Doctor Day
Yesterday was Colin's doctor day. And I mean that literally. We spent nearly the whole day seeing various and sundry doctors. Poor kiddo!
Our day started early - we had to be at St. Peter's hospital by 8:00 AM to meet with the Cranio-Facial team for his bi-annual checkup. They're pretty amazing, and have a great setup. Instead of us going from doctor to doctor they check us in, then we head down to a room and that's it. They hang a sign on the door and one by one the doctors come to you. Yesterday a number of the normal doctors were out, but we still had a long day:
Nurse Practitioner: checked height (32") and weight (25.5 pounds).
Ear/Nose/Throat: checked Colin's ears, found fluid in one and took this really cool tool and got all the wax out of his entire ear canal. (Which was really gross, and really cool at the same time.) The little guy had a massive cold for nearly 2 weeks, so I wasn't entirely shocked by this, but still... not good. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and recommended that we give Colin Mucinex as well to finish off the last of the stupid congestion.
Dentist: this was a bad one... instead of playing nice Colin got man-handled, but he did a thorough exam. Colin currently has 13 teeth (and more coming in!). On the not-so-happy side, the dentist said that the alveolar cleft remains, which means there's a "notch" in his gums. What this means is that the bone on his upper gums is wishbone shaped, and when Colin is a little older (8-10) he'll need a bone graft. I'm not thrilled, and keep hoping this can be avoided, but we'll deal with that when the time comes.
Social Worker: this one is always an issue for me. She's a nice enough woman, but I always feel like I have to defend my position as mother and my skills (or lack thereof) as a parent. In my heart I know Colin is a happy, loved, and well-cared-for little boy, but there's a small (but loud) paranoid part of me that is always worried I'll say something and they'll try to take him away from me. Over my dead body is the next thought that flashes through my head, but for me this is always the most anxiety-inspired part of our visit.
Speech Pathologist: while normally Colin can't be quiet for more than 5 seconds at a time (he is his father's child!!!) when they came in he went silent. Not a peep. Moments before they came in Colin walked over to a poster on the wall. It is like a Where's Waldo - a black background with a couple of hundred little images on it. Colin pointed out the lion (rrooooar!) then I asked him to find other items which he did successfully (cat, dog, fish, beetle). But the moment the ladies entered the room he went mute. (AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!) I assured them that he is a really chatty boy, but felt like the guy who found Michigan J. Frog... suuuuure, Mrs. Sharma... your boy talks. All the time. Mmmm-hmmm. Riiiight. I let them know that I am not the least bit worried about his verbal develoment - the kid's vocabulary has become so extensive I can't keep track of it any more! He even has some short sentences ("I did it!" and "I see you!"). At our next visit (a year from now) they'll do a full evaluation - hopefully by then he'll be his normal chatty even with an audience!
Audiologist: because of the fluid in Colin's ears she couldn't do the test, but I assured her that he has dog-like hearing and I have absolutely no concerns. She was so nice - she came in and gave Colin a little toy car, just so his visit wouldn't all be poking and prodding.
Nurse Coordinator: this is Joan Rubin, who is truly an angel. She's kind, clearly adores the kids she sees with and the good work she is doing, and really takes an interest in each patient as an individual.
The doctors who were out yesterday included: plastic surgeon, pediatric orthodontist, and the oral surgeon. Guess we'll have to catch them all next time!
After all that excitement poor Colin was exhausted and took a 2-hour nap, then we were off to the pediatrician for his regular checkup. Colin passed everything with flying colors, and the pediatrician said that based on Colin's development we can (HOORAY!) start some early potty training. This will be a long process, but you can bet your bippy I picked up a potty seat on the way home yesterday, and will be starting to experiment with it this weekend. (How incredible would it be if he were out of diapers before he's two???? I know - I'm getting ahead of myself. But still... a mom's gotta dream!
Colin is still tracking a little on the small side (25-50th percentile for height and weight), but he's growing steadily and in general is a really healthy and happy little guy.
After his traumatic day Colin was pooped, and fell asleep almost immediately after I strapped him into his carseat. When we got home I laid down with him on the sofa and he continued his nap, after which we went to the playground and he ran around like his usual crazy self for over an hour. Thankfully we're done with doctors now for a whole six months. WOO HOO!!!
Our day started early - we had to be at St. Peter's hospital by 8:00 AM to meet with the Cranio-Facial team for his bi-annual checkup. They're pretty amazing, and have a great setup. Instead of us going from doctor to doctor they check us in, then we head down to a room and that's it. They hang a sign on the door and one by one the doctors come to you. Yesterday a number of the normal doctors were out, but we still had a long day:
Nurse Practitioner: checked height (32") and weight (25.5 pounds).
Ear/Nose/Throat: checked Colin's ears, found fluid in one and took this really cool tool and got all the wax out of his entire ear canal. (Which was really gross, and really cool at the same time.) The little guy had a massive cold for nearly 2 weeks, so I wasn't entirely shocked by this, but still... not good. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and recommended that we give Colin Mucinex as well to finish off the last of the stupid congestion.
Dentist: this was a bad one... instead of playing nice Colin got man-handled, but he did a thorough exam. Colin currently has 13 teeth (and more coming in!). On the not-so-happy side, the dentist said that the alveolar cleft remains, which means there's a "notch" in his gums. What this means is that the bone on his upper gums is wishbone shaped, and when Colin is a little older (8-10) he'll need a bone graft. I'm not thrilled, and keep hoping this can be avoided, but we'll deal with that when the time comes.
Social Worker: this one is always an issue for me. She's a nice enough woman, but I always feel like I have to defend my position as mother and my skills (or lack thereof) as a parent. In my heart I know Colin is a happy, loved, and well-cared-for little boy, but there's a small (but loud) paranoid part of me that is always worried I'll say something and they'll try to take him away from me. Over my dead body is the next thought that flashes through my head, but for me this is always the most anxiety-inspired part of our visit.
 |
| Michigan J. Frog |
Speech Pathologist: while normally Colin can't be quiet for more than 5 seconds at a time (he is his father's child!!!) when they came in he went silent. Not a peep. Moments before they came in Colin walked over to a poster on the wall. It is like a Where's Waldo - a black background with a couple of hundred little images on it. Colin pointed out the lion (rrooooar!) then I asked him to find other items which he did successfully (cat, dog, fish, beetle). But the moment the ladies entered the room he went mute. (AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!) I assured them that he is a really chatty boy, but felt like the guy who found Michigan J. Frog... suuuuure, Mrs. Sharma... your boy talks. All the time. Mmmm-hmmm. Riiiight. I let them know that I am not the least bit worried about his verbal develoment - the kid's vocabulary has become so extensive I can't keep track of it any more! He even has some short sentences ("I did it!" and "I see you!"). At our next visit (a year from now) they'll do a full evaluation - hopefully by then he'll be his normal chatty even with an audience!
Audiologist: because of the fluid in Colin's ears she couldn't do the test, but I assured her that he has dog-like hearing and I have absolutely no concerns. She was so nice - she came in and gave Colin a little toy car, just so his visit wouldn't all be poking and prodding.
Nurse Coordinator: this is Joan Rubin, who is truly an angel. She's kind, clearly adores the kids she sees with and the good work she is doing, and really takes an interest in each patient as an individual.
The doctors who were out yesterday included: plastic surgeon, pediatric orthodontist, and the oral surgeon. Guess we'll have to catch them all next time!
After all that excitement poor Colin was exhausted and took a 2-hour nap, then we were off to the pediatrician for his regular checkup. Colin passed everything with flying colors, and the pediatrician said that based on Colin's development we can (HOORAY!) start some early potty training. This will be a long process, but you can bet your bippy I picked up a potty seat on the way home yesterday, and will be starting to experiment with it this weekend. (How incredible would it be if he were out of diapers before he's two???? I know - I'm getting ahead of myself. But still... a mom's gotta dream!
Colin is still tracking a little on the small side (25-50th percentile for height and weight), but he's growing steadily and in general is a really healthy and happy little guy.
After his traumatic day Colin was pooped, and fell asleep almost immediately after I strapped him into his carseat. When we got home I laid down with him on the sofa and he continued his nap, after which we went to the playground and he ran around like his usual crazy self for over an hour. Thankfully we're done with doctors now for a whole six months. WOO HOO!!!
Comments