Endocrinology Fun

No, those two words really don't go together. But Clare did have her regular 3-month endocrinology appointment today. Usually the appointments are fairly routine - Has she missed any doses? Nope. Do you see any symptoms? Nope. Let's check her levels and see you back in three months. Great.

Today, however, was one of the best endocrinology appointments of all time. (Might be a stretch, but not really, if you've ever endured an endocrinology appointment.) First, Clare's blood pressure was 104/58. I don't think I have ever seen it that low! She sat so still while the nurse took her blood pressure. Then like the good little heart patient she is, she offered her second arm for another measurement (many times, Clare has to have her pressures checked in all four extremities). It was her lucky day that the nurse only needed one blood pressure measurement. A big relief that Clare's increase in her medication dose did the trick in bringing her blood pressure back down. With this news, when we see her cardiologist in March, I am fairly confident we will not be sent to have an MRI done of Clare's renal arteries.

Second big news was how much Clare has grown! She now measures 34.5 inches and weighs 23 pounds, 4 ounces. That's an increase of over 2 pounds and an inch. She has actually made it onto the growth chart for height (at the tenth percentile) and has more of a curve in weight (she will probably never be on the chart for weight, but a curve is better than a flatline).

Our third big news is that Clare's endo is trialing her off her thyroid medication. By age three, the crucial brain development stage when the thyroid is ultra-important has passed. The thyroid is still very important, but it's a safe time to see how Clare does without taking Synthroid, the synthetic thyroid hormone. In the long run, coming off her medication for six weeks won't harm her. Clare's dose has never increased since she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at six weeks old. So her body is producing some of its own thyroid hormone, and her endo feels she is a good candidate to trial off the medication. He will test Clare's thyroid levels in six weeks and see how her body does on its own. I am excited to trial her off the medication (one less med would be great!), but I am also not holding my breath since Jamie was also trialed off at the age of three and his levels plummeted. He is now on Synthroid for life. Clare's endo is also going to check her calcium levels in six weeks. If they are in the solid normal range (as they have been for the last year), then he states the chances of Clare developing hypercalcemia are slim and she is in the clear. We will do a couple rounds of blood work on her thyroid levels and see the endocrinologist again at the end of April.

So now the fun.... enjoy our crazy, adorable, sweet, lovable children!