Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Huge Relief, I Think...

Today I had my annual dermatologist appointment which I have been quietly stressing over for months now. I was convinced I had melanoma or at least some bad moles that needed to be removed.


I had the whole gang with me which was another stresser to say the least because when I walked into the office which was terribly dated, there were 20 other people cramped in this tiny room and no seats left- great! My appointment was at 12:30 and Harper takes a nap at 1:30 so she was already started to act up a little bit and there was no room to act up! To my surprise my good friend Ginger who is a PA at an office near by popped in and saved the day! It was her lunch break so she offered to take the girls while I had my appointment-thank you Ginger!! Huge life saver! Of course Bennett had to eat right when the doctor came in but he (Bennett) waited patiently after I got about an ounce in him. The doctor said that none of my many moles looked suspicious but he would like me to come back in 6 months due to my history. I said "Really, are you sure, what about this one or this one" He just laughed and said to just be careful and watch for any new or changing moles. Thank you Lord!!


Of course I'm now thinking, was he really a good dermatologist? Maybe he missed something. I mean I feel like all my moles look like the ones they warn you about! But I guess I should relax now but seriously a day has not gone by that I haven't thought- yep, it's melanoma.

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On another note, Bennett had his first OT (occupational therapy) session yesterday and it went well. She didn't do much except ask me lots of questions and observe his eating. She did hold him for a while and talked so sweetly to him. She couldn't get over how cute he was, naturally:)

You know, ever since I found out about Bennett and started blogging and reading other blogs about DS I've learned the lingo and how it's better to say a baby or child or individual with DS rather than a Down's baby or a Down syndrome baby. She, however referred to children with DS as Down's kids or Down's babies and it kind of bothered me but then she spoke so sweetly to Bennett and you could tell she really felt he was cute and lovable and I thought to myself, she's not trying to be mean in any way by calling him a Down's baby, she just doesn't know about the whole people first before the condition, many people don't. And it made me realize maybe I shouldn't take things so personally. This woman is here to help my child and she obviously has a love for all children if this is her profession so if she says it incorrectly do I really need to correct her? Of course every time I asked her a question regarding babies with DS I said it correctly hoping she'd pick up on it.

I also liked the fact that she didn't try to compare Bennett to any other 6 week old. She never said oh, he's not holding his head up like he should or by 6 weeks most babies are doing this or that. She said he was doing great and babies with DS can and will do everything other children do just at their own pace and it may be at a typical pace for some things or it may take longer for some things. She also said I can do many of the exercises while doing daily activities like while changing his diaper or while holding him so it doesn't have to be this overwhelming pressure to have "therapy time" every day. She comes again next week so hopefully I will get more exercises to work on.

Bennett is definitely trying to coo and add to the noise around here. He's making all sorts of little faces and I'm pretty sure he's smiling every once in a while. He's starting to find his hands and his newest trick is to pull his paci out which can be annoying because then he starts crying. Still sleeping soundly from about 8pm-7am with a "dream feed" around 10:30 pm. He really is an easy baby. He weighed 9lbs 13 ounces last night! I'm hoping to be able to call the cardiologist next week maybe to get us scheduled for surgery. I can't believe he will be 7 weeks on Friday!

15 comments:

  1. Adrienne, I just love your new family picture. It is so very nice and the kids look adorable! What a beautiful family.
    I applaud your decision to hold back correcting someone who is obviously there to help and encourage you and Bennett! I think you're right...sometimes just saying it correctly will be enough to nudge that person into changing their terminology. People will more often than not follow your lead, and if you address him as such, I bet she will too.

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  2. That was great of your friend to come and get the kids for you!I need to go to the dermatologist.I have a couple of moles that I worry about.
    Sounds like Bennett is doing super!Ruby has a wonderful physical therapist that also says Down's kids.I have never corrected her for the same reasons you gave.She just cares so much about my child I know she is not saying it to be derogatory.

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  3. I can't believe Bennett is 7 weeks already - time goes so quickly! I'm glad he is doing so well!

    One of the best pieces of advice I received regarding Joel's exercises was to try and incorporate them into his regular play time or at diaper changing or eating times. It took a lot of pressure off of me and I think he enjoyed it much better!

    I'm glad your appointment with the Dermatologist went well. I hope you are able to put your worry to rest!

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  4. I think your modeling behavior for the OT is great. I agree with you... although I notice when somebody says "Down's baby" I don't get upset. The best we can do is simply model the respect we hope others will give our children. Well played!

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  5. The first lady I ever met from the EI place referred to "Down's babies" too AND SHE HAS A DAUGHTER WITH DOWN SYNDROME. But I figure maybe it's only been the past few years that it's been considered politically incorrect to say that, as her daughter is 12.

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  6. Time flies doesn't it! Wow...7 weeks already!

    I'm not offended at all when someone says down's baby. I wouldn't have known myself if I hadn't had a baby with Down syndrome. You can tell when someone is genuinely nice. You did the right thing by using it in the right context and maybe she picked up on it.

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  7. Love the new family pic!

    Glad the appt. went well and that there wasn't any news. Trust that the derm. knows what he's doing.

    Also glad the OT appt. went well. You will be spending many days with that person....so I'm glad the repoor was established with Bennett. All of those appts. can be daunting, but it's nice to build a good relationship with them.

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  8. I know how you feel about the dermatologist. Every year I leave and wonder, hmm but did she notice this one or that one.
    Glad to hear everything is going well and you found a good OT. I can't believe how big Bennett is getting.

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  9. That's good that your dermatologist appointment went well.
    And it sounds like you and your OT have started off on the right foot. Having a good, caring therapist is certainly a blessing.

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  10. Wow glad your appt went well & Wow Bennett 7 wks, I know what you mean my little Carly is 10 wks today. I often wonder why it didn't go that fast when we were pregnant, LOL. Glad he is doing well too. Take care HUGS & Prayers :)
    Caroline

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  11. First of all...love you new family photo!! I barely caught it....you should post it so no one misses it!! So sweet with baby Bennett in it. I know what you mean about the "Downs baby" comments. It doesn't offend me but I am aware of it everytime someone says it that way. Heck, my first comment on my first post was from my mom and she said "down's baby". I guess we can only hope that this will be the worst thing we hear, huh??

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  12. So glad none of your moles were cancerous. I to have to be careful with the sun and moles and I always look at them like hmmmm is this one a bad one?? So glad your little guys appt went well. I know what you mean about people not pronouncing it correctly. I to was bugged at first and wondered if I should correct but I just say it the right way myself and hope they will catch on. These therapists, at least the ones I have met really love our little guys and want the best for them. Your doing a great job!!!!

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  13. So glad things went well w/ the OT. You may need to specifically tell her the current way of referring to children w/ Ds. Strange that she doesn't know that. It's great, too, that she doesnt' compare him and is encouraging. Sounds like he's doing very well :-)

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  14. The pictures are so cute! If you are concerned with the moles I would urge you to get a second opinion. It would make you feel better and on the off side chance it is something you can get a 6 month head start on treatment. I would rather feel silly and be told again it was nothing then to go with what the first doctor said and ignore my gut and it turn out to be something! :-)

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  15. I'm glad you are all doing well this summer, and that Bennett is growing so much!

    I read or heard of a doctor who would take pictures of moles at each annual exam for patients, so that if there was an issue, it would be easy to compare to a relatively recent documentation of it.

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