The Sickies Part 2

So we went back to the doctor on Monday for our real appointments. Cailin had finished her seven days of antibiotics (blahhhhh) and I had got some bloodwork done and we were looking for clean bills of health. Carter had his routine six month checkup.

Cailin: is perfectly healthy. All signs of her ear/throat infections are gone. She was running about the examine room like a monkey on speed. Surprisingly she wasn't the least bit concerned with the doctor even though she couldn't remember seeing him before (he was a sub for our regular doctor). We saw him before when Cailin was a wee baby.

I'm so glad her medicine is done. It was hard to get into her; she would see the dropper in my hand and run for the hills. While administering the meds one night I noticed she had FINALLY popped two molars through in the back. Now I had a clear picture of what was going on. She had a cold/ear/throat infections and was cutting teeth all at the same time. We haven't slept through the night in two weeks now, and I'm hoping we get back on track very soon. In fact, she had such a rough night the other night we sat in the rocker and shared an apple fritter. Heck, it's not like anyone was actually sleeping.

We made a quick trip to Sears tonight and this is what happened in the Sesame Street quadrant. We left with three mauve curtains for the front windows and no toys.

Carter:
Was given a clean bill of health as well. He's in the 85th-ish percentile for height/weight, and is tipping the scales at 18.4 lbs. I mentioned my concern over his odd shaped flat spot on the side of the back of his head. The nurse assured me it was nothing to worry about, and the doctor concurred. However, he offered me a referral to the pediatrician to get a second opinion just in case. Since Carter's head is over the 95th percentile mark it could be a warning sign that something is wrong. I'm sure he's just fine, but a second opinion would be great.

Carter is enjoying his baby food, and eats veggies no problem. He's been sleeping through the night, though he finds it a little hard with Cailin being up so much. During the day he's been sitting up on the couch and playing, bouncing gently in the Jumperoo and enjoying naps in his crib.

Me: I was expecting either to have nothing wrong with my bloodwork, or to have low iron. Imagine my surprise when my iron level was actually high. My iron is over twice the normal-high range it should be.

He thinks I may have hemochromatosis, the inability of the body to rid itself of excess iron. Looking back in my records, my iron was of normal range one year ago (while I was pregnant) but the year before that it was abnormally high. The year before that it was normal (pregnant with Cailin), and the year before that it was also high. The level has been trending upwards for the last five years. The high level could also be the result of an infection or liver disease. Goody.

At any rate, after the doctor we went over to the lab where I had some more bloodwork done. I'll have to go back to the doctor for those results soon.

So it's been an exciting couple of sleep deprived weeks. It's surprising how fast the household shifts into 'survival mode' with sick kiddies around. Now that everyone is feeling better, we're making the trek back into normal house rules. Oh, what a laugh. Cailin is really not liking the rules enforced once again. No, you can't eat granola bars for three meals a day. Yes, you have to brush your teeth AND your hair. Yes, you have to go to bed. Like an hour ago.

Here's hoping for a full night's sleep tonight!