Well… the pediatrician called last night to say that the blood test results are back and that I have to go in and see her because he (Colin) is anemic… she even tried to get me to go last night because she is not in today… but I am going to go tomorrow… I am glad because she mentioned the “importance to start Iron supplements” on the phone and I wanted to do a little more research before heading into her office…

I am glad I did…

First… Sure he may have been anemic at the moment of the blood test.. he was just getting over his virus, didn’t have his appetite back yet, was on antibiotics etc… However, he had had 2 blood tests while he was in he hospital and nothing was mentioned.. and I am pretty sure that they would have seen that he was anemic at that time….

Secondly, with the small bit of research, within the first sites I visited, I found this…

“More often, aplastic anemia is caused by a virus infection or exposure to certain toxic chemicals, radiation, or medications, such as antibiotics, antiseizure medications, or cancer medications”. ….. “This is known as an aplastic crisis. Healthy children can also develop a mild anemia for about one month following viral infections.”
http://www.utoronto.ca/kids/Anemia.htm

“Another common cause of mild anemia in children, especially with a normal MCV and no other symptoms, is a recent infection, such as an ear or sinus infection, which can cause decreased production of red blood cells for a short period of time (usually about a month).

If your child doesn’t have any risk factors for having iron deficiency (see below), and has a mild anemia without symptoms and has a normal MCV (normocytic anemia), then his blood counts may just be rechecked in a month or so without beginning empiric treatment with iron, especially if he has had a recent infection.”

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/commonproblems/anemia.html

I know that I wouldn’t have went with Iron supplements anyways and would have stayed with a Iron rich Diet instead but even now I think that I am not going to make any changes even if the pediatritian reccomends it tomorrow…

My reasoning for this?

– He is breastfed.

– I think they would have seen if he was anemic during our hospital stay (with the 2 blood tests)

– I think that he wasn’t anemic before and his red blood count is down because of either (or all) of the following factors…the infection, the antibiotics or the antiseizure medicine that they gave in addition to the poor appetite because he was not feeling good…

– He has NO Symptoms

And most importantly

– If we do make a diet change or give supplementation and then go back in a month to check his blood and he is back to normal then they wouldn’t know if it is back to normal because he is just feeling better naturally or because he is truly Iron deficient or something else…

However, I will ask to go back in a month to check his level again to make sure that it does go up naturally…

If I would have went to her office last night I would have not been prepared at all… At least I am now a bit more informed on the whole situation, armed with info from a (medically) respectable source etc….

Maybe my lack of trust in doctors can be a bit of a hassle sometimes but I would rather do my own research and go into an office ready and informed then just assume the doctor is an “all knowing god” because of a doctorate…

I’ll tell you how it goes tomorrow…