There are characteristics that you hope your children inherit or learn from you, but this specific characteristic is one I'd always hoped would be limited to me: fainting during blood draws and the anxiety that accompanies needles.
We got the results back for a hair-sample intolerance test last month that had a few concerning things for Shelby, Brennon, and Tyson. My intent was more for the food side, but each of them came back with either Gut Biome, Hormonal Imbalance, or Digestive Imbalance issues. Tyson has all three, not to mention the vitamin and mineral imbalance he has because of them. At his well-child checkup today, I brought up the issue of his hormone imbalance that said he has a potential problem with his thyroid. I was a little embarrassed to bring it up, since this test was ordered online and not done in a medical facility of repute in our town, not wanting to look like a WebMD hypochondriac, but I also didn't want to be blindsided by medical issues as I've been with both Caden (cancer) and Keilie (co-morbid mental health issues).
When I brought it up, I was pleasantly surprised at his response to my worries. He let me know that 1) even an allergist's test have been known to be wrong, 2) hair follicles will give the same result whether you are 5 or 55 because DNA doesn't change, and 3) it's an easy test to see how his thyroid is functioning to see why this particular test would come up with an imbalance.
Background: Tyson had an incident almost five years ago where a nurse at a flu shot clinic jabbed his bone in her rush to get through the long line of waiting people. He has never forgotten that and reminded the nurse today to be careful. Also, he got two shots this very day for his Middle School boosters, one of which left his arm a bit sore afterward. So needles were already on his mind when he learned he was going to have a blood draw-- something he's never had before.
Because he had tutoring and the lab looked super busy, I told him we'd wait until first thing tomorrow morning. But after tutoring, he brought up the blood draw again, letting me know that he was worried about it, so we made a plan to be there at 1:30 when they opened up after lunch. I could see just how anxious he was when he struggled to think of his birthday. All was going well. Then she pulled out the needle, told him he was done, and we both looked at his face. And I knew...
Instinctively I started to wrap my arms around him. As he was pitching forward, the nurse frantically said, "He's going, he's going," but I already had him secure in my arms. His body started to buck and seize, so I quickly kicked his chair back so I could help guide him to the floor, reaching up to grab the gauze she was trying to keep pressed to his elbow pit. I'm actually super proud of myself for my grace under pressure. I got him settled on my legs, holding the pressure, as I talked with him and told him to breathe. I knew he was going to get abruptly too-hot, so I pressed my cold hands against his face to help wake him fully. Finally, he gasped, terror all over his face as he asked, "WHERE AM I? WHAT'S GOING ON?!" As I gently told him he'd passed out, he burst into tears. "I just closed my eyes for one second! When I opened my eyes again, I didn't know where I was. Mom, that was SO scary!!" And he sobbed and sobbed as I soothed. I know how he feels. I've been there many, many times, but never as an 11-year old child.
Even though the nurse was super, super busy, she stayed with us after grabbing him a glass of water. She could have left us in the room and used another, could have asked us to move somewhere else so she could continue her solo-in-the-office-as-both-receptionist-and-nurse work, but she cared for him and made sure he felt safe. I didn't "need" her, but I appreciated her support by not making us feel rushed or like a burden for taking our time in the room she needed.
The second we made it out the door, I told Tyson he needed to cry it all out. I could see how rigid his posture was, how quickly he was trying to book it to the car, and I knew, better than most, how this was going to affect him for the rest of his life. He will never forget today, and it will haunt him every single time he has to give blood. The second he sat down, he crumbled again. "Mom, that was just SO scary." He cried the entire way home. He didn't cry once when he broke his arm.
"Is that how it feels for you?" I was heartbroken to tell him that, yes, that's how it feels when it happens to me. I told him how I, too, have seizures when I pass out, that it is a normal response for my body, and that I need to lie down every time I have my blood drawn. I sympathized with him as he brokenly told me how scary it is to wake up and be so disoriented. I understand it all, and I hate knowing what this day has done to him forever. He used to be the kid that would actually volunteer to go first when getting shots. He will never be the same with needles again. The poor thing.
I'm anxious to get the results back. If the blood tests show nothing, then I can say I only paid $20 for the intolerance test. But if they come back with proof of a thyroid issue, I will be forever grateful that I may have caught something early. Especially when I ordered the test for the food aspect!
P.S. Tyson has an intolerance to White Sugar. He told me he didn't care:)
UPDATE:
As the results started to pour in, I got online to check what each thing meant, and to look for what things meant if they showed too high or too low outside of the ranges given. For a night, I was convinced that he was going to be diagnosed with some sort of autoimmune some time in his life. There were so many things that came back for each and every one that wasn't within the range given that either said autoimmune or thyroid. Then I got word from the doctor: "His blood work is within range for his age. All is well. I don't see any markers to indicate we need to check again at 16." And just like that, my research was terminated, my thoughts about Tyson's thyroid were forgotten. All is well with my Ty-Ty!
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