Doctors, Dentists and Tests, Oh My!!

15 appointments and 9 baseball games in the last 14 days (not including baseball practices) can make life a little interesting, especially when you are toting 2 toddlers around too. Oh yeah, and mixed in there was a trip to Colton’s 10th grade World Cultures class to talk about Ethiopia.  Life is never dull in the Baxter household, that's for sure!

We are done with our early intervention assessment and have already met with Ellie's special instructor.  She will come once a week for the next twelve weeks and help us with some speech and occupational therapy. I think she will be a tremendous help to Ellie (and us)!  After the 12 weeks, we’ll meet again with the assessment team to see what step will be next, if any!   

Meanwhile, Ellie went to her regular pediatrician for her 1st check up etc.  Part of a normal check up for internationally adopted kiddos is a Tuberculosis skin test. This test is typically performed two times – first, immediately after arriving home, and then again 3-6 months after arrival.  The 2^nd test is necessary because it is possible the child could have been exposed to TB as they were leaving the country, and it takes a while for it to show up in their system.  Our doctor warned us that it would probably show a positive reaction because she received the BCG vaccine in Ethiopia (a TB vaccine that is typically used in third world countries which injects a live-weakened strain of TB into the child).  Well, her skin test was positive.  A positive result doesn’t mean she has TB... It just means she's been exposed to it, perhaps from the BCG vaccine. The next step was a chest x-ray, which was negative for the disease.  What she has is called latent TB.  People with latent TB do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB (small children can rarely spread the disease anyway, because their coughs are not powerful enough to send the germs into the air).  However, they may develop active TB at some time in the future so it is essential to take medicine to avoid developing active TB.  Active TB is very dangerous and can result in death.  Her case will also be followed by the Health Department to ensure she’s been treated so that she can attend public school in the future (she will always test positive – even after treatment).  So, we start treatment next week which consists of six months of taking an oral medicine!  I hope it tastes good or they can put flavor in with it, or it’s going to be a long six months!    

We also finished up her meds for Giardia, the yucky intestinal parasite, and she is in the process of being checked one more time, since it can be hard to get rid of.  And, she also finished her antibiotic for her ear infection… whew… this kid is getting good at taking medicine!   

Faith had her share of appointments as well, as a mysterious fever kept reappearing.  Have you ever had to hold down your 15 month old so they could get a urine specimen via a catheter to rule out a urinary tract infection? Not fun.. Luckily the mysterious fever went away a few days later... but 3 fevers in 6 weeks is no fun for anyone!   

Let's see.... we also had 2 teeth pulled, an orthodontist appointment,  2 dentist appointments and a hand X-rayed for our big boys... couldn't let them out of the action.  Fun times!  

I also had 2 annual check up appointments in the mix of things.... and although with everything going on with the kids I was tempted to cancel them, I know that if I'm not healthy, I can take care of my family -- so I went! 

I’m sure our insurance company is tired of seeing our names come through this month and will surely start an investigation into our family soon!! Ha ha!   I honestly didn't realize that being a mom of 4 kids can produce so many appointments and be a full time job!   Praying next month is not so 'eventful.'