Well, today was our second three month follow-up appointment at the endocrinology clinic in Abbotsford. It went well, with the exception of me forgetting where on earth inside the hospital it's located. I mean c'mon, it's been three months.... do you *really* expect me to remember where you are???
Dr. Stewart is good enough to drive from Vancouver to work at the Abbotsford Hospital one day a month, and we are always grateful she has spared us the hour drive to Children's. That, and Rowan didn't have the best experience at Children's, and it's kind of like returning to the scene of a crime.
Don't get me/us wrong. The treatment at Children's was fantastic. Every nurse there has the spirit of a saint. But put yourself in Rowan's shoes. Six year's old, never had the experience of blood being drawn until THAT day, and it was a lot of blood drawn I might add. Are you still in Rowan's shoes? Okay.... imagine that you absolutely feel like junk, and nurses keep coming in to try and get an IV into your hand. Tiny hands, tiny veins.... five nurses couldn't get that puppy in! I will forever remember her etiquette filled pleas: "PLEASE don't hurt me anymore, I feel better, really I do! PLEASE STOP HURTING ME!!! PLLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSEEEE". Even just typing that takes me back there, to that heartwrenching maternal experience of knowing that in your child's eyes, she's being tortured, and I'm helpless to lift this painful burden from her. I tear up easily.... apparently.
The first time we went to Children's Hospital, I didn't know what to expect, so I really hadn't prepared her for anything. Well, when L'il Bones saw Dr. Stewart it was OBVIOUS she remembered her. The freak out began promptly, and continued for the duration of the appointment with the doctor. Funny thing is, as soon as we moved on to a diabetic nurse, Rowan calmed down completely and was really rather sociable.
I was nervous that today would be a repeat performance of the Dr. Stewart freak-out.
But this time, I had experience on my side. Yay experience!!! I had the foresight to sit her down and explain that we would be going to Dr. Stewart's for a check-up, but we would come home right after, and she would not be having a sleep-over at the hospital.
I didn't really expect her to retain this, but she must have absorbed it on some level, because we were freak-out free! (thank heavens)
The long and the short of it is Rowan is doing really well. She's now in the 50 percentile for both height and weight (which boggels me, as my oldest daughter has always been in the 95th percentile.... but that's not what it's about. If she's healthy, I'll take it). Her A1C test was at 7.2 down from 7.6 at our last visit.
Unfortunately though, we left with a labratory requisition. Oh heavens, it's always something. They want to test her thyroid. There is a history of thyroid issues in my family, and they need to ensure that Rowan's is fully functioning.
So she has been given a prep talk (again) about going to get a butterfly blood test done. They use some butterfly clip that I'd never seen before, so she knows what I'm talking about. The plan is, we're going to do it on Saturday, just her and I, when her sister is visiting with Dad. We have a birthday party to attend on Saturday afternoon, and I'm hopeful that will be adequate distraction.
Long live healthy diabetic children everywhere!
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