I took him to the hospital yesterday for his 10 am appointment. We breezed through registration but ended up waiting almost an hour for an exam room. We passed the time with snacks, books, iPhone kid apps and countless games of peek-a-boo.
When they finally paged us, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the best. medical assistant. ever. Usually Bean goes nuts at the first sight of the scale. The MA did a great job of getting him through the vitals and she was even able to get a resting/calm blood pressure (more on that later).
I liked the new doctor. She has treated other WS patients. She seemed very knowledgeable but also open to my input. She, like me, is concerned about bone density given that he has been dairy free since birth and doesn't get supplements due to concerns about his calcium levels. She ordered labs to check his calcium levels among a few other things. We agreed to consider some supplementation if his levels are reasonable.
She was, however, concerned about his blood pressure. It was 129/64. Resting. That's pretty high for a child his age and size. She is suggesting that his bp be monitored more frequently than every 6 months like the cardiologist recommended. She feels we should have an ambulatory bp machine so that we can monitor him at home. This is something that I will follow up on with his diagnostic referral physician and cardiologist.
Bean was a little fussy but overall, he handled the appointment pretty well. We will see her again in 4 months.
When we were done, we went to the lab and had to wait another half hour. Bean had had enough of the stroller and being held so I let him down to explore the waiting area. It's filled with lots of interesting games and activities. He showed off his walking skills and greeted everyone he saw. Twice. He put on quite the show and provided much needed entertainment for everyone that was waiting for blood work.
When they finally paged us, I was a bit anxious. The ALWAYS have a hard time with him and I hate him having to put up with them struggling to get a vein. Luck was on our side, though. The phlebotomist got it on the first stick. He cried, of course but no blown veins and we were in and out in less than five minutes. Hooray!
We should have the results by the end of the week and I am hoping that his numbers will be good enough that we can consider some new dietary/high calorie options.
Bean was so worn out after his adventure. He spent the afternoon napping and was so tired after dinner that he wasn't even interested in playing outside. He went to bed with little fight and was still sleepy today.
---------------Tomorrow, we continue our summer tour of Children's Hospital with a visit to the developmental pediatrician at the childhood development unit.
