Yesterday, we trudged back to Children's Hospital for Jack's Arginine/Insuline Tolerance test designed to check growth hormone levels. This test stimulates the pituitary gland to produce growth hormones, and if the test proves that Jack does indeed have a growth hormone deficiency, this might be what's impacting his occasional bouts of hypoglycemia. Somehow, it's all connected. If I had an hour and a strong margarita in me, I might be able to make more sense of it all for you. Alas, it's 7:30am, and I'm delirious and barely through my first cuppa joe. So, bear with me, friends.
The test itself is about two and half hours long, during which they take 10 blood samples. They hooked Jack up to an IV to make the dispensing of medicine and blood work go much easier. Jack, who before this point was his happy-go-lucky self, saw the various IV gear and, I think, recognized it from an earlier hospital visit. The incredulous look he threw at the nurse was classic. He's a trooper though and managed to stay seated for the first hour of the test, happily playing with the iPad.
Side note: I would like to personally thank the creative team at Apple for inventing this marvelous piece of technology. Not only is watching our little Jack navigate the iPad faster than an any savvy adult completely fascinating, but also it saves our tired butts during these grueling hospital visits. From the bottom of my heart, I love you, Apple. You rock.
At the top of the second hour, the nurse administered the insulin, which would dramatically drop his blood sugar level. This is the scary bit. Another nurse needed to be in the room to help monitor his behavior, just in case his levels dropped to life-threatening levels. They had a charge of sugar water to surge into his IV, if that happened. His blood sugar dropped to 16 (remember, anything below 70 is low), and the effects of hypoglycemia are sleepiness and irritability, among other things. We needed to keep Jack awake for 7 minutes to get the next blood sample, which was horribly difficult. He made this constant part-whine/part-scream that gutted me, and he desperately wanted to pass out - more than a lush after an all-night bender. So, the nurse gave us ice chips to rub on his body to keep him alert. He started shaking slightly and would fall asleep within seconds until the next ice cube hit his skin. To say Jack hated us at this moment is an understatement.
Needless to say, we survived the ordeal. Fifteen minutes later, Jack's blood sugar rose to normal levels after a cup of juice. And, thank the dear lord, after falling asleep at 6:45pm, he slept through the night last night. Yeah, we were up at 6am, but having a night of uninterrupted sleep is a gift!
We'll have the test results in about two weeks. If he is growth hormone deficient, he'll need hormone injections several times/month, probably through puberty, that we'll learn how to administer here at home. Those will help him physically develop at a typical pace. I'll keep you posted when we get the news!
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