Jennifer sent an e-mail to some friends and family earlier in the week asking for prayer as another attempt would be made to draw blood from Janie Grace today (Friday). We're very pleased to let you know that today was successful on just the 2nd attempt!!!! Janie even let the nurse take 3 syringes worth of blood! Without exaggeration, Christmas came early at our house, particularly for Jennifer and Janie Grace. I was so relieved when Jennifer called.
As you all know, blood work is part of the routine exam administered to young children at wellness visits. We've come to learn that blood work is even more important for children with Down Syndrome as, among other things, thyroid issues aren't an "if" but a "when". Therefore, it's vital for Janie to have extensive blood work done every six months as undetected thyroid issues can impair development.
You may recall that Janie has never been one to give up her blood real easily. Despite valiant effort, the experts at Brenner even struggled. The day before her heart surgery, the surgeon had to draw her blood in a manner considered to be risky (apparently reserved for surgeons only), but Janie had given no other choice!
At her 1-year appointment last week, the pediatrician's office was unsuccessful. A facility we were referred to, where we'd been when she was tiny, was unsuccessful earlier this week after an hour's worth of attempts (not fun for Jennifer and Janie at all...both were in tears).
Apparently, Janie has several issues working against her with respect to a successful blood draw. 1) She's little. 2) She's a heart baby. 3) She has Down Syndrome. 4) Ironically, she's chunkin' up a bit (which we just laugh about these days considering the level of stress we had about her weight 1 year ago this time).
At the recommendation of some nursing friends (thanks Rebekah & Krista), Jennifer took some notable measures. 1) Janie is probably more hydrated at the moment than she's ever been. Last night, I put pedialyte in her before bed and her normally soft belly felt like a brick! 2) On a sunny 62-degree day in Greensboro (feels just like Christmas!), Janie was wearing a sweater and was covered in a blanket on her way to the doctor in order to make her really warm. Perhaps it was these things or the expert hands of the nurse, but we're suggesting that lots of prayers didn't hurt either in allowing today's attempt to be successful. Therefore, look for an email asking for prayer the week of JG's blood draws in the future and also be aware that there might be a shortage of Gatorade in the stores that week!
Merry Christmas!
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