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Puke and tell

My daughter was in the doctor's office this morning--happily playing with toys in the waiting room and waiting for her checkup--when she threw up all over. The carpet. The decorative glass wall. The toys. So I had to give the poor receptionist that "sorry about the smell and chunks, but we had a little accident out here" speech through the office window.

I felt so horrible. For her. For them. I even offered the nurse help with cleanup...because, let's face it, if it had happened at home where it usually does I'd be the one wiping up. But, hey, they're medical staff and it comes with the turf. The nurse declined the offer, but thanked me for asking...apparently some parents don't even feel like mentioning it and just leave it for them to find later. What?! Ok, so now I feel a little better.

No fever. No swollen glands. No swollen belly. We finished the checkup because Leda wasn't acting sick and she didn't need any shots today. But she came up as weighing less than last time. But she also measured taller than last time. So she's still on the growth chart.

What to make of her not-eating, constantly telling us her tummy hurts then? The pediatrician doesn't seem too worried. His theories mostly revolve around lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance. And he doesn't want to touch gluten intolerance with a 2 year old unless absolutely necessary because "the food tastes horrible."

Apparently, the workup for figuring out what else could be wrong besides, say, constipation is quite lengthy and we're not to enough of a problem to bring out the big guns. She's not doubled over in pain or asking to lay down or not eating to the point where she can't keep up on the growth chart.

So, for now, I just have a slightly off 2 year old who occasionally vomits at odd times for no reason and may need to watch her dairy intake. But weirdness is the norm in our family so this seems about right. Other than that, it was a great checkup. She had some fluid on her ears. She's not getting enough sleep. About the most normal thing she's doing is fighting with her brother.

I did feel a little guilty taking the Minnie Mouse sticker at the exit though. She was a good girl for the doctor, but I'm not sure I consider it a successful visit when the staff debates about bringing in a cleaning crew to follow up after you.