We were shown to an exam room by a nurse who took Olivia's vital signs; 9lbs 8oz & 23 1/4 inches
long -- our little peanut is growing... slowly but steadily. The clinic was neat, clean, and fairly new. Good first impressions. When Dr. Van Es came in and introduced himself he said "Well I've read a lot about Olivia from all the specialists so it's nice to finally meet her in person." Dr. Van Es spent the better part of an 1 hour talking to us about Olivia's history and treatments so far. Asking about her milestones and telling us what to expect over the next months. When is the last time you got 1 hour face time with a physician? We were very happy.
He then did a very thorough exam -- which Olivia did take exception to -- finding nothing
remarkable outside of her known afflictions. Dr. Van Es made it a point to stress the importance of vigilance with 'The Diva', she walks a fine line health wise so any questions we have we should contact their office and they'll find an answer for us. He also made it an option to bring 'Her Majesty' in through the side door for her appointments, so she wouldn't have to wait in the main waiting room with any sick 'peasants.'.
Once the Dr. was gone it was time for the dreaded Vaccines.
Duh da daaaaaa ......
Olivia, having plenty of experience in the field of Pokeology, eyeballed the nurse as soon as she walked through the door. "The Look" is hard to describe, but it's very distinct. Olivia's facial expression doesn't really change, yet her eyes get slightly wider and steeled for the next event.A slight tensing of her body can be felt too. Her little Blue-Gray eyes observing every movement, rolling as far to the side of her head as possible as to not lose sight of her foe.
Olivia had only been given her HepB vaccine when she was born, all others had been postponed until now because of Olivia's Surgeries and hospitalizations. On this visit the Little Peanut (aka Little Turd), was subjected to an alphabet soup of vaccines: RV, DTaP, Hib, PCV, & IPV. This consisted of 1 oral and 3 jabs into her legs. I'm not exaggerating when I say jab, seriously it seemed like the nurse wound up to pitch a fastball with a needle & syringe. With
the little meat that is on O's thigh's, I was waiting for the needle to come out the other side and jab me in the leg.... Olivia's reaction I'm sure is identical to most infants/children's... there's a delay of 5 seconds or so before the stick registered in her brain, but the did she let loose a wail of pitiful proportions. Sara just commented again the other day that watching those vaccines was almost more difficult than holding her to get her blood drawn. Once the poking was over though, she quieted down quickly and slept most of the rest of the afternoon.
On our way home from this visit, it suddenly hit me that this was Olivia's FIRST wellness check-up. This Dr's visit had nothing to do Allagile, Tetralogy, or Kidneys!!!! Every visit up to this point had been to check something to do with her ailments. Only took us four months to get here, but hopefully before long I'll be writing more about these routine visits and normal baby milestones than her 'sick visits.'
Till the next time..... Olivia will be Chillin' in style.
to darn cute!
ReplyDeleteshe is adorable....first off. sorry she had to get poked. Now to introduce myself. I am Thelma and twice per week baby sitter of a little girl with alagille's syndrome. She will be two years old next month...I have been babysitting her since Febuary. Her mom works 6 days a week and I have her twice per week when her other baby sitter is off. She also goes to a special day care. I do not undestand the syndrome or the side effects of the syndrome. the things I do know about Miya
ReplyDelete1. She was born premature (not sure how much..need to ask)
2. She has already had surgery on her liver or her kidneys...not sure again...her mom is not that forthcoming about info....I think mostly because usually is is pretty late when she picks up Miya and she just wants to get home.
3. She has a feeding tube via a mickey (sp?) in her tummy.
4. She is 18 lbs...approximaely
5. She has to weight 20 I think to be put on the transplant list.
6. She itches incessantly and NOTHING seems to help.
7. I need more info..I don't know how to help her besides the meds she has twice a day for the itching. she claws herself so bad.she bleeds...
8. She is sweet and precious.
9. She sometimes seems to have pain but have no idea where.
10. Does it effect uh...how smelly their poops are? cause hers are uh horrid.
11. Because she has been on feeding tube for so long she takes nothing by mouth and is in feeding therapy at her special day care.
12. It also effects something to do with her lungs or diaphragm?? sometimes she coughs so bad she loses her breath...no idea if she turns blue or not because she is an African american baby...
13. Her eyes are very jaundiced....sometimes they look worse than others and i have no idea why it looks worse sometimes and better sometimes...I know it has to do with the liver
I have lots of questions but that is probably enough for now. I love this little girl and may end up keeping her more.
oh and her skin like on her hands and feed is bumpy...different not sure how to explain it...in any case I am seeking info to help her when she is in my care. She is a darling and I want her to be as comfortable as possible.
If you don't mind I will follow your blog and your precious baby..she is so beautiful.
my email is thelmama4jc@gmail.com and I do have a blog regarding my own family which I think you can link to by clicking my name....in any case....I know you are busy....so just whenever you get the chance. your family and baby have been added to my daily prayer list....God bless and thanks for reading.
hopefully this will link you to the posts about her on my blog...if I did it right that is..LOL
ReplyDeletehttp://adventuresasaproverbs31mommy.blogspot.com/search?q=Miya
Ben She looks great!
ReplyDeleteScott H
Some nurses seem like real MONSTERS when it comes to giving injections, and some are as gentle as can be. I remember one particular occasion when given an injection that the nurse hit the bone in my arm ... It put me off injections for years. Today I still prefer not to look at the needle going in ... although once it's in there, I have absolutely no problem looking at it, or the squeezing or anything ... just that puncture.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the nurse with the icepick technique is the only downside to this practice!
Hey guys! Thanks so much for commenting on Elijah's blog. Wow, Olivia and Elijah certainly do have a lot in common, don't they? Olivia is such a cutie!! I'm so happy that you found a pediatrician who you love, and also that you have a trusted cardiologist. Those two things are sooo important.
ReplyDeleteWe will add you to our blog list so we can keep up on the sweet little girl. Again, thanks for introducing yourself and for leaving a note! It's great to have others to walk the journey with. We are all too familiar with the point in your journey you are at right now...please let me know if there is anything I can do to make things easier. The dropping sats and anticipating that second surgery brings back some very fresh memories and feelings for me.. It's not an easy road, but having others to empathize with has been so helpful for us in the past. We will most certainly walk this road with you!
Have a great day! xo
Megan, Dan & Elijah