Kaleb is going to go to Kindergarden in the fall, so he had to get his vaccinations. While we were at the doctor's office, we brought up a problem that has been going on for about two and a half to three years. When we first moved to (oh yeah, I don't want to tell you that), sometimes I would have to go pick Kurtis up from work. Kurtis works about 30 to 45 minutes away depending on traffic. So I'd load up the kids in the car and drive to get dad. They hated it. It was two hours of their lives when they weren't playing. Just stuck in a car sitting. One of those days, we were driving back home when out of nowhere, Kaleb just started screaming. I mean, painful, wailing. My first thoughts are, "What did you do to him Zachary?" "I didn't do anything to him!" Well, Kaleb, why are you freaking out then? "My legs hurt!!! My legs hurt!" And he screamed the whole rest of the way home in rush hour traffic. This happened pretty much everytime after that, but we didn't really know what to do or what to tell him, so he would have to scream and we'd try to calm him down when he did. Now that he is bigger, he doesn't scream any more. We are really grateful for that, but he tells us constantly, "My legs hurt." The pain usually peaks when he has to do something he doesn't want to, like eat dinner or clean his room. But he also claims, "My legs always hurt." Which indicates to me, that they never stop hurting. But I am not him, so I have no idea what is going on.
At his last appointment, our doctor decided to run some tests. She prescribed an x-ray, and a blood test. Yesterday, we went to the hospital to have that done. He was quite good for the x-ray, even though he seemed pretty uncomfortable. Then the blood draw. He sat on Kurtis's lap, so he could hold him down, and I suggested he not let Kaleb see the needle (he freaks out). But Kurtis doesn't really have a lot of experience taking our kids to the doctor, and Kaleb didn't like having him cover his eyes. Needless to say, he freaked out. Two phlobotomists, and his parents drew his blood. One to hold his arm still, Kurtis to hold his other arm and keep him from squirming, me to hold his legs to keep him from kicking the pholbotomist, and one to actually get the blood out. He did really well though. I didn't have to hold his legs very hard. I mostly just tried to help him relax.
The doctor called me with the results while I was in the shower this moring. She left a message. As I predicted, all of his test are normal, but he's a little anemic. Shocker. So he needs to eat foods with more iron in them. That will be fine. I can make that stuff, but actually getting him to put it in his mouth, chew, and swallow? Well, we'll just see how that goes, won't we?
7 comments:
Children's chewable multi-vitamins. They contain iron, right? And come in fruity flavors? Maybe I should try them with my picky eaters . . .
Hey, me too. I hate taking iron- it makes me constipated-TMI maybe, but you should know to watch for that, Drs don't always tell you because they want you to take the iron. Anyway, if he gets it from food instead of supplements=less constipation. I have refused to eat liver. If you guys eat cereal check the labels- sometimes, but not always, the store brands have more iron than the name brands. I've noticed if I feel lazy or have no desire to do anything I need more iron. I start by eating a bit of red meat (I usually just do chicken or turkey)like making a potroast for dinner or steak fajitas or beef stew and for breakfast frosted miniwheats (that's as close as I'll get to cream o' wheat that drs have reccomended to me) and drink more water. If that doesn't do the trick I take something- but not right before bed or I can't sleep, and with juice not milk- the milk absorbs it instead of letting it into your system. Maybe your doctors already went over all that. Let me know what your dr said and maybe i can use the tips you got. Keep me posted. And multi vitamins is a good suggestion- even if he will eat heatlhy, it doesn't hurt to take them, my kids' pediatrician's advice for my kids (my problem is remembering to give them s owe usually don't). So is the anemia causing his legs to hurt or is it growing pains or what about the pain?
The doctor was very uninformative. But she was just leaving me a message on my voicemail. She said if I had questions about what foods to give him I could call her, but Google is easier. She said they would take a "Wait and see" attitude with the leg pain, but Kurtis and I decided it is probably possible that his lack of iron is causing his leg pain. But of course we aren't sure. :P
I just remembered lentils and dark red kidney beans. You can add lentils to spaghetti sauce and then you really don't taste them, but they do take longer to cook than the noodles so start them first. Also, I have a couple of recipes with red kidney beans that he might go for like frito skillet. I should really just email you. :) Oh, and I'm not really Molaram, just logged in as Molaram.
Who is Molaram?
I am slightly anemic too. So is Amy. I just take a low dosage iron pill every day.
Poor guy! I hope you figure out the leg pain.
molaram is that really scary bad guy in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It's Isaac's internet name, and I think he is probably laughing that moms are getting mom-like advice from molaram.
I know- facebook.
Post a Comment