The "A" Word ('Autoimmune', sillies!)

I took my son to the ped today for his school physical.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, he has battled some significant health issues in his infancy and early childhood.  To sum it up, it was rough going.  Very rough going.  Very glad that's over with.

As he sat upon today's tissue paper covered, squeaky, vinyl table, I couldn't help but replay some of those moments in my mind.  I was enjoying the dialogue between him and the doctor, feeling more than blessed to have been brought through that fire of old, thankful for the charismatic little guy he's become.  A few of her inquiries struck me odd and I couldn't help but wonder where she was going with some of them, but hey, this is the 1st ped I've ever trusted.  I should know...I've been tossed out of 3 major practices prior to finding this amazing doctor;-)  She respects his history and treats him accordingly.  So when she ever-so-gently said, "I'd like to run his TSH", I finally understood, in that very instance, why she was asking those intriguing questions.  Ruling out hypothyroidism.  I was fine with that word.  And then she said, "often, when a child is gluten intolerant, or has celiac's, or, ya know, other autoimmune disease..."

Yep, she lost me when she said the "A" word.  Immediately, I felt the equivalent of a punch in the stomach.  See, I have an uncanny ability in times of high stakes discussions to make full eye contact with someone who's speaking to me, yet hear absolutely nothing they say.  I'm about 452 miles ahead of them in my mind.  So whatever she said after "autoimmune" wasn't properly digested.  Because what do we pray for daily on behalf of our kids, MS Moms?  All together now!    ...HEALTH!  Just health.  Please and thank you. 

Rather than allow myself to worry, I will continue to pray my simple prayer for my children.  I know that these kids are God's first, given to my husband and I as a special blessing.  This is all just precautionary on her part, because he can't digest gluten or dairy, and he's the smallest guy in his class, despite being one of the oldest, and there's a family history of autoimmune...hey!  That's pre-existing condition profiling!  Anyway.  No, I will not worry.

What I'll do instead is wake him first thing in the morning, when the lab opens, so we can get in there for this test.  But no, I will not worry...