Over a year ago, we realized that my tiny peanut was not just tiny, she was micro. There have been very little answers as to why she is small (although we have seen huge growth for her), and we are now heading in for more testing to hopefully figure some things out.
If you are new here then you probably need a bit of background information. My daughter was born at a healthy 6lbs 9oz and has always been a slow grower. She stayed in the lower 10% through her 6 month check ups weighing in at a whopping 13lbs then! Then everything just stopped and her immune system took a tank and with that we saw more lingering colds and no apparent change in weight over the next 4 months (she was still comfortable in newborn and size 1 diapers). She also had battled GERD for a good portion of her life.
After a 3 week stint of fighting some sort of off and on again virus, we finally took her in (I had been emailing with her pediatrician the entire 3 weeks and was just told to wait and wait and wait some more). At that appointment we found out she only weighed about 14lbs which was way off the percentile charts and she was losing weight. They diagnosed her failure to thrive and we did blood work which came back with terrifying initial results and then changed my diet and her diet to include more healthy fats and added an iron supplement.
She started growing! After many many many appointments we were back on the charts and she was really looking great, although her continued blood work never actually came back clear. As a mom there has always been a lingering thought in my head that they are missing something. No child is just tiny, with random things alerting in her blood work inconsistently…but she was growing so I just needed to live and let go.
Then we’ve had sporadic but somewhat frequent vomiting episodes off and on for about the last 4 months. These have been so frequent that I actually had to replace two car seats because there was just no way to clean the straps and get the smell out after a series of episodes. I just thought she had a sensitive tummy and low gag reflex.
Then the rash showed up. A persistent rash around her mouth that lingers and I thought was an allergy to chapstick and her affinity for lathering herself in it.
Yesterday after a vomiting episode, my mom sent me these photos. (Pardon the iPhone quality).
I emailed her doctor immediately and told her that I think we have missed something. I don’t know a toddler who can tell you that she feels like she is going to puke, but mine can. I don’t know a toddler that knows to walk to the toilet if she feels sick, but mine can. I realize that she is a slow grower but now I am concerned that we are dealing with allergies that could easily be life-changing for our entire family. My doctor agrees that we probably missed something and that allergies could be a prime culprit. We find out more on Wednesday.
So what I am writing here and asking for is a little good juju sent our way. I fear the next several appointments are going to be slightly rough and we could use all the support you got.
Thanks!
