Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The first month








Well, Jude is just over a month old and this last week has been so interesting, scary, and amazing that I just have to share it.
When I took Jude in for his one month check up, the doctor said that his thyroid test that was done as part of the newborn screening came back abnormal. He said the test could be wrong, but we needed to retest him just to be sure and that the results would be back in a couple of days. He told me not to worry and I prayed, but didn't really worry.

A couple of days later, I called the office and was told be the nurse that it would in fact take 3 to 4 weeks to get the test results back. So, I got on the computer and looked up hypothyroidism (something I had vowed not to do until I felt it was time to worry). Of course the information I found scared me to death. All of the articles said that hypothyroidism left untreated in infants would lead to brain damage and mental reatardation. One article even said that just waiting one month for treatment could make a crucial difference. So, of course, I started to get really concerned. I called the doctor's office first thing the next morning and was transferred to the same nurse from the day before. She was very understanding and agreed that I should be concerned, but said there was nothing that could be done. I called back twice that day trying to figure out a way to get Jude tested again in a lab that would get the results back quicker. She never returned my calls. The next day, I made an appointment to see my doctor (to talk about some gas issues Jude was having), but really just to get to talk to his doctor -- I was sure he had not intended us to wait 4 weeks for the test results.

When we got to see him, he ordered the test to be done at the hospital lab and we were able to get the results back that day. This time the doctor actually called me back. Jude's test was still coming back slightly abnormal. He gave us the option of being referred to a specialist, which I took. The doctor said to call back on Friday to get the info on the referral

Of course we had been praying for Jude throughout this whole week, and the Lord was so good to show us his hand during this ordeal. On Tuesday, the kids and I went to a play date with some moms and friends from Classical Conversations. My friend, Elizabeth suggested that we pray for Jude and for all of our kids and families. During this prayer time, she laid hands on Jude and prayed over him. The rest of the day, I kept thinking about how special that prayer time was. That night I checked my phone messages and the nurse had called, but left a really vague message. Wednesday morning, the doctor called and said that the specialist wanted us to test Jude once more before setting up the appointment. He had actually written the order for the testing on Tuesday (the day that we had praying over Jude). As I drove to the lab, I realized that God had allowed us to pray over our baby before he had that test so that we could know that his hand was in it all and that no matter what the results, he was there with us as we went through this.

Tonight was Jason's birthday and as we had our birthday dinner for him, I was telling the kids and Jason about what had happened today and what God had shown me. I was trying to demonstrate to the kids how God speaks to us without actually "talking" out loud to us and how he likes to show us that he is interested and involved (and ultimately in control) in our lives. When I was done with my story, the phone rang -- it was Dr. McCaskill calling to let me know that Jude's thyroid levels were now normal.

I am so thankful for how God showed himself to me and the rest of my family this week. I am also thankful for wonderful friends who love Jesus and who were wise enough and caring enough to call on Him during that time of fear and uncertainty. I am thankful for my mother-in-law and her co-workers at SIM who stopped their work to pray for us today (and all of the other friends and family members who prayed for us). I am thankful for my nurse friend, Jessica who answered all of my questions and encouraged me to fight to talk to the doctor. And of course, as a mom, I am so very thankful that Jude is healthy.

"We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed."
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

2 comments:

Jen Whisonant said...

Jennifer thank you for sharing your testimony! I am so glad that Jude is okay - we'll be praying that he stays that way - your open heart and willingness to share what God is doing for you inspired me tonight. Thank you - what a blessing your family continues to be to ours!

Unknown said...

I am so glad to know that Jude is okay! Having healthy children is such an awesome blessing from God. I think we all need to be reminded of that. It's so cool that you were able to share God's provision with family & friends through this experience and I'm glad that you can have peace now.