshua doesn't forget.

So hopefully in the next few days I should be receiving a call from the doctor to tell me the results of the blood work.  We are praying for answers.  It is so hard to not know.  As of now he is still labeled as saying that he has a Constitutional Growth Delay.  With that diagnosis, there isn't an answer.  But I don't believe that is his problem and I don't think the pediatric endocrinologist believes that either because of how severely behind he is.

So if everything comes back normal; which all the other tests he has had done have come back normal, we are going to start to looking elsewhere for different opinions.  Before I get hasty, I will just have to wait for the doctors call.  Waiting is usually the hardest part for people but I am so use to it, that unfortunately it doesn't phase me anymore.  That could be a good and bad thing.  In the meantime I have the kiddos to keep me busy and housework that needs to be done.  Life must go on!