Friday, December 21, 2012

Tis the Season

Yesterday I had Drew's two month well-baby exam.  I expected the usual rigamarole of weigh in, "baby looks great", and vaccines.  The vaccines were my biggest worry.

It started out as expected.  Weigh in determined that Andrew is FIFTEEN POUNDS exactly; 88th percentile.  It is clear that the boy loves his milk and Mama is apparently making cream! 

Dr. S came in and laughed out loud at my HUGE baby, who  was laying on the exam table in only a  diaper and a huge smile.  "He's SO BIG!" she exclaimed.  "I  KNOW!"  I  responded. 

We talked about any concerns that I had.  My only "concern" with Andrew is that he is still sleeping pretty poorly.  He has a midnight bedtime and sleeps pretty fitfully.  He also "snorts" a lot, so I figured that he also had the same enlarged adenoids as his big brother, but that isn't really a big deal.  Enlarged adenoids in and of themselves aren't indications for removal.  It is only if they cause problems, as they did with Will (chronic ear and sinus infections that didn't clear easily), necessitating their removal.  I figured we'd probably face that with Drew, but although it is never fun to put your toddler under anesthesia, I also know it's a pretty risk-free procedure that yields excellent results.

We commiserated over his sleep (or lack thereof).  She made note of the snorting and my suspicion of enlarged adenoids.  And then she started with the exam.  Three  babies  with  the  same doctor,  and  I  know  what to expect  from her.   So  when  she  lingered.  .  .  and  lingered . .  . and  lingered over his  chest with the stethoscope.  . . and  lingered some  more, I felt my own heart  starting to  beat a bit faster.  She moved on anddidn't  say  anything and I figured I was just  over-analyzing things.

While she was examining him, she also asked  me about his  tongue, which  he almost ALWAYS  has out.   It is simply one of his endearing traits.  .  .  or so I thought.

She went back to his chest.  And lingered there for what seemed like a year (in reality, it was probably two or three minutes, but that is still a long time).   Finally, she turned to me and said,  "We haven't heard a murmur before, have we?"

No.  We have not.

After the episode where he stopped breathing after his birth and had to spend time in the NICU, there hasn't really been much else.  We were hospitalized for his jaundice, which I was a bit glad for, as it meant extra monitoring, and still nothing.  No murmur, despite many pediatricians having their stethoscopes to him.

So, yeah, NO.  We haven't heard a murmur before.

Then she asked me how he was doing with lifting his head while on his tummy.  I admitted that we haven't been doing a great job with tummy time. He hates it, I am in survival mode, blah, blah, blah.

She went back to his chest.  And then handed me the stethoscope.  "I want you to hear this," she said.

And I could clearly hear something that didn't sound right; a whooshing sound between beats.  A decisively LOUD murmur.  She explained that murmurs can be benign; that they are often transient, without specific cause or need for concern, but. . .

BUT.

"If it were my child, I would want an echo done."

And, the tongue thing?  That is a sign of hypotonia.  And go ahead and google it. Hypotonia is not a disease in and of itself.  It is a symptom.  Of really bad things.

So, we have a barage of appointments at Seattle Children's Hospital next week.  Even with Christmas, we were triaged in with the cardiac and neurology center.  With Will's referral to Children's for his enlarged adenoids, I didn't hear from the ENT office for a week and then we waited for months for an appointment.  With Andrew's referral?  They called me within an hour. And our appointments are in less than a week and we have been placed on the priority waiting list.

And I am scared.




14 comments:

It Is What It Is said...

Oh, Katie, worrisome indeed. However, at this point, you have many unknowns (is it hypotonia at all, and what is its cause). While, yes, many causes are scary, some are a bit more benign.

I won't tell you not to worry because how can you not, but I will tell you to try to keep it in check as best you can and see what the experts believe.

I am so sorry that you are in this position with Andrew and I will be hoping and praying that you get answers and a good prognosis.

HereWeGoAJen said...

I will be worrying along with you and hoping for it to be a false alarm.

Sunny said...

Saying prayers, fiercely and immediately. Keep us posted as much as you can, please, I will be thinking about you.

Amy said...

I've been lurking/quietly following along since you were pregnant with Will. Sending good thoughts across the country for you and baby Drew. Hang in there Mama.

K said...

Sending prayers your way....

Christine said...

My daughter had poor muscle tone and a heart murmur. She turns 3 in feb. all is well with her. Try not to worry yet. Have a nice Christmas

Laura said...

Praying for you guys. And worrying with you.

Anonymous said...

Thinking of you and the family. Try not to worry and instead enjoy your kids. Hang in there.

Ashley said...

So sorry to hear of the worrisome news about Drew. Hoping the tests will show all is okay with your littlest man!

erin said...

I too cannot tell you not to worry as I would be worried as well, however it seems as thought there are many choices for treatment of hypotonia and the underlying causes range so much! I will be praying and hoping you get the answers you need soon!

Annalien said...

Thinking of you in this time and hope you have answers soon! May the peace of God be with you.

Beth said...

Praying for peace and simplicity, for you and your little big man. Hugs!

Anonymous said...

Oh Katie, I'm so sorry. Holding your hand while you wait. xo

erin said...

I keep thinking about you and your family and am wondering how the appointments are going... please know that there is a whole community here pulling and pryaing for you and waiting to hear how Drew is doing...