12 July 2011

Addison's Weight Check.

Yesterday was Addison's weight check. It was also the day that we got the results from her tests back.

The good news first: My baby girl is precious and growing!! She gained 9 oz. in 2 weeks!! Praising Jesus for that!! Also, she is not producing hormones in her ovaries, which is also amazing!!

The not really bad news, but not good news stuff: Her liver enzymes are elevated. I don't really know what that means, but I'm sure it's a concern. She is very slightly anemic, so she needs to start taking poly-vi-sol vitamins with iron. Her diaper rash can be cleared up with hydrocortisone cream. The pediatrician said that it doesn't look bacterial or yeasty, which is a plus.

The bad news: Addison is producing a hormone called FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) in her brain. It is made at the pituitary gland during puberty, so obviously she shouldn't be producing this yet. FSH tells your ovaries (boys have it too, but obviously not for their ovaries) to start making eggs and then you get your period. There is an allowable range that kids can produce, which is .3 to 3. Addison is producing 7.2, which is more than double.

The pediatrician told us that we need to take her to see an endocrinologist at the Children's Hospital. She will also need to get an MRI done on her head to look at her pituitary gland. She will need to be sedated for that, obviously. After the pediatrician told us all of this, my mom (who was so amazing to go with me) asked what the doc thinks it could be.

She said that Addison could have a tumor on her pituitary gland. A TUMOR. Which is why we need to see the endo (hormone doctor) and get an MRI to see what is going on. The pediatrician told us that the other thing it could be is a false positive from the blood work.

So, a tumor or a false positive. Which one do you think I want it to be?

Another upside is that if she does have a tumor, it is treatable. Praise the Lord for that.

If you want to read more, you can go here: http://www.hormone.org/Pituitary/overview.cfm

The next step is to get our appointment with endo. Then, we'll get the MRI sometime after that. So, our baby girl is growing, but we are not out of the woods yet. Yesterday was a very hard day, but I am SO thankful for everyone that called, texted, commented on Facebook and messaged me. Even though I didn't tell everyone our story, I'm thankful that so many people have been thinking about us and praying for us.

This is bigger than anything we ever thought it could be, BUT we know the Lord knows what He is doing. He is going to bring something wonderful out of this. He is in charge, not me. And today, I am extremely thankful for that.

Please keep praying for her. She is SO strong and such an amazing little girl. God has HUGE things in store for her, I know it. And we have Jesus to lean on during this whole process. Please pray with us.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." -John 14:27

7 comments:

Rachel said...

Praying for sweet Addi! Praying for healing to come her way and peace and strength for you all during this time! So sorry to hear!

Kristen said...

We'll be there for you every step of the way, no matter what (and celebrate with you when she's completely healed!). God's holding Addi in his arms and won't let go. And she's got a pretty amazing family and circle of friends lifting her up in constant prayer.

Love you :)

Stephanie said...

God bless your sweet baby. She is in my prayers!

Tiffany said...

After you told me the thing about the hormones last week, I had a feeling/was wondering if it might be what you mentioned with the FSH. I have a friend who's daughter had that problem and began getting her period around the age of 4 or so. They were able to see doctors and have a procedure done and she lives now as a perfectly normal little girl and has no clue anything was ever wrong. I hope that this can be cleared up as easily for you!! And obviously, hope that it is either not a tumor, or the tumor is harmless.

Rachel said...

Praying for her! I'm so sorry that she and you are all going through this. :(

Abbey said...

We are praying for your sweet little girl and for strength for her momma!

MarksMomma said...

Hey Lindsey, I too am praying for little Addison. She is in God's arms, and he will give the doctors the necessary wisdom needed to help her.

Praying for your heart, too - that you find the strength and endurance needed, and that you can persevere in the knowledge of God's love and HIS plan for your family!