Vampire??

Lucy had blood drawn on Friday for a vitamin level check among other things. This is a routine yearly test to make sure her vitamin levels are up and her organs are functioning properly. Last year's blood test results were great but showed a lower-than-average vitamin D level but at the time the test was given, in December of 2008, Lucy was an infant and it was in the middle of winter when most Americans are vitamin D deficient anyway. The vitamin D wasn't low enough to raise her vitamin intake but I was advised to take Lucy out into the sunshine more often. That was the easiest dose of medicine ever!

Lucy was such a trooper when the phlebotomist shoved that needle into her vein as I 'bear-hugged' her to keep her from thrashing around. The woman pushed the needle into the elbow pit of Lucy's right arm and then wiggled the needle around inside, shoving it to and fro, as if the needle were a metal detector swiping the scene for lost treasure. Lucy cried out for only a moment and then, inside the tubing, was dark, oxygen-rich toddler blood. I acted so excited to see my child's plasma in that vial. So excited that Lucy stopped crying and began to observe the bloodletting process.

Lucy looked on in awe as we watched together the test tube fill up slowly with her blood. She gave out one more good howl as the woman removed the needle from her vein and then returned to a hesitant happy when she found out that the tape that goes over the gauze was the color purple.

Next Friday, Lucy has a regularly scheduled appointment and check-up with her pulmonologist and should be when I find out the results of her sputum culture from this day and her blood test results. I expect only good news from this visit.

She has been taking Bactrim for over a week (only two more weeks to go) and is doing much better now. Her cough is regressing and she has no ill side effects from Bactrim like she does with Augmentin. And so we keep on truckin' and we can't wait for Halloween!