I'm going to preface with there's still a lot of unknowns, but we are on the right track. Just to summarize, Austin scared and stumped the doctors on Thursday when his blood sugar went VERY low after fasting for OR, unusually low. They determined the need to look into why and as frustrated as we were, there's a reason for everything.
After last nights critical labs (12 hour "safety" fast), the biggest outcome was his cortisol level (which should have been high due to stress on the body) was low. Therefore, his body did not react to the need to protect him from the stress of the low blood sugars. For now, I will spare you all the details because we still don't fully understand all the factors and systems involved.
We will be on our way home after they complete a cortisol study to see if his adrenal gland reacts to an injection of medication (steroid) that should cause the production of cortisol. It's a timed study. They drew his baseline, gave him the medication and now they will draw labs at 30 minutes and 60 minutes. If his adrenal gland is working like it's supposed to, then his cortisol levels will increase. If not, well then we have another answer.
The second factor is his growth hormone levels. These were labs that were drawn earlier and we are just waiting the results. We are expecting this to be low and will likely pinpoint the root cause of many things. If they are low, Austin will likely start human growth hormone daily injections.
We will go home with a hydrocortizone pen (similar to an epipen) in which we could use in an emergency or an illness. We will also have many follow ups with endocrine in the next months as the puzzle starts to put itself together!
Bittersweet news that Brian and I have accepted and know will provide the means for Austin to feel even better and meet his goals!
We are so thankful for Children's, our family, our friends and everyone who has been so supportive! Austin likes to keeps things exciting!
Love and Hugs,
Tara
(Brian, Max and Austin too)
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