Thursday, March 15, 2007

Gracyn's Thyroid

We finally heard back from the doctor. Her thyroid hormone levels were low again on the test that was done yesterday, which means her thyroid is not producing enough of the hormone. It's a condition called congenital hypothyroidism. The bad news is that she will have to take a hormone supplement for this for the rest of her life. The good news is that because it was caught as early as it was, it should not affect her at all.

The doctors are consulting with a pediatric endocrinologist regarding the treatment of this. They are hoping to get the treatment started very soon, and then they will be referring us to the specialist (in Milwaukee) to monitor and adjust the treatment as she grows.

Gracyn also got a 'bilibed' today, which is a UV lamp/bed that she needs to lie on for the next few days (at least) because of jaundice. She is not a big fan of it. The doctor said that this may be tied to the thyroid issue, in that her metabolism is slow making it difficult for her to break down the bilirubin that causes the jaundice.

She is a beautiful baby and we are blessed to have her in our lives, and we hope to get all these issues resolved (as much as possible) very soon. We are also blessed to have good insurance through all of this. :)

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