18 month check-up
Yesterday afternoon was Logan's 18th month check-up. I've been looking forward to this appointment for a while because I had a list of questions & concerns to go over. This list was much longer than all of the other appointment questions.

We got there & I filled out paperwork while Bill & Logan ran around the waiting area. Yes, both Logan & Bill were running in a public place, pointing at things making funny noises; you would have thought they were the same age.

A nurse escorted us back into an exam room & I undressed Logan down to his diaper. He weighed a little under 25 lbs (25th percentile) & measured 33 inches long (75th percentile). I explained that we never had the chance to see the pediatric allergist that we were referred to on our last appointment because of a change in insurance companies. I also mentioned that because Logan has not gone thought proper testing, we were not going to go ahead with any vaccinations on this visit (last visit, he broke out into hives after his shots).

A nurse practitioner came in next to examine Logan & answer our questions. She was really nice & has seen Logan before. My main concern was the diarrhea Logan's been having for a full week now. And it's not normal diarrhea, it's the mucous filled diaper experiences that are reminiscent of his 3rd month. I did a little research on it prior to the appointment & it sounded like Toddler's Diarrhea. The nurse was a little concerned because sensitivities to dairy usually don't go away & then come back. I also mentioned that this is all happening at the same time as a pretty big eczema flare up (on the back of his arms & a little on his chest & back).

After some conversation about his nutrition (& how dairy is the only protein he will eat right now) we decided to try soy again & replace that with dairy (even though last time, this caused bloody stools). We are getting another referral to the allergist for testing & we were also sent home with stool sampling kits. How fun. Oddly enough, since the appointment he hasn't pooped.

My other topic of concern was his speech development. I've been a little worried that he hasn't been saying much & frustrated because I know this is the main cause for his temper tantrums. Among the many papers in the forms I filled out, there was a speech development check list. Every single box in the "expressive speech" column was checked, while only one box in the "receptive speech" column was marked & only so because he could communicate with sign language (now that I type this out, it may be the other way around). Either way, the nurse wasn't too concerned about it & said that if he didn't hit certain milestones by 2 years old, then we might begin considering an early intervention program. But as of now, things are just fine, which was a relief of sorts (still doesn't stop the screaming fits, but whatever).

After discussing the stools & speech, the nurse was quick to constantly comment about how it was important that Logan get vaccinated. I reminded her of his last reaction & was firm in my standing that there are to be no more vaccinations until Logan is properly tested. With as sensitive as he is & with the many (not one, not two...many!) reactions he's had after his shots, it would be irresponsible parenting to vaccinate him right now. Just because there is hoopla & propaganda going around about it, it doesn't mean it's right for everyone. I would sorely regret getting him vaccinated, knowing that he's had reactions before & another reaction wouldn't be surprising, only to witness an extreme, if not fatal reaction. The nurse even mentioned that we could get Logan's shots done at the allergist's office & if he had a reaction, they had EpiPens on hand. I will not inject my son with any substance that may result in the potential use of an EpiPen. My hell. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

After explaining my point, the nurse "got it" & retracted with "yes, let's get him tested first & we'll go from there". We all walked out happy & with handfuls of lotion samples for Logan's eczema.

So, now we're taking stool samples & waiting for a call from the clinic letting us know that we got the referral to the allergist. It will be interesting to see all what Logan is sensitive to (everything under the sun?) & finally get some answers & hopefully, some solutions.