Spots & Shots......

So we had our follow up with the immunologist followed by the ENT and then the pediatrician….and we believe the mystery has been solved. The first visit with the immunologist went really well, he was very optimistic and went through all the test results, everything came back normal except for her response to pneumococcus, a dieses caused by a type of bacteria that attacks the respiratory system. They tested for 14 of the 23 types (that attack the respiratory system) and Tae only responded to 4. But he felt that it was a very simple fix and we only need to get her an additional vaccination to eliminate the immune weakness and thus eliminate the constant infection. Sounds good. Feeling good. Not even thinking she has any immune system issues. Next came the ENT who took one look at the results and sang a different kind of annoyed tune…”she has an immunodeficiency, this is a deficiency and that is all the immunologist told you!” Ok, not feeling so great :( I DO have a huge amount of respect for this doctor and feel like he is the one who was FINALLY able to figure out what was going on with T. I feel like he has handled everything really well, he is just a very straight forward and this is business kind of doc. Though it was a bit unsettling to hear this response from him I truly appreciate that he eliminates all sugar coating and tells it like it is. He did his follow up and everything looked great minus a few spots on her tonsils, he did not feel the need to treat for the spots because she only has the signs not the symptoms of tonsillitis (aka she is not acting sick). No answer as to why we have spots. I left thinking…I can’t wait to see the Pediatrician, she is the explainer, she is the one who can take both sides of information and translate it into mom lingo. She did a great job, we feel much better, she clarified that yes Tae has an immunodeficiency but she feels confident that the additional vaccination will take care of it. The vaccination will last for 6 years during which her hope is that T will be able to develop her own immunity to the pneumococci. Every child who gets their scheduled immunizations is vaccinated for the most common strands of pneumococcal, which Tae had, Tae needs an additional vaccination that is typically given to people who have a weak immune system. She also explained that she was pretty sure that the 4 strands that Tae did respond to were the ones she had been previously vaccinated for, interesting. She gave T her 4 year check up and all looks good, she is a really great doctor and Tae really enjoys seeing her. It really helps to have someone who genuinely cares about your child. The downfall of the visit was that with a 4 year check up comes the 4 year immunizations, so Tae had to get 4 shots. The vaccination that we went for is not available in the office so we will have to go back in 2 weeks to get that one. All and all I feel really good about where we are right now. If you only knew some of the scenarios that N and I have played through our minds, I have shed many a tear over this whole situation so having this as the outcome is really something to celebrate. I am extremely thankful that we found out what was going on when we did because, well just because.