I'm sorry? Can you repeat that? g- what?

Most of you don't know the details of something I alluded to after our orphanage visit.  Little Buddy's birth note listed the phrase "Diagnosis g6pd".  I asked our guide what that meant and he said he thought it was his airway condition.  Considering I know nothing about Chinese medicine and the fact that it ended in PD (in my nurse brain pd = Pulmonary Disorder) I accepted what he said as truth.  Unfortunately, that night I consulted Dr. Google and discovered he was wrong.  g6pdd is an acronym for a genetic disorder called Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.  It is a genetic enzyme deficiency which can cause hemolytic anemic (a blood disorder).  At the time we had no idea if he truly had this condition but if so it might explain a lot.   

Fast forward...

Friday, August 3, 2012... 

We had hope the birth note listing g6pdd wasn't accurate.  The test had to be sent to a specialized lab so the results came back this afternoon.  Unfortunately, he does, indeed, have g6pd deficiency.  According to Dr. B his level is very low so off to hematology we go.  It was already on our list of consults because of other abnormal lab work but now it moves quickly up the list.

Obviously the Lord knew all of this but now we have to try to sort it all out.  In the big picture it could be worse but it would have been nice to have this information beforehand.  We gave him medication he should not have taken (which may or may not have caused his seizures).  We gave him food and milk he can't eat or drink.  WHY DID THE ORPHANAGE KEEP THIS FROM US????  They knew the information but chose to withhold the information from us.   

It is not very common here in the US but is the most common inherited enzyme deficiency worldwide.  With lots of research I am finding the main change will be the way we eat.  Removing MANY foods from our diet.  Limiting certain vitamins and minerals because he can't process them.  A LONG list of medications he can never ingest.  All of these things can be triggers that send him into a hemolytic crisis.  We do not feel it is fair to make him eat completely different than we do nor am I going to be his short order cook.  Thus the reason this will need to be a change for our entire family.  Quite frankly, we are OVERWHELMED but we will figure it out one day at a time.

The Chief and I?  We're just sad... angry... humbled... frustrated... overwhelmed... yet thankful.  I honestly don't know where to begin.  I know once we figure it out it won't be so overwhelming but right now that's where we are.  Yes, he will live a long life as long as we are diligent about avoiding/removing the triggers from his body.  He will require diligent eyes to keep him safe.  He may require hospitalizations and blood transfusions along the way.  In the big picture this feels like big stuff but eventually it will be small potatoes.  We know that.   Yes, we are overwhelmed but we are still thankful we said yes.  We are even more thankful we said yes on those very scary days in China.  Now more than ever I know he NEEDED to get out of there and receive proper care.  Now he has a Mommy and Daddy who will fight for him instead of ignore what he needs.  He didn't have that three weeks ago.  I guess we'll just become his very granola Mommy and Daddy who are nazi-ish about everything he puts in his mouth.  I guess it could be worst, right?

To those of you who found out this information via Facebook... I am SO sorry!  We would have much rather you heard it from us but there's nothing we can do about it now.  There are always multiple sides to every story.  One you tell your inner circle while you process an enormous life change and one you present to the world after you figure it all out.  Then there's this thing called Facebook that can, unbeknownst to you, tell the world before you are ready.  As many of my friends in real life already know, I posted in what I thought was a CLOSED group about something I wasn't ready to tell the world.  However, I was actually posting in an OPEN group.  8/  So, FB decided it was OK to share my posts in the newsfeeds of 480+ of my "closest" FB friends.  Lovely...

Fast forward until today...

Friday, August 17, 2012... 

Today we saw the hematologist.  We are now awaiting insurance approval before we can determine Little Buddy's g6pdd variant.  Once we know the variant we can learn the characteristics of how it will most likely effect him and to what severity.  I honestly don't feel we know much more than we did yesterday.  I asked many questions.  Some she knew the answers to and some she did not.  We have discovered so much discrepancy between physicians about this disorder we don't know what to believe.  Over the next few weeks we will be searching for more information.  Pray for discernment as we make changes for our Little Buddy.  All the kids are taking it in stride...thankfully!  Now Momma and Daddy need to adjust to the new normal...