Showing posts with label check ups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label check ups. Show all posts

Friday, September 10, 2010

Dr. Check up

Today we had Cole's 3 year (at 3 1/2) check up and Siena's 18 month check up (at almost 19 months).  It was quite the experience.  The kids started out well with getting their weight's and heights.  Cole is 40 3/4 inches (87%)  tall and 35 pounds (63%).  Siena is 21# 8oz (9%) and 31 1/2 inches (36%) tall.  Both kids physically looked great.  Their development is right on track, they are looking awesome.  The doc got to witness Siena's persistent whining and screaming until she gets picked up and could only tell us that with time it should get better (thanks).

Here's where is turned to hell.  Both kids needed vaccines.  Cole needed a booster, iron check (finger prick) and a TB test.  Siena needed to vaccines.  We decided to have Cole go first.  Holy shit!  He has always been so good so this was quite the shock.  The nurse did the TB test first and had to poke him twice because he bent his arm trying to hit her.  We distracted him enough to get the finger poke.  The vaccines was the last straw for him.  He tried kicking her in the face.  This entire time he was on my lap with me restraining him.  Siena was just watching with a very curious look on her face.

Up next was Siena.  Cole would not get off my lap so we were going to put Siena on the other side of me.  Well Cole knew what was up and he had no intention of letting the nurse any where near Siena.  We had to lie her on the table to get her away from Cole.  He was trying to get the vaccines, block the nurse and kept yelling "Stop!  You might make her cry"  It was heart breaking to watch them be so traumatized but at the same time it almost made me cry to see what lengths Cole go to, to protect his little sister.  Cole was VERY mad at Erin (the nurse).  I think she felt horrible too.

The kids quieted down afterwards and we were late to Cole's gymnastics class but at least he got to run off his sadness with Dylan.

I have to take Cole back on Monday to have his TB test looked at.  We'll see how that goes over.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Siena's 15 months check up

Weight - 18# 15oz (less than 5%)
Height - 29 1/2 inches (15%)
Head cir. - 45cm

We saw a different Pediatrician today because Siena's normal doc is on Maternity leave. Overall he said she looked great. She has very advanced awareness of her surroundings (ducking under tables), developmentally she is doing great. Her body looks very well proportioned however he was concerned because her weight dropped to less than 5% when she has normally been in the 25%. Had she always been less than 5% he would not be concerned but because of the 20% drop he does want us to watch her and make sure she doesn't lose any weight. Part of the problem is due to her sensitivities / allergies to certain foods, mainly dairy. Every time I introduce dairy into her diet she gets a rash, this last time was with cream cheese, if she has too much of something over a period of time the reflux starts and she gets very gassy. Towards the end of April we did a wheat trial and with in a few days she was randomly vomiting. As soon as we stopped all wheat and gluten the vomiting stopped.

It if difficult to get her calories because she doesn't want to eat baby food any more but she won't eat enough finger foods to fill her self up. I cook her eggs in olive oil for fat. She has been eating goat's milk cheese which she has really seemed to be liking, however when I added some powered goats milk into the rice milk she refused to drink it. I tried adding coconut milk back into her bottle because she loved that before and now she is refusing that as well. It is pretty frustrating to deal with a picky eater, especially with these sensitivities. The doc said that the sensitivities can be just as bad on a person as allergies. For her, the irritants can cause reflux, intestinal irritation and possibly bloody stools. She has had all and because we can't see in her body to actually see what is happening to her, we need to avoid the items that cause her to have problems and hopefully she will out grow it one day. So she is still on a soy free, dairy free, wheat and gluten free diet. It is a lot of work!! She also got her last DPT shot. She was a trooper for that!

On another note related to Siena, I received a letter in the mail from the insurance company stating that the MRI was not covered because intermittent torticollis was not a valid reason for an MRI. The thing is, I was told by the neurologist and the physical therapist that Siena DID NOT have torticollis and that is why we needed to pursue the MRI. I looked over the letter and there was a doctor's name on it that I didn't recognize. I looked him up and he is a neurologist at Sutter, however I have never spoke with him, nor has he ever examined my daughter, so why is he submitting her records and false records at that???? I called the neurologists office and spoke with the nurse and she said that they never had patients get refused for MRI's and she also had not clue who that doctor was. I explained to her that the insurance company was sent records stating that my daughter had intermittent torticollis and that I was specifically told by the neurologist that she did not have it. So now this nurse is looking into it. She'd better to because yesterday I received an explanation of benefits from the insurance company and the bill is $6747.00 for the MRI's. Well it says at the bottom that the MRI is not covered due to the diagnosis, however because I went to a eligible provider for the service, I was not responsible for the $6747, which means the Dr. is and I am sure they are not going to be pleased to see that bill! I am sure this will all get straightened out but it is still annoying and I am not happy knowing that doctors who have never even spoken a word to you are writing up records like they know what is going on!

** Thursday update**

Talk to the nurse at the neurologists office and apparently the Dr. Siena saw actually did put in her record intermittent torticollis on the record. Why the hell would he write that when he told me she didn't have it? Anyways I told the nurse her record needed to be changed because as along as it said torticollis on it, the insurance company would not cover it.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Siena's ONE year check up!

Everything went great at Siena's check up (as long as you don't ask her about the shots). She is 19 pounds 6 oz (22nd %) and 28 1/2 inches tall (24%)!!! Her head circumference is 44cm. She is more mobile that most 1 years olds (beside actually walking on her own for more than 6 steps). The doctor was happy to hear about her craziness and climbing but at the same time felt bad for me as well. Siena showed off by walking back and forth between the two of us.

We are going to introduce dairy back into her diet starting with yogurt. It is easier to digest and has the probiotics. If she does well on the yogurt and does not have a reaction for 2 weeks, then we can introduce milk and or cheese. Keep fingers crossed that she does ok with the yogurt!!! We have to continue with the formula until she is drinking either milk or goats milk. We also discussed how she doesn't like to eat finger foods. She will chew on stuff but immediately spit it out. Cole was a little delayed on finger foods as well but Dr. Unis said that if by 15 months she isn't swallowing finger foods we may need to take her to a occupational therapist to learn deal with different textures in her mouth. It is also time to start weaning her from the bottle. She stopped nursing about 6 weeks ago and seems to be ok with out it except at night when she used to use me as a pacifier. I am thankful that I am no longer getting bit by her!

Poor little girl go poked and prodded as well. She got a finger stick to check her iron level, she got a tb test that I have to take her back in 2 days to have checked out. I had a positive test 14 years ago. She also received 4 vaccines - chicken pox, MMR, Hepatitis A, and her last Pneumococcal conjugate. She usually does pretty well after vaccines and since two are live and two are killed she isn't overloaded. The two live virus's will not affect her for 7-10 days if she were to have a reaction.

That's her check up in a nut shell. Oh and the Dr. was not really even willing to entertain the idea of the head tilt being related to the allergy. She thinks it is due to her being more mobile. I disagree but am I surprised, not one bit. That's western medicine for ya!