Test Results

On Thursday I called our pediatrician to see if they had the results from Barrett's tests. I forgot that our doctor only works M-W-F. The nurse that returned my call (not our normal nurse) said that they had received some of the results, however, some of the tests were still pending. She said that there were a few abnormal results, but she didn't know if they were anything to worry about or not. She said the dr would call me on Friday. I couldn't believe that she said that to me!! Why would you tell a mother that there were abnormal test results for her child and say, "I don't know if they're anything to worry about or not, but we'll call you tomorrow and let you know." Crazy! Thankfully, God gave me peace and I honestly didn't worry. (On the other hand, I didn't tell my mom what the nurse had reported because I knew that she would not have been able to sleep!)

I waited patiently on Friday...until noon. Then I called and left a message for the dr to call. I called again at 4 pm and let the receptionist know that the nurse the day before had given me cause for concern. Our nurse called back 15 minutes later. She was shocked that a nurse would've said that to me. In her words, "She must not be a mom!" lol. Our nurse informed me that the abnormal results had to do with celiac disease (a gluten intolerance). She said that they were still waiting on some other lab work so the results were currently inconclusive and that I really shouldn't worry. When we got off the phone I was really struggling not to worry!

At 6:30 our doctor called. She was a little upset at all the information the other nurses had given me. She said that she had been waiting to gather all the results before calling so that she could give me accurate information. She said that if she'd know what the first nurse had said, then she would've called first thing this morning just to ease my mind. Between 4:15 and 6:30 they received the results to all of the tests except for one (the sweat test which tests for cystic fibrosis).

Blood tests: white blood cell count is normal (no infection), sodium is normal, potassium is normal, he has mild anemia which can be attributed to his current diet (or lack thereof) and can be remedied once we can convince him to eat more....or with a multi-vitamin, urine/kidney function = normal

Urine test: he had a little protein in his urine, but (according to the dr) this isn't any biggie. They may test it again later to see if it changes once his diet improves.

Stool test: normal. His body absorbs fat correctly. The elastase levels were good which means he makes good pancreatic enzymes.

Celiac disease: This is a three part test. The first test they had gotten the results for showed elevated IGA levels (this was the abnormal results). The other two parts to the test came back "normal". She contacted the GI specialist at Cooks and they said that the IGA levels were within their "normal" range and that the results of these tests show that he does not have celiac disease! Yay!!!

Thyroid function: normal

Sweat chloride test: still waiting on these results (this tests for cystic fibrosis).

Conclusion: She thinks that Barrett is just small, uses a lot of energy, and doesn't take in enough calories. After we get the sweat test back (assuming that it's negative), then she'll send us to meet with a nutritionist at Cooks. I would gladly welcome the help of a nutritionist! I've been keeping a food diary for Barrett for the last week and a half and have discovered that the boy hardly eats anything! On Thursday he ingested less than 300 calories of solid food and only had 9 oz of milk! Most days he drinks more milk than that (usually 20+ oz), but it was a typical day for solid food. I offer him a wide variety of food. Although it goes against everything I know, I offer him ice cream, candy, and brownies. He'll turn his nose up and push those away just like any other food I offer. CRAZY! I'm hoping a nutritionist will be able to offer me some fresh advice. I don't want to just "fatten him up", I want him to be healthy. I don't want to start his life out getting him addicted to fats and sweets. I'd rather help him grow with nutritional, healthy foods!

Thanks for all the prayers. I was never really too concerned about his weight (he's just small), but I'm glad to get the tests out of the way so that my dr will also have a peace of mind.