Blood draw days are meh

So, as you know, my toddler has a condition called Congenital Hypothyroidism, which means that her thyroid gland is under performing. We now know that it’s because she only has half a thyroid gland. This is a big deal because tiny bodies need thyroid hormones to tell their brains and other parts when to develop. So if the deficiency is discovered too late (or if baby does not get the proper dosage of meds) it could cause slow development, autisim, poor muscle growth and the lack of mental growth. Because of this she has, what I’ve coined, ‘blood draw days’ every few months.

Praise God, this is not our situation. Curly is growing really well! She is still on 1 thyroid pill per day and still opens her mouth for the crushed, white powder, like a champ. But, because she is growing, she needs to go for blood draws every 2nd or 3rd month or so, to determine if the amount of medication that she gets is enough to regulate the thyroid hormone in her body. Sometimes the meds are increased. Well, most times the meds are increased because children grow and that means their bodies demand more thyroid hormone. But sometimes, a miracle occurs, and their meds are decreased or even stopped! This could be because the gland has suddenly started working or the hormone regulates itself in the child’s body. Thus far, she has had about 3 dosage increases. Her last blood draw was in November 2015 and we were so pleased to find that for the very first time, her meds was not to be increased! Joy 🙂 Well, that was 2 months ago. Which means that it was time for another blood test.

Blood draw days are not my favorite. My girl is so oblivious to it all and it sucks that I cant sit down and prepare her for what’s to come. The labs are usually very friendly and they normally allow Hubstopher and I into the room where the draw takes place because drawing bloods are different to getting an injection. I mean, the needle doesn’t go in and out. It goes in and has to stay in for a while, until enough bloods are drawn. It was easier when she was younger but now that she is a bouncey toddler, it means that Hubstopher has to hold her down by the shoulders, while I soothe her as best I can. I think that besides for the needle prick, the fact that she is being restrained frustrates her more and yep, there are always tears.

This time around, blood draw day went a bit differently though. For starters, my girl was prancing around the lab reception area, as if she owned the place. It made me think back to the very first time I brought her in for bloods… a tiny baby, wrapped in a huge pink blanket. I remember the lab assistants looking at her with curiosity and empathy, remarking that it is so rare to be testing a baby for a thyroid deficiency. I also remember being so heartbroken, praying that my child would live a healthy, happy life. And look at how God has answered my prayers. We have come such a long way since that first blood draw! The proof is in this Puddin 🙂

Anyways, cuteness overload aside, I was still very anxious, hoping that my girl wouldn’t put up too much of a fight when it came to needle time. When the lab assistant eventually told us it’s our turn, my heart did a little flip flop. And then, to my dismay, they asked us to wait outside. “Only her, mommy,” they said. A thousand thoughts went through my head, as they carried her off to a private room but, amidst all my “rational” spreadsheet brain thinking, I felt an inner peace that reassured me that everything is going to be okay.

And so there we sit, on semi-comfortable waiting room chairs, waiting with baited breath to hear her cry as they insert the needle… and after a few minutes… silence. No crying. Huh?

A couple of minutes later and ahh, there it is.

But not for long! In a matter of minutes our girl was back in our arms, a bit perplexed and tear stained, with a big piece of cotton wool taped to her arm to stop the blood flow. But she was definitely more impressed with the colourful sticker on her hand! The sticker stole the spotlight, it seems and the nurses explained that she only cried when the needle had to be removed! Clever nurses. They must be parents because that sticker is a definite Parent Hack.

Anyways, the test results came back and it turns out my Curly’s meds must be decreased! Yay! This is a big deal for us! We are trusting that she will eventually be off the meds altogether. Let’s call it a miracle, shall we? I’ll take that, thank you very much!