Today Sophie got her bone age x-rays taken and had her appointment with the hematologist, a blood doctor, to find out why she is anemic. The x-rays were quick and painless, though Sophie didn't seem to think so as she cried the entire three minutes the six x-rays were taken. Then off to the hematologist, where the office had a train station theme and was quite empty compared to the radiology lab. The staff here was SO much better than endocrinology, that it almost...almost, made me forget how bad my last experience was.
The nurse was unable to get Sophie's blood pressure since she was so fidgety, but was able to get her whooping weight of 18 pounds, 6 ounces. After grabbing an Elmo DVD and being offered a toy drum by another nurse, we headed to our exam room. After discussing Sophie's history, the hematologist informed me that she had beta thalassemia minor, basically, a genetic blood disorder that causes at mild anemia. No treatment is necessary for thalassemia minor and it will cause no problems, but should Sophie have a child with someone that is also a carrier, there is a 25% chance that the child could get beta thalassemia major, a much more serious disease.
Trung always knew that he was anemic, but was told at a young age that he was just iron deficient because the situation does closely resemble that of mild iron-deficiency anemia. Also, a few years ago, Ba (my father-in-law) was hospitalized due to a sudden loss of blood, so apparently Trung's side of the family had some history, but we'll both get tested to find out for sure. Thank you all for your concerns and I'll keep you updated!
The nurse was unable to get Sophie's blood pressure since she was so fidgety, but was able to get her whooping weight of 18 pounds, 6 ounces. After grabbing an Elmo DVD and being offered a toy drum by another nurse, we headed to our exam room. After discussing Sophie's history, the hematologist informed me that she had beta thalassemia minor, basically, a genetic blood disorder that causes at mild anemia. No treatment is necessary for thalassemia minor and it will cause no problems, but should Sophie have a child with someone that is also a carrier, there is a 25% chance that the child could get beta thalassemia major, a much more serious disease.
Trung always knew that he was anemic, but was told at a young age that he was just iron deficient because the situation does closely resemble that of mild iron-deficiency anemia. Also, a few years ago, Ba (my father-in-law) was hospitalized due to a sudden loss of blood, so apparently Trung's side of the family had some history, but we'll both get tested to find out for sure. Thank you all for your concerns and I'll keep you updated!
I was told by a doctor that beta thalassemia minor was prevelant throughout regions of the planet where malaria was a major killer. It is stupposed to give the carrier resistance to malaria
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