I took Nigel for a checkup today so he could catch up on immunizations and get some preschool paperwork completed. I used to joke that I would marry Nigel's RVA pediatrician if we both weren't already married. He was just that awesome... very open to new therapies and ideas. So I was quite anxious about finding a new doctor, especially one here in Texas. Never fear! My pal Amy referred us to an amazing doctor of osteopathic medicine. I was really impressed with her interaction with Nigel. She didn't bat an eye when I told her he drinks almond milk and that he wasn't circumcised.
A huge bonus point was that she didn't make a big deal about him being adopted... she only asked if there was any family history she needed to be concerned about. (We had a bad experience with an older pediatrician in RVA when we first brought Nigel home. He had an bump on his arm that the old man discounted as "some African ritual." We knew that wasn't right. When we took Nigel to the VCU adoption clinic, the doctor was furious about that comment! Turns out it was a horribly infected mosquito bite that required some special medication.) The entire staff there was quite amazing. When Nigel's vaccination records were faxed piecemeal, one nurse took the time to go through all 25 pages so Nigel didn't get any unnecessary shots. They also set kids up to have a stress-free visit: Nigel got to pick out a special band aid and he got several small trinket toys as rewards.
As always, Nigel got a clean bill of health. He weighs 32 pounds and is 39 inches tall. Nigel got 2 shots (with very minimal fussing) and a blood draw for iron levels (he didn't even flinch... he watched the blood going into the tube). His new doctor was so impressed with how smart he is that she gave him a vision test that's normally for 4 year olds — and he totally aced it.
UPDATE: Not long after I posted this, a nurse from Nigel's doctor's office called back with the results of his blood draw. Turns out, his iron levels are slightly low and they want him to take a kid's multivitamin with iron and calcium. Honestly, I'm totally baffled. Nigel eats red meat, greens, raisins, etc; we have beans at least once a day; and he doesn't drink regular milk anymore (excessive amounts of dairy block iron absorption). My limited Google research suggests that Vitamin C aids iron absorption, so we'll add and an orange or OJ to our breakfast and research the multivitamin. Anyone else dealt with this?
Sorry to hear that Nigel is iron-deficient, Sarah. I read on another gastroparesis blog that molasses (especially blackstrap molasses) is rich in iron. The blog recommended trying a tablespoon per day mixed into hot tea — or maybe you could find a molasses cookie recipe that's more kid-friendly!
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