Sunday, January 22, 2017

Another specialist

Well I suppose it's about time for an update on our next medical adventure. Endocrinology!

I've always thought Arron drank a lot of fluids. Like, more than a typical kid. So much so, that I actually took him to the pediatrician about a year ago. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Dr. Johnson, the best ped on the face of the planet. We saw one of the other folks at Group Health who wasn't as familiar with Arron's medical history & our family's knack for odd diagnoses. She wasn't overly concerned but ordered a few labs, which came back borderline, but unconcerning. So she said there was nothing to worry about & sent us on our way. 

It has continued as a nagging concern in the back of my mommy mind & a few weeks ago one of the teachers at daycare mentioned a relative's child with a similar issue who, once properly diagnosed caught up on the growth charts & has done so much better. She also said that Arron drinks & pees more than any other kid she's ever had in any of her classes. (And she's not new to daycare!) For reference, we've been monitoring his fluid intake this week & it's ranged from 45-76 oz per day. The average toddler is around 35 oz with the remainder of the fluids coming from the foods they eat. 

So I fired off a message to Dr. Johnson, who ordered some labs for before we would meet with him. At the appointment, his blood work was again borderline, but his urine was very diluted. As we talked, Dr. Johnson agreed that a formal evaluation for diabetes insipidus was appropriate. Thankfully, DI is not related to the blood sugar issues we think of when we hear diabetes. It's an electrolyte imbalance condition. DI is treated by an endocrinologist or a nephrologist depending on the type, but usually endocrine. So we've been referred to see them. If they suspect DI, we may need to do a test where he stays overnight at the hospital for them to control his intake & monitor his output. They can also try a dose of medication & see how he responds. 

As long as we are going to see an endocrinologist, Dr. Johnson is also going to have them evaluate Arron's thyroid & growth hormones to make sure they don't account for his peanut size. 

On the up side, we did a bone age study, which is an X-ray of the forearm & hand where they evaluate the growth plates & compare it to some standard. He has the skeleton of a 1 year old. Which is actually good news because it means he could continue to grow for nearly a year & a half after his peers stop growing. But if he's got any hormone issues, the sooner we find & correct it, the sooner he will start to catch up & the better chance we have of him not losing out on any of that growth potential. 

So March 28, we will see our new specialist & get lots of labs drawn & go from there.