Thursday, November 12, 2009

PKU

The infant PKU test isn’t offered in Egypt, at least, not at birth. Instead you have to have a private pediatrician order a private lab to come to your home and draw some blood from your new born baby and mail it off to Germany to get the results. All this costs around 200 USD (from what I hear).

Rachel got tested in the States and she was fine—most kids are since only 1 in 15,000 babies born inherits the disorder.

We still haven’t gotten Miriam tested.

Part of me wonders if it is worth it—forking out two-hundred dollars to get back what will, in all reality, probably be a negative test result. Two-hundred dollars for peace of mind. That’s a lot.

On the other hand, what if Miriam is the one in 15,000? Suddenly two-hundred dollars doesn’t seem like that much…

I think I’ll have Andrew set up that appointment ASAP.

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Posted by Nancy at 2:30 PM

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8 comments:

  1. This is how I feel about Dr. visits....they want me to wait a whole month between vists! I need the peace of mind.
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  2. Nelli SuolahtiJan 9, 2010 12:18 PM
    Oh no! We never got that test done! Now I'm worried....and I'm a chronic worrier...
    13 November 2009 at 07:42
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  3. We're still debating it...I mean, we don't even spend $200 a month on groceries...Why did you opt out of having the test done (or was it even offered to you)?
    13 November 2009 at 20:51
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  4. Nelli SuolahtiJan 9, 2010 12:19 PM
    Well it as never offered, but when I read your note, I googled it...I think if it had been brought up, I'd have opted for...just because of the chronic worrying thing! As if there aren't enough costs to having a child....ugh
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  5. I don't think you need to worry about Norah at this point. :) She seems fine (normal) to me!
    13 November 2009 at 21:44
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  6. what is PKU and why would your children have it?
    14 November 2009 at 22:37
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  7. It's a genetic disorder that requires 2 recessive genes to present. Neither A or I know if we're carriers and every child born in North America is tested for it--it's part of standard neo-natal screening. It makes it so that certain amino acids can't be metabolized and is linked to mental retardation, which would otherwise have been completely ... See Moreavoidable had the disorder been detected early.

    So while we doubt Miriam has it, the what-if part is bothering me...so we went ahead and made an appt. to do the screening anyway.
    14 November 2009 at 23:06
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  8. I was also wondering. Thank you. Apparently none of my kids had it. So I can stop worrying. :o)
    14 November 2009 at 23:59
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