Well & Truly....

Well, DD had her "well child" Dr's appt. on Friday, and her cholesterol check. Maybe I should call it "well adolescent" Dr's appt.??? Because Dr. A. said that DD is well & truly an young-adolescent girl. The acne, the BO, the mood-swings, and yep, even breast-buds. *sigh* Dr. A said we've got maybe 2 more years before DD starts menstruating, which will put DD at only about 4 months younger than I was when I started, IF DD starts at that age (though as active as she is, it may push her start-date a little later than that). So, that's not really young, I guess. It only seems younger because DD is in third grade, where as I was in 4th grade when I started my adolescent changes. And THAT has more to do with how our birthdays fall in the year, than anything.

And, Dr. A. suggested I check with my insurance about getting the Guardisil vaccine for DD, providing insurance will cover it. I'm all for it. I know that my paternal grandmother dealt with cervical cancer a couple of times in her life, so there's family history there. And I know that even if a person is sexually safe, HPV can still be passed through other unsanitary means (using an improperly cleaned toilet that somebody with HPV has peed on, for one). And, I feel that even if DD DOES at some point choose an unsafe sexual experience, I'd like there to be one less risk for her. I've had people tell me, in regards to the vaccine, that if she gets this vaccine then maybe she'll be more promiscuous. As far as I'm concerned, promiscuous or not, I don't want to be commiting my daughter, at 10, to a lot of suffering down the road for refusing this vaccine on the grounds of possible promiscuity as she grows older. It's not like this cures against ALL STDs, but it takes precautions against 1 of them, anyway. And one of them that isn't ALWAYS caused by promiscuity. I'm not a big believer in looking my daughter in the face in another 7 years and going "oh, you've got HPV and you're having the warts frozen off next weekend??? Well, I COULD have done something to prevent that when you were 10, but I chose not to in case you were had unprotected sex as a teenager, and now that you've done it, you can just suffer the consequences." Naw.... I think I'll hope & pray insurance covers Guardisil, and if they do, have my daughter in for the shot-series as soon as I can set up the appts. (Oh, and for the record, DH is grumpy that I'm in favor of this vaccine, considering DD is only 9-1/2 now and he doesn't want to think that it may ever be necessary for his baby girl, and why are they wanting to do it at 9, why can't they wait till the girls are 16 and actually sexually active. I just remind him that it's better to prevent than treat, and considering the trouble even young teens are getting into these days, 9 is NOT too young.)

So, along with this, I'm taking measures to get DD prepared for other aspects of adolescence. Such as bras. The Dr. did suggest to DD the other day that as she's physically active in sports, she WILL need to find a couple of sports-bras to wear when exercising, before much longer. So, at Freddy's last night, I was looking at them. DD is very adamantly opposed to them at this point, and I can't really say as I blame her. But, I reminded her that she's a lot more active than I was at her age (or, even more active than I am now), and when it becomes uncomfortable to NOT be wearing one, she needs to know that it's ok to need it.

Same goes for pads. I've started talking to her about the eventual need to start carrying a cosmetic-baggy in her back-pack containing an extra pair of panties and a couple of pads. And we'll look into some cosmetic-type products for her (de-greasers and maybe a tube of cover-up) to have along as well. I don't want her going into this "adventure" unprepared. And of course, DH is freaked by this. He keeps saying "well, Dr. A. said it'll be 2 more years before we need to think about this." I keep reminding him that she didn't say it WILL be 2 more years, but that probably WITHIN the next 2 years, DD will likely start menstruating, and we don't want to wait till AFTER she starts menstruating to do anything about it. That's a sure-fire way for a girl to wind up VERY embarassed in front of class-mates. And as much as it may frustrate DH to think that HIS little girl is becoming a young woman, and much faster than he wants to admit, it IS happening, and I know what it's like to not have a lot of correct info on how to cope, BEFORE the time is THERE.

(Sorry Mom! You were really TOO matter of fact, not really instructing me on the PROPER way to shave so I didn't cut myself, or to wash my face, or to prevent smelly-ness.)

So, I'm being proactive. I don't think that's a bad thing. At the store last night I grabbed a pretty-blue leather cosmetic-bag for DD, and DH asked what it was for. I told him that it's so she can carry a travel-size deotorant, a comb, and eventually an extra pair of panties & a couple of pads with her. He bristled when I said the last 2 items. I also reminded him that we've got a trip to Anchorage coming up, and she'll need it for her shampoo, deotorant & perfume even in a couple of weeks, and he calmed back down when I reminded him of that. I don't know what it is, but he's freaking out about this whole adolescence thing. I don't remember my dad being that upset when I hit that age. He was rather matter-of-fact about it as well, not blinking an eye when I blushingly told him what I needed him to pick up for me on his next trip to the Commisary. Maybe he freaked a little bit "off camera" but I never saw him be noticably wigged out about me becoming a "young lady". It was just part of life. And maybe it was partly because he always wanted girls, he was mentally prepared for us to reach adolescence, I don't know....

Anyway..... So, we're at "that stage" now, and no mistaking. And Dr. A. did agree that trying DD on St. John's Wort certainly couldn't hurt, in an attempt to relieve some of the worst of the mood-swings. So now we're adding that to her daily routine. And DANG, DH flipped again when he saw the price on those things, and considered that we were buying them for a daughter that he doesn't even want to admit may actually need them. At Freddy's, they were 12.99 for a bottle of 160 gel-caps. DD is supposed to take 2, twice a day. I'm thinking we'll try just 1 dose a day, instead of two. DD is technically STILL a child, and if it's looking like it isn't helping, then we can try two doses a day, for now we'll stick with one.

****************************************************************

On somewhat a somewhat seperate subject, DD is now only 6 inches shorter than I am, and she's finally down to the 95% weight percentile. She's ALWAYS been off the charts, weight-wise. But she's finally on that 95% line. So, YEAH!!!!

And the cholesterol blood-test went fairly well, as well. We got in there & they sat DD in this curtained-in chair, with the little "arm-rest tables", well I decided to go OUTSIDE the curtain, and have my hand on her back from behind the curtain so that I couldn't see the needle. I had hoped that it would keep me from having a panic-attack. Not so. Nope. Even though I couldn't see them sticking DD, I still started going white, and getting "tunnel-vision" and ringing in the ears, and clammy, and somewhat short of breath. In fact, I was talking with the secretary, who's desk was just a few steps outside the curtained alcove, and she said that all the sudden I lost ALL color in my face and she goes "do you need to lay down???? Are you going to be ok????" I told her that No, I'll be fine, but that needles freak me out, and even the thought seemed to be doing me in. But, she insisted I take her chair & sit down there while having my hand on DD's back through a gap in the curtain.

Well, then the first lab tech stuck DD and DD jerked at the last second, resulting in the lab tech poking all the way through the vein. DD didn't cry at all, but she did whimper just a bit. Well, that lab tech was shaken by it, so she insisted another woman take over and do the next try. Not that the first lab tech was horrid or anything, but the second lab tech started talking hockey with DD, and turns out that her bro. played for our local Junior A. team when they first came up, so she was able to chit-chat about hockey with DD right through the blood-draw, which served very well to take DD's mind off the actual sticking, and once they had the needle in, the actual draw was over within a minute. She did very good, only a whimper on the first try, and just a "dang, that stings" sort of comment the second try.

But _I_ had an audience of lab-techs keeping an eye on me. (I had the secretary in front of me, another lab tech sitting in a chair just behind me to my left, and a third that I didn't notice till DD was done, behind me to my right.) They even offered ME juice when they gave DD a juice-box. *wry laugh* I told them that I'd be fine if I sat in the waiting area & sipped my water bottle for a bit. After about 10 minutes of that (and DD was having a late snack of a apricot/macadamia-nut bar & the juice box) I was over my panic-attack & well enough to drive. And the walk out into the fresh air helped clear my head the rest of the way. LOL Of course we called DH at work on our way home from the clinic, and DD got to tell her Daddy all about me almost passing out as SHE was getting the blood test, and that she didn't cry a bit. They had a bit of a chuckle at my expense, called me a wuss, and told DD that she is definitely his girl, getting through 2 sticks with only a whimper. LOL Ah well, I'd rather her be her Daddy's girl, when it comes to blood-tests & IV's, than take after me. And try as I might to be stoic, I just can't do it. It's that whole psycological thing. Even writing about it, I've gotten shaky & a little bit antzy. That's just how I am. I can handle shots (providing I don't look while they're prepping the needle, and I don't get myself worked up before hand), but blood-tests & IVs totally flip me out. Hell, the last time I had a blood-test (one bigger than a finger-stick, which also makes me panic), was when I was in labor with DD. I know I should get my cholesterol checked, and probably even be tested for diabetis, but there's no way in hell I'll do that until they're willing to give me laughing gas for 10 minutes before the draw, and during the draw itself. That's the only way I can manage to NOT freak when they stick me.

So, that's the update, mainly for my Mom & middle Sis. But we all read each-others blogs more often than we talk on the phone. And they're both busy bees this weekend, the Sis with a Plato Seminar, and Mom with a trip to Kuai with some friends. So, here it is for their future perusal, and for anybody else who cares. LOL

Have a Blessed Day!