Saturday, August 14, 2010

4 Year Old Well Check-Up Results

Friday we (finally) had Daniel’s 4 year old check up.  I called two months before his 4th birthday and they still couldn’t get us in until just this past Friday, nearly two months after he turned 4!

Anyway…

I was surprised and pleased by how in depth they were – to spare you the reading, I’ll just summarize.

Height & Weight:  41 inches and 38 1/4 pounds.  He fluctuates between 38 and 40 pounds.  Just can’t quite get him over the 40 pound mark, but that’s okay because…

On the Charts:  Daniel is in the 50th percentile for weight and in the doctors words “a smidge over 75th percentile for height”!  She was excited by his height growth!

Blood Pressure:  Normal

Hemoglobin and Lead Reading: (Didn’t know they planned to prick his finger.  Good thing Troy was able to go, because I hate that!  I digress…Normal

Urine Sample:  Normal (Yay – due to his ongoing medical condition)

Hearing Screening:  Perfect – We have now confirmed he truly does have selective hearing.

Eye Sight Screening:  The doctor suggested possibly having a true exam done sometime in the next six months as he was reading at 20/40.  HOWEVER, 2 of the shapes on the 40/40 level I don’t think he even knew, because I sure didn’t until I was 2 feet in front of the chart (Note to self: Maybe I need an eye exam?)  The doctor did assure us, it was a screening, and sometimes they don’t get a true reading until they are a bit older.

Questions we asked:

Daniel is still using both hands to write/eat/etc.:  Doctor said this was still okay even though by Daniel’s age most children have “declared” themselves as to which hand they want to use.  We believe almost 100% Daniel is truly a lefty, however the doctor mentioned the possibility of him being ambidextrous because he did use both hands to draw for her and did well with both hands.  My grandmother is am/…another sign God chose him for our family!

Daniel suffers from nosebleeds.  Sometimes rare, sometime 3 in a week.:  It’s okay, more common with little boys than girls and not unusual.  She checked his nose out and the right side does have close capillaries.  Saline spray was recommended when he has trouble.

He has a small mole on his arm.  Is it okay?:  Looks perfectly normal.  (I think she thought we were being a little picky at that point because, well, it’s tiny, but I’m a paranoid parent!)

The ending:  TWO updated vaccinations.  I didn’t realize it but anything after the age of 4 counts towards Kindergarten shots.  Since we plan to start Daniel next fall, the shots would count.  However (because once again I’m paranoid and picky), I only allow Daniel to be given two shots at a time in one visit.  I refuse to do all 4 or 5 in one sitting.  So after being questioned by the doctor why they can’t do all of them, we decided on a mix of two we had done together before.  DPT booster and Polio booster. 

This time they did them in Daniel’s arms and when the stuck him he said very loudly…

“Mommy, I did not ask them to do that”.

Everyone laughed.

Daniel ran a small fever last night, and his arm (tetanus side) swelled up and turned pretty red all over.  He woke me up 3 times during the night (even with Tylenol).  Poor thing.  The first time he woke me up he came in the room crying a bit and said “Mommy, someone broke my arm”.  Talk about a mild heart attack.  I had one!

We called the doctor and they assured us this was okay, but we may have them look at it tomorrow if it’s not better.  Apparently the 4th or 5th booster (this was his 5th) causes this type of reaction more often.  Since this was the first one in the arm, we had not seen this reaction before. 

So far tonight he is sleeping soundly. 

All in all, a good check up!

13 comments:

www.adventureswithaidan.org said...

We had the same reactions!!! Arm-swollen and painful for a couple of says; selective hearing confirmed! : ) ; all normal stuff AND Aidan still uses both hands as well--we think he may be a lefty, too, but does wirte a lot with his right. . .

junglemama said...

Alex has nosebleeds and so does Julia. I hear it is related to allergies.

Jill said...

Aww, poor guy. I've always heard the K physical is brutal and it sounds like they went ahead and did most of it now (I know the sight/hearing/finger prick is K requirements). Probably good to do it now if it takes that long to get him in.

If you need the name of a FABULOUS eye doctor, I can give you the one we used in C'ville. They were totally awesome, even got M's eyes dilated without any fuss. And they practice the shapes before testing the eyes (and they were easy shapes like horses, birthday cakes, handprints, etc). They were even able to tell when my little comedian started making up things and got her back on track! M still asks when she gets to go back (she doesn't need to at this point).

Big hugs to our growing friend! Hope that arm is better for school....he'll be handicap if he can't grab M in a bearhug!

Tracey and Chuck said...

Great news from his Well Check. It takes a long time for us to get into our doctor too for well checks....I have to remember going forward to call a long time ahead!!We know all about that "selective" hearing as well!! :)

Craig and Phyllis said...

I remember being in the mall when my bio son was around 4. There were people there doing free hearing screenings. I had them do Ryan. And yes, they confirmed the selective hearing that I had suspected! Must be something about 4 years old! : ) Glad to hear that he is doing so well!

Dede said...

Sounds like Daniel is doing well. That was interesting to read about him using both hands to write and color with. Liam does that too and I didn't know what that meant.

Becky and Keith said...

Love the update! Sounds like he is growing and growing! I hate vaccinations. We do them because I had them as a kid and turned out okay (ha!) but Andrew screams bloody murder. I did it last time by myself. This time Keith is coming! :-) Can't wait to see you guys!

Carey and Norman said...

Sounds like a great update! Way to go, Daniel!! Our daughter (turned 6 in June) still can't get over the 40 pound mark...maybe I should say lucky girl! :o)

Can't wait to see you!!

Gloria said...

Glad to hear it went well!

Carrie said...

So glad his check up went so well. My Sam has nosebleeds. He had one while we were in Moscow and it scared me to death. I don't know if Daniel gets them at night. Sam does. So I was told to put Vaseline on a q-tip and put it in his nose. I know you did not ask for advice but it has helped us.

Anonymous said...

Hi Rachel,
I am so happy to hear how well Daniel's exam went! Oh, I just hate when they have to get shots - Olivia started her's 2 weeks ago and I am sure it hurts me more than it hurts her!
I hope we keep in touch now that I soon am ending my blog!
Take care...
Teresa

Chris said...

Glad all is well Daniel is growing nicely. Our daughter Anneliese a lefty as well, and often gets nosebleeds. With the dry air in Colorado, it isn't uncommon.

Christine and Stephen said...

Great update ... hope he is feeling better after those shots!!!
Roman also has nose bleeds ... they either don't happen for a while or he has a few in a row ... good to know it's more common for boys ... we've been a little freaked out about it and the possibility of him having surgery in a few months!!
Christine