We've had about 5 doctor's appointments for Chloe in the past few weeks. We've been seeing Dr. Tucker - which is fantastic as we really like her (even Chloe). This past week Chloe kicked the ear infection that was giving her so much grief over last weekend. She seems to be feeling better and eating better...and back to *almost* her normal self.
During our last visit the nurse did all of the normal things - height, weight, head circumference, blah, blah, blah. Let's rewind to head circumference. Apparently her head has not only not grown since the last visit, it has shrunk. At first I thought it must be because she has gotten older, taller, more mature, etc. She went from the 50th percentile for head circumference to the 25th. This is not great. The doctor wants to see her again next Wednesday to do a more thorough exam and possibly refer her to a neurologist.
I've learned two very important things over the past few years, and they are: Don't freak out until it is ABSOLUTELY necessary; and no matter what - it will be okay.
I've also learned that I HATE the words "thorough exam" and "neurologist." Chloe has grown and developed in a very consistently healthy way since post-NICU. I've had no reason whatsoever to think that she isn't maturing at a normal rate. The size of her head doesn't seem abnormally small - and she's learning/growing at a normal pace. My curiosity got the best of me (as it always does) and I had to do some research online about what it could possibly mean. If anyone ever wants to freak themselves out prematurely, I highly advise a google search. Seriously. I am now a little more worried about it than I was and we're no longer joking about a witch doctor (one of the evil's in the NICU) cursing her and shrinking her head.
ALL of this talk takes me back to her birth and our prayers and her blessings of health and strength. She is a pillar of strength and shows me everyday that she has purpose. Lately I've been a bit more stressed than usual due to it being summer time, my nanny situation(s), work and sick kids. It has not been a great summer thus far - but the possibility of a new struggle makes me feel like we must be strong enough to endure whatever may come. For some reason we have these trials that make us remember why we are here and what our purpose is. A VERY wise man told me recently that sometimes when we are faced with adversity it is not for the benefit of the person going through the trial - but for the loved ones around them.
I think sometimes we are given more than we can handle - so we just fake it til we make it.
3 comments:
I hope everything is okay with Chloe! It may not mean much, but we've learned with Kyler's head issues that if he's acting okay everything is fine. He's only had problems when he starts acting different. She's so strong, we love you Chloe!
Good luck with everything...and keep us posted. You are one strong family! FYI--those little ones are hard to measure because they move so much...and measurements can vary based on the person performing the measurement. I don't profess to know everything, but maybe the reading before last was falsely high. I know at our little guy's 4 month appt., his weight was a lot higher than anything it had been at home...and I'm sure it was due to the "quick, hurry and get a weight while he's somewhat still" mentality. So...not so accurate. Anyway, at his 6 month appt., he weighed less than his four month...when in actuality, he weighed the exact same. Anyway, just a thought...and best of wishes!
You are wise beyond your years Mandy. We love you and I agree you have a strong little girl and she gets that from her strong mama.
We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted.
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