DD3 starts her twice weekly bloods tomoorow for nuetropenia......come hold my hand.....PLEASE [smile]

[Psychomum5]

as it says in title, DD3 starts her blood test tomorrow for her cyclical neutropnia. she has to go twice weekly for the next 6/8wks, and altho she knows and understands, I am feeling a teensy bit wobbly.....

I have the emla cream (magic cream), and also the special plasters, and they go on at 6.30/7 am, ready for the bloods to be done at 8am so she still gets to school on time. I HOPE that she doesn;t need sitting on this time to get the cream on......the last time we were having them done at the doctors surgery I had to get my friend in to help me apply the cream as DD3 howled so much.

DH is staying home until we go, and then following us there so he can stop with the boys while I take her in, and then he is going inot work then. Thank GOD really, as otherwise I would be in my personal version of hell with her having cream, bloods, the older girls kicking off (which they will do as is PMT week for them), and the boys in the mix........(erghhhhhhhhh)

so.....hand holding for a short time would be HUGELY appreciated please

no-one then.....

I don;t bite

aww poor her - what is the condition sorry dont know it?

I don't know the history of this, sorry. But it sounds difficult and upsetting for you all

dp has told me about it now ..what is the cause?

is she bearing upand being good'n' brave?

she has a blood disorder we think.

she has been poorly since she was tiny, well, since birth TBH as she was bron with chicken pox!, and since then she gets almost everything going....and it seems to be on a monthly rota. (ie, when I have PMT, she is almost always ill, and if not ill, then lethargic and headachy and gets migraines).

I saw a paper artice a few years ago about neutropenia and the symptoms fitted, and I finally managed to get my paed to listen and refer.......who since has done blood tests over the last year, and all show low neutrophils.

nuetrophils in the blood are the part of the white blood cell system that fight infection, and of course if they are low, you get poorly more........and if the get low in cycles you get what they think my DD3 has.

hard to explain, and so far, hard to find much info for as many people haven;t heard of it and it is also rather rare.......so we are now on a waiting game to find the next step, if indeed there is one.

so far all bloods show counts of 1.3, 1.5, 1.7 ect....and they need to be above 2.5 to be normal.

below 1.0 is severe, so we already know she isn;t that.

not sure what condition is tho?

aww....thanks so far.

she is holding up ok at the moment!

she knows tho that she gts poorly, and HATES it, as does she hate the migraines (well, anybody would), so she is of the opinion now that she may be finally getting some help.......which obviously helps

no idea on cause as yet......sometimes it is genetic, so if these blodds show a huge dip in the cycle she then has to have a bone marrow test, and maybe the other kiddies too, altho so far all the others seem ok so I am of the opinion it was the chicken pox which set it off!.

sends lots of love annd stuff

How old is she Psychomum?

dd had a period where she was having lots of blood tests (although not twice a week). We gave up on the Emla in the end as it didn't seem to do anything for her. We got through with breathing and mp3 player.

Has she seen an immunologist?

MB thankyou.....DH gave me money today to go get that book you recommended so off to the bookstore tomorrow.

sagger.....she is 9. she is finally under an immunologist (no thanks to her paed who kept trying to brush me off for the last few years)......his name is DR Faust (or maybe just MR again now.....why do they drop the DR when they get further up the doctor chain??), and she is also going to be referred to a mary morgan too (well, so her new paed said (note the NEW....I won!). they are based in southampton.

we'll see tho......it all hangs on how low the neutrophils go now as to the next step.

Oh good - glad you've got the experts on the case

That was a similar age to dd - at least you can explain and she can understand. Toddler bloods are grim

Mr for surgeons, relates to barber surgeons of old. Consultants are often 'just' Dr.

I do hope she holds up and you too for that matter.

I hope you get a good result from the tests also, either answers or results.

DS has to have regular bloods, I'll only have them done at the Evalina now - I didn't realise before there are Paediatric Plebotomists, previously some wet behind the ears SHO always did it (well tried whilst we held him down as saggar says) but not anymore we have squeal free ones - Yippee!

o poor you and poor her .i hope it is going well, [support emoticon]

our docs are pretty fab with her now, as they have a fair few on her and know how she is (she is quite highly strung at times, and very sensitive), so I am confident with them. tis more the cream going on she hates and is what causes the tears (and also the holding down at times), as she really really frets about the plaster coming off as she sometimes reacts poor love.

hopefully we have the correct ones for tomorrow, or else we are going to have to try them 'raw' without cream, and hope for the best.....(and then I WILL need hand-holding as I will be the one hyperventilating) (not good with needles, altho getting MUCH better [teeny smile]).

I will be having to think of something fab for her for her (hopeful) bravery......or maybe lots of tiny pressies for each test.

We used to do McDonalds after hospital. I know, not very 'Mumsnet' but you do what you have to do.

I think the Emla just sort of signals what's to come Psychomum and the worrying about it becomes bigger than the act itsekf IYKWIM.

she would love macdonalds, but I would NOT as a breakfast.

nah, I am planning a waterstones trip for me tomorrow so I feel a book-fest coming on. she especially loves the flower fairy range and is now up to 15 IIRC, so will get another of those for her.

and maybe some high school musical stickers to for her album.......unless the stickers will do per test, and a book-fest of her own when all done.

I am thinking you may be right with regards to the cream tho.....like you say, it is heralding the event so it is then she starts to tense. Hmmmmmmm....what to do with handling scared girlie, nervous mummy!

Make them instant freeze spray it before they do it if you are worried about the working up before hand.

awwwww cali.....thankyou.

that is so lovely I have saved it for me to make me smile on my pics

(and what scuzzy nails.......have seen really scuzzy nails on my DH....pah, yours are nuffin)

freeze spray

worth mentioning I think

thankyou

cream on.....she's all jittery and in need of much TLC.

and yet.......I am here.

Tis ok........she is with her daddy, I am showering (well, now dressing) and I am not being jittery.......

eeek

About tomorrow's trip to Waterstones.... I can go, but have to leave about 9.50am

She will be fine

If she would like a Flamechick cuddle after school then it is very much on offer (Roughly translated into "YOU saw Jacob. I want to see him " How the hell she knew I have no idea... I think she picked up his scent or summat

Hope it went well Psycho...

re the plasters - are they to keep the cream in place, or for afterwards? Just wondering if there is another solution, like a light wide elastic bandage that could go around her arm (assume it's arm not hand?) so she doesn't have to worry about the plaster coming off.

Looking away and visualising the place where a crystal clear peaceful river divides around a stone always does it for me Blood in arm = river; little bit going off to the side = what nurse is taking.

Do I sound like a hippy???

Hope it went OK Psycho.

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

was hell......

the nurse backed out], COS SHE WAS TOO WORRIED ABOUT 'TEENY VIENS, so the doctor took over.....that was^ ok, but...

accident of a bus and huge lorry outside of surgery which made US late, then we got stuck making us later for school, than got here and was locked out......DH took keys to work with him!.

luckily made plans with MIL for morning so she arrived and rescued me[phew].

now off out, so thought I would say that DD3 was a star through out, even if the nurse did scare a little at the beginning!

will be back later.....and flame.......tis fine!!!