Gavin Update

Last week, Thursday more specifically, we took Gavin in for his weekly hemoglobin check. It had been running between 9.5-10.5 mostly for the last couple of weeks. The doctor decided that his hemoglobin was "low but stable" so it wasn't necessary to check it weekly any longer. We also discussed further diagnostics. She wants to run a test (such as an ultrasound, MRI, or body scan) to search for a "mechanical malformation." She explained that there could possibly be a blood vessel that is "kinked" and not flowing properly that could be causing the destruction of the red blood cells. This, however, would NOT explain why he responded to steroid treatment. I'm pretty sure they are just stumped and are now playing a guessing game. Gavin tests negative for every disease/disorder that causes the destruction of red blood cells. She also went on to say, that since Gavin isn't requiring medication (at this point) to keep his hemoglobin out of the "dangerous levels" that they are not in a hurry to do any drastic testing. They definitely want an answer as to what is causing it, so it can possibly (hopefully) be fixed, but he is a normal, active 2 year old and the anemia isn't "affecting" him, so we are taking our time. As we left the office, his blood work had yet to come back, so I said I'd call and left with an appointment for 2 months! I called the next day to get his results and they were 8.6. Lower, again. So, we scratched the 2 month visit and go back in 2 weeks. We are hoping it is because he has been sick (flu, cough, fever) and he will rebound on his own after he is completely better. I will keep you posted.