10 year old check up

The dreaded day arrived regardless of how much she wished it wouldn't, and believe me, she wished.

Lily was surprisingly chipper this morning and as soon as we arrived at the incredibly busy doctors office I asked exactly what tests they needed so that Lily could prepare a little more. (My brother suggested that I ask if they could do the same tests from a urine sample and my Auntie suggested that they let Lily do her own pin prick but I knew I would have to wait and discuss these options with Barbara so I needed to be prepared). Thank you all for the suggestions.

First off: height and weight. She is 66lbs and 54.5 inches tall. She gained 8lbs last year and grew 3 inches. A little more weight was suggested especially with all the swimming as all she has is muscle. Holy guacamole the child has grown like a weed and after a very thorough "inspection" from her pediatrician it appears she hasn't started her growth spurt yet. There is a chance that this girl is going to be taller than me after all or at least the same height as me. Do I need to tell you how happy that made her? No I didn't think so. Lily said that she is a shorty in her class and Barbara went on to explain the Tanner Scale and how lots of the girls in her class are probably nearly finished growing and how she hasn't even started because in her words, "she's not even knocking on the Tanner Scales door yet" in fact "she is only walking up the pathway".

They talked diet and health and exercise and school, and friends. They talked and talked about everything. I came into the conversation rarely. Hobbies, clothes, any problems, health issues, you name it they discussed it. Then it was time for the dreaded pin stick. We talked about her reaction to that news and Barbara pulled up her stool and went in to great detail about being afraid of things and how it is normal. She also said that at least twice a week she gets kids that go into her office who want shots and she finds them a lot more disturbing and thinks they need help. It made Lily giggle, especially since she rolled her eyes so far back in her head. She thinks Lilys fear is normal and manageable. If it gets worse then Lily will talk to someone. She then decided that since it is acceptable within national health guidelines to check for anaemia and cholesterol every 2 years that if Lily wanted they would skip this year with the understanding that it HAS to be done when she is 11. Lily agreed, imagine that. She then went onto explain that she WILL NOT allow her to skip a shot if it compromises her health. That Lily cannot take oral antibiotics so if she gets sick she has to get a shot, no choice. Lil' nodded.

She then suggested that the nurse come in with a needle so that Lily could just see it and see how tiny it is. At first Lily was nervous but I asked if I could see it so the nurse came in and the Doctor left. The nurse was so sweet and finally Lily touched it and looked at it but didn't actually speak. Barbara was amazed that she even touched it.

So she got through today. BUT she didn't have to deal with her fear and I am not sure if that is good . Kidlet was as white as a ghost, she looked sicker than some of the sick kids there.

The great news is she is as healthy as a horse. She is average height on the U.S. charts which is shocking to me and not so average with weight but that's ok, I think it's better that way. We left  with a very relieved child who vows not to get sick at all this year so that she doesn't have to see her again.

Happy go lucky is back again!