Our Pediatrician is My Hero!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and concerns regarding Ella's abnormal test results indicating Hypothyroidism.  It was a long night of worry and concern.  As I did so many times during my pregnancy, I lifted Ella up to God in prayer, recognizing that as hard as I may try, I can't protect her--only He can.  I can try my best to keep her as safe as humanly possible, but there are some things out of my control. 

I called the pediatrician's office this morning, and they were able to see us right away.  The first thing he asked was how long we had stayed in the hospital.  When I answered that we were released after about 26 hours, he went on to explain that it's possible that when they did the Heel Stick Test, that perhaps Ella's thyroid hadn't started working yet because it was still relying on my hormones (I hope that I'm explaining this correctly).  He sounded "hopeful" that this was the case, but calmly explained that if it wasn't, that we could address the situation easily enough with medication.  There was something in the way that he explained it all in such a calm and encouraging manner that helped me have a little sense of peace.  He then ordered a new set of labs STAT.

The phlebotomist had great bedside manner and was very kind to Ella and us, but he wasn't the most skilled at his job.  He had to stick her three times in order to collect enough blood for the TSH and T4 test for the Hypothyroidism, as well as the second round of infant screening tests (which they had neglected to order during our last two visits).  It broke my heart to see Ella in pain like that.

I was told to call the pediatrician's office back by 4:00 for the results.  I did, and was told that the triage nurse would call me back.  It's scary to have to wait those last few minutes--wondering if they didn't give me an answer right then because something was wrong.  She called back minutes later, and what an amazing relief to hear that Ella's TSH and T4 levels were within the normal range!  Praise God!

What a blessing to get this good news!  But additionally, what a blessing this pediatrician is!  I met him early in my pregnancy when my very-dear friend (who gave birth to a 9 lb baby boy on Wednesday) introduced me to him.  He was her favorite instructor while she was in medical school, and I quickly understood why.  Unfortunately, he's due to retire soon (in fact, this was supposed to be his last week, but he agreed to stay until December).  He's an amazing man, who spent the early part of his career as a doctor in the Army, and now is the father of eight kids--both biological and adopted, some with special needs.  His calm and encouraging approach was exactly what I needed today, and we are so blessed to have him caring for Ella...even if it's just for these first few weeks.