More Testing on 1-Year-old?

Tell them they got their tests... and you don't want anymore done. The Doctor works for YOU - you pay them, remember?

It SUCKS to see them cry but it's only temporary. You should rule things out and address them IF there's something going on. Much better to get a little blood drawn than end up in the hospital with some full blown illness.

Good luck mom.

My first reaction would be "Why are we doing this?" The doctor should have explained his reasoning BEFORE ordering the blood test. If s/he is not willing to share, then I would be going elsewhere for a second opinion rather than let my child be a guinea pig/insurance milker that the doctor is ok keeping you in the dark on. Have your previous doctors ever mentioned a concern about your child's size? I know our ped. has seen our 11 month old pretty much every 3 months and would've shared any concerns. Seems like this is not something new that you are dealing so why is the new doc so concerned when others may not have been.....just some thoughts that come to my mind. Best of luck and praying for good results!

The fact that your ped didn't discuss anything with you, first of all, means time to get a new ped! Although there are less traumatic ways to take a blood draw (my son was always fascinated by it, and we made a big deal of how "cool" it was), if he seems healthy to you, why put him through it? Maybe it would be good to start with observing him and maybe journaling if he seemed to have a pattern of being more lethargic before or after eating, seems to have less energy than his peers, drinks a lot, etc. I have found in my 5 years of parenthood that doctors cover the whole scale from too apathetic to over-the-top cautious, and many of them can be ignorant.

Blood draws are awful, we just had one for celiacs and liver function due to poor weight and GI issues. Tech actually had to do both arms, ugh. Sorry you guys went through that.

I think you need to call the doctor and ask for an explanation about the concerns they have. Are you sure his growth is consistent? Usually, they don't care so much about the actual place on the chart (small or big), as the stability of the measures and the ratio of height-weight-head (consistently 50th for height and 25th for weight for example). I would make sure that is the case for you son. Is he on the charts? I have a friend whose daughter was observed for "failure to thrive" due to size and being way off the charts.

Since you don't explain or don't know why the doctor is concerned (what she is looking for) it is hard to have an opinion on this. I guess, i prefer to err on the side of caution in most things and a needle stick versus an underlying medical problem seems a reasonable trade-off. But I think you should find comfort in all the evidence that your child is doing so well. And next time ask more quesitons before the bloodwork is taken. They should have a good answer other than "He is small." It should be "His size makes me concerned about XYZ."

My girls were both on the bottom of the charts at 1 year old. In fact, at almost 2, my youngest isn't even ON the chart! My oldest started to shoot up right around age 2.

I would call the nurse or doctor and talk to them. You need to find out EXACTLY what they're testing him for and go from there. If the concerns they present to you are legit, then get the test. If you don't think they are, then don't. It's totally up to you. If you don't like the doctor, find a new one. Trust me when I say, a good pediatrician makes a WORLD of difference for you and your kids. We went through a few lemons before I found a pediatrician that we loved.

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. If they want something done and you don't feel right about it, just tell them that you need to think about it. You can ask them to give you a few minutes or tell them that you'll call to schedule if you decide the tests are needed. It's so hard to stand up to a doctor. I think that most of us have "doctor knows best" ingrained in our brain. But, don't EVER be afraid to stand up for yourself. A doctor worth anything will be more than happy to explain exactly what the test is for and why they think it's needed. An even BETTER doctor will give you all the information and leave the decision up to you.

As far as the weight gain...Has he started walking recently? My girls always sort of leveled out at about a year because they started walking. They had usually gained a fair amount by the next check up. You can also give your guy some Pediasure or Carnation Instant Breakfasts in addition to his regular meals. They're high in calories and other nutrients. Keep him on whole milk, full fat cheese, etc. I'm not a doctor, but I am a mom to two little peanuts. In my totally unprofessional opinion, your guy is fine and there's probably no need for further testing.

Many places test for lead at that age or around then. My DD didn't like it, either, but the pediatrician told me which lab tech to go to because he was gentle with kids.

I would be more concerned that either you don't feel you can discuss things with the doctor or the doctor doesn't feel the need to explain things to you. Before I got more testing, I would want more information and if this doctor is reluctant to give you the time and answers you deserve, then find another one. Most "kids" see the pediatrician up to 18 or 19, so if you don't like this doctor, that's a long time to not like someone. I'd want more than a nurse saying, "Probably..." It sounds like the office isn't very forthcoming about what they are doing or what is concerning and THAT would be concerning to me. Your son can't talk, so you need to talk for him.

My daughter has had lots of blood draws in her life and so it is easier for us now but I remember in the early days how hard it was. Definately ask the nurse to get numbing cream for his arms, both of them. Call ahead of time to make sure they have it and if they don't then ask them to either get it or better yet call it in to the pharmancy for you. You can put it on yourself but don't use the big plastic bandages they will give you, use saran wrap wrapped around each arm to keep the cream on the crook of him arms. it will be so much better then having to peel away the bandage which my daughter says hurts more then an actual needle would. You have to put the cream on 45 minutes before the blood draw so we do this before we go so we don't have to wait in an exam room for 45 minutes. When it's time for the shot definately use distraction techniques like a new toy, something bright and flashy like those toys that have lights and spin or someone blowing bubbles works well also. I would definately have the test done as diabetes is not something to be messed with but make sure your appt is in the morning so he doesn't have to wait too long to eat.

Good luck!

My kids were barely on the chart from the day they were born. Never above the 5-10%. None of my docs were worried because they kept with the curve and stayed that way. It wasn't until my daughter turned 11 that she finally jumped up to the 25%. Now at almost 16, she is still there.

I wouldn't put him thru the tests. Its not worth it - as long as they continue to follow the same path and don't drop off.

get more information on why. what was the initial reasoning for the tests, what was he looking for, are any of the issues life threatening or best dealt with at a young age? I think with more information you can make a better decision on this matter.
Oh and he is not going to remember too much of the testing at this age, my son hardly remembers all of his testing done before he was 2 ... he had an immune disorder that required WEEKLY blood tests for a while 3times a week testing from 12-18months and he remembers none of it but he does remember all of his ear issues since they lasted until he was 2 1/2.

My kids are small to. I am also a small person so i'm not expecting to have big kids. My MD said there is only cause for concern if the child drops in weight or they are not gaining so many ounces a day. If the child is not sickly and eats well I would not do to muchl. My 3 year old has always been little, he had a few other issues so I decided to go with the tests. Everything came out fine and at age 3 he is have a major growth spirt and had totaly caught up! I would ask the MD more questions and then let him know what you feel comforitable doing.

i would ask the dr what he was expecting to find in his bloodwork. why he thought it was necessary. if you son is growing normally (even if a bit small) than ti shouldn't be necessary. my daughter was in the 25th % for weight for the longest time. she is still small. the only thing the dr told me was that she was going to be petite. my son is the same way. my daughter is now 6 and just barely weighs 40lbs. once the dr has explained why he thinks that he needs blood drawn, you will better be able to make a decision. and i would look at world health orginaztion growth chart. i've heard that they are different.

Ask them WHY they want to do this. If they have a legitimate reason, and you feel comfortable with that, go for it. If they can't come up with a real reason, or it sounds wonky to you, get a second opinion.

I would probably just switch doctors though. I want a doctor who will explain to me WHAT is happening with my child, and WHY they think it is happening. Not one who just expects me to blindly follow his opinion. I don't have any problem with doctors doing tests on my child... that's what they are there for... But I do want to know *WHY* they are taking tests. WHAT are they worried about? If they don't tell you, then your mind is either going to jump to all kinds of conclusions, or will just shrug it off. Doctors need to communicate with the parents.

Do you have any other children? How are you and your husband built. If your child is not on the charts for his weight, I believe this is considered failure to thrive and a doctor should make sure there is nothing happening medically to cause this. And it would be best to screen him for those things early in life.

Next time, at the blood draw, ask the doctor if they can put numbing cream on your child first. My daughter has to get blood taken at least once a year. They put the cream on her arm, give her a sucker, and a toy to distract her. She sits in my lap, a nurse holds her arm, I distracther with the toy, and another nurse takes the blood. It makes a huge difference.

every ped is different. when my daughter was young [~2 mo old], one doc would worry about how overweight she was and put her on a diet [she was nursing exclusively!], another would say that all babies grow differently. now that she is a year and half, they are worried about how skinny she is. she is only 10th percentile in weight, but also height so she has lots of fat, so i'm not worrying. i believe as long as she is eating and growing, she will be the size she was meant to be. it's mother nature.

I agree with the other posters that the doctor should have explained why he/she ordered these tests. That being said, I do think you should do the fasting blood draw. It is not that big of a deal and it will give you peace of mind if everything is ok. If his sugar is still high with the fasting blood draw, then it is important that he is treated for that condition.

I believe blood work at the 1 year appointment is standard. My son had blood work then too the lab messed up and didn't take enough (they didn't follow the blood work orders I had given them) So he had to get it drawn twice. He hated it and screamed both times but a few puffs after they were done and he had forgotten that I had been pinning him down a few minutes before. Those few minutes are worth knowing that everything is ok with your child.

I would call the doctor back, and ask him/her what concerns she/he had, and why they ordered all the tests. Then, also ask the new doctor to talk to your previous doctor about your child, so that the new one can be up to speed.

If you saw the new doctor because your doctor wasn't available, ask to speak with your regular doctor, and tell your regular doc your concerns, and ask the regular doctor to talk to the new doctor.

Yes, it is really traumatic to have to take your child for testing, 1) because we worry, and 2) we hate to see our children in pain.

It sounds (just a guess) like they might be concerned that your child is diabetic (which is probably why they want a more intensive blood sugar test done).

If this is the case, discuss with the doctor (preferably your regular doctor, if you can), other options, like adjustments to diet and then retesting after a few weeks, or going blood glucose monitoring (like diabetics do, with the finger prick), if you think that this might be less traumatic. The pros/cons are that if you do a more intense test for blood sugar, it will be a 1-day test, and all the poking is done in one day (it will probably be very stressful, and also pretty boring, if they do it the way they do it for adults--blood draw in the am, first thing; make you drink the nasty sugar solution, then another 3 or 4 blood draws over a period of hours), vs. small pricks on the fingers over the course of many days/weeks.

Regardless, before you disregard the new doc's request for tests, find out what they are trying to test for, and why they are concerned and feel a test is necessary, and have them talk to your regular (or previous) doctor. Also, ask for a copy of all test results, so that you can take them to another doctor for a 2nd opinion if needed.

Yes, some kids are naturally on the bottom of the chart, in terms of weight, but there can be serious medical reasons for them not gaining weight, and serious lifelong issues if they aren't growing properly.