Tuesday Carson saw his pediatrician for his 5-year-old check up. First let me say that I love his pediatrician. There is several docs in the group but I always request the same one when it comes to the annual checks. He very good with Carson and has been very open and honest with me since the beginning. If he doesn't have a clue about something he will direct me to who he thinks would be the best for us. If he feels that someone is a great doc but has a horrible bed-side manner he tells us. He doesn't pull any punches and that is something that I respect.
Carson always starts to get nervous when we pull into the parking lot and he can see the building. His cheeks start to get red and he becomes more audible. When we signed in they took a picture of him for their records. He's a ham so he smiled big for them. He was happy when he found a bead maze to play with in the waiting room. He pretended not to hear Michelle when she called him back to a room. Michelle is a really sweet girl. She has been there since I started bringing Baylee to the practice. She knows us by name and will ask where the other kid is if I only bring one and not the other.
I picked him up and took him back. She asked the usual questions about home life and animals and baby-sitters etc. It felt good to tell her that he doesn't have to go anymore. Normally at the yearly visit they will check eyes and ears and do a urine sample but because he sees ENT and ophthalmology and is in diapers none of these things were touched on. It makes things easier for Michelle and I'm okay with that. She was able to do height and weight and tried to get a blood pressure but with his sensory issues he just screams or holds his breath so it won't get a reading.
Back in the room she handed me a paper on what your child should be doing at the age of five. Of course I don't even bother to read it. What's the point? I was interested in the paragraph labeled: Getting Ready For Kindergarten. Here is the list they gave of things to consider before deciding if your child is ready for class:
Keep hands to self while in line; sit and pay attention for at least 5 minutes; sit quietly while listening to a story; help with clean-up activities; work and play with other children in small groups; do what the teacher asks; get dressed; and use the bathroom without help. Let's see.... no, no, no, possibly, nope, nope, definitely not and not in a million years. This wasn't starting out well. Can your child stand and hop on one foot? Throw and catch balls? Hold a pencil correctly? Cut with scissors? Copy or trace a line and circle? Again. No, not really, sometimes, when he wants to, no. It's almost comical. I mean with Baylee she was always ahead of the curve. He is always behind.
I stripped him to his diaper which made him very happy but as soon as I try to set him on the side of the table just for some extra support since I was holding him he began to scream and lash out. He knows being on the table means things are going to happen to him. Doctor's appointments are not easy. The bigger Carson gets the harder they have become. He is now able to fight much more effectively. Lucky for me his pediatrician knows this and tries to make it easy on both Carson and myself. As soon as he comes into the room Carson starts screaming and scrambles into my lap. The doctor just laughs and tells Carson that if he could examine him from the hallway he would. "We're old friends. You just don't remember." he tells him. Carson just screams.
He first asks me what my concerns are. The only one I had was something that Patty had pointed out the day before. She mentioned that he has 'soft feet'. She is concerned with the way he pronates his feet because of the lack of support because of his low muscle tone. His legs bow inwards and can possibly do damage to his hips. Looking at his feet he decided that the best route to take would be to see a podiatrist. He said that orthopedics usually lean towards surgery more than he would like to see so he was more comfortable having us see them first.
We discussed the option to have a handicapped plaque for my car, something I was never really gave much thought-unless we were parked out in East Bufu and I had forgotten a stroller. He can't walk far on his own. It doesn't help that he really isn't self-aware of his center of gravity and leans forward most of the time. He will usually take a few steps and then turn and raise his arms for me to pick him up. At almost 50 pounds I know it's not going to be long before I can't carry him anymore. I asked him if he felt that it was appropriate and without hesitation he said yes. He explained that with all of the stress and hurdles that we deal with on a day to day basis if there was one thing that he could do for me to make my life just that much easier he was happy to do it, so I agreed.
We also briefly talked about the fact that Carson has gained 8 pounds in seven months. I had noticed that he was chunking up a bit (in the face) but wasn't concerned since he had always been so skinny. He really pressed the food issue since Carson is such a picky eater...lately it's been chicken nuggets and milk for every meal-including breakfast. But what can you do? A child with the will and the comprehension that he owns his body and nothing will go in that he won't allow not to mention a gag-reflex that will make him throw-up EVERYTHING if something slimy, gooey, mushy etc sneaks in. I have to pick my battles. At this point I'm just glad that he's eating.
When it came time to actually examine him, we took the "easy" approach. I used my body as the table and restrained him the best ways I could. He checked his ears (lots of wax but thankfully the tubes are still in those tiny ear canals), his eyes, his belly, boy parts and his reflexes. I feel bad for the kids waiting in the next room cause the screaming coming from ours had to be terrifying lol. We had the option to give him a flu shot but I decided to let it go for now. His sister needs one too and honestly I didn't want to do it without a little back-up from Mike. The doctor cracked up as he told me about a recent patient with severe autism that they had to chase and tackle in a back hallway to give him his shots. They sat on him. Really. The mom was in on it but he said it was comically wrong on so many levels.
He as always tells me if I have any concerns to call. I'm the quarterback and he's just the back-up. I call the shots. I like that. Just the fact that he isn't pushy about what I do and don't do for Carson. He knows for the most part I am pretty laid-back about things. I don't want him to become a science experiment just because he has a condition that is so rare. He did touch on the homeschooling issue and told me that there are usually good things that come from it, as long as I don't let him become unsocialized. When I told him how he acts away from me he asked who Carson does trust. The answer: My mom and my 12-year-old niece Holly. That's it. I think then he really understood why I am so concerned about him going to school.
Carson was happy to put his clothes back on when they left the room. He knew it was time to go home. So we were off with our referral and script in hand. Not bad news.
The next day I had to drive over an hour one way to pick up our hog from the butcher. I found a local farm that is raising animals with non-GMO feed and the cows are free-range only. I am trying to convert to a more wholesome diet for all of us. I recently read a book called, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Great book. I highly recommend it. It has really changed the way I look at and buy my food. Mike is a type I diabetic and honestly myself and Baylee could use to lose a few pounds so I am trying everything I can to stay healthy.
Carson was great in the car the entire time. All country back roads. When we got back to town we dropped off my mom's half at her house and then headed to the BMV to get his handicapped plaque for the car. It was a very simple process. I had a form to fill out and turned it in with my script from the pediatrician. It cost a total of $3.50. It will be renewed next year if it's needed. I can pretty much say now that it will be unless he gets significantly stronger in the next 12 months.
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