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Worry and Prayer

For a couple months now, I’ve suspected that Isaac was sensitive to gluten.  Crackers in the evening leads to a gassy, sleepless baby at night.  So, at his one year appointment, I had the doctor do a blood test to check for gluten intolerance.
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Adam and Isaac on Easter
The next morning, Dr. S. called to let me know that he didn’t have the results of the gluten test back, but that Isaac’s platelet count was high.  It was probably because of a recent virus, but when I googled it, I saw that it can also be a sign of celiac disease.



And I freaked out.  I thought he was gluten intolerant, but celiac disease is much more serious, and I kind of had an “it can’t happen to us” mentality about it.  But when I learned about his platelets, the possibility of full-blown celiac disease seemed much more real.
We had to wait a few more days to get the gluten blood test back and recheck his platelets, but in the meantime, I had visions of cleaning out the pantry, reading every label for the rest of my life, and packing special snacks for preschool and beyond.
I shed a few tears, turned on the radio and deep cleaned my kitchen.  While I was cleaning, something from pinterest popped into my head…

Now, let me tell you, praying was not my first instinct.  I am a worry-er.  I try to remember to pray instead of worry, but it’s not automatic yet.  (Will it ever be?)
But anyway, I prayed. 
My prayer was not particularly sophisticated or eloquent, but it calmed me down and helped put things in perspective.
God, please help me remember that you have a plan for us. Help me accept that I may never know exactly what that plan is.
Help me focus on the things that I can control, and leave the rest in your hands.
Thank you for all the blessings you have given me – especially my beautiful boys.  Give me the strength and energy I need to be the best mom I can be.
Help me be supportive to other moms going through tough times.  Help me turn this hard time in my life into a blessing for others.

It worked.
No, it didn’t magically heal Isaac and make him able to eat bread and sleep comfortably, but it was a definitive moment of peace.  It enabled me to get through the next few days without having too many breakdowns.
Isaac’s first blood test for gluten came back negative (hooray!) and his platelets dropped (hooray!)  We go back next week for another platelet check, and I asked for a referral to a pediatric GI because the blood tests are kind of like allergy tests – positive is positive, but negative could be positive.  I’m still worried, but through my faith in God, I know that even if things aren’t okay, things will be okay.

Would you like to comment?

  1. Just remember... you are never alone!

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  2. Bless your heart! Raising children is not for the weak. Keep us posted, and we will help with the prayers. We worry-ers have to stick together!

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  3. I'm glad he tested negative. I hope the rest of the testing will result in good news.

    Thanks for sharing that quote. Love it and will pin it too!

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  4. I'll be praying for more negative test results for your little one! Celiac disease runs in the family on my husband's side, both his mom and sister have it. It seems to be more prevalent in women, so we have really high chances of having a daughter with it. My husband read somewhere that they are currently developing medicine (similar to lactaid pills for lactose intolerance)for people with gluten intolerance to help them digest gluten.

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  5. Katie I tend to be a worry-er too! It takes practice but Yes praying can become an automatic response. It has for me! Philippians 4:6 "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." I spend a lot of my time praying instead of worrying now. It us so nice to let God handle things. Continue to 'cast your cares on Him, He cares for YOU!' Your prayer is/was a beautiful prayer that touched my heart. I know it touched God's heart as well. :) I will continue to pray for you and your family, may God give you all PEACE!

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  6. I totally understand worry. I also totally believe in the power of prayer and that He cares! God has your precious boy in His hands and He is so much bigger than any of this health stuff. You keep turning it over to God on a daily basis.

    I am sorry that you are having to go through any of this.

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  7. Oh, man, do I ever worry about stuff! Prayer is so much better but I'm still learning to really give my issues to God. It's so hard to not worry about our kids, no matter what is the fear at the moment. On that note, I hope the situation with Isaac is resolved easily!

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  8. Isnt' prayer a wonderful thing!! I know that God listens to us and when we bring our petitions to him he takes care of them. I hope you find what is going on with your son. My 21 year old daughter is going through this now... she has a GI appt in the near future, but not before her tonsils are taken out next Monday... a lot going on.. God is good.. he listens and takes care of us!! Peace to you and your family!!

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  9. I am a worrier too! My husband's sister was just diagnosed with Celiac after several years of digestive trouble, so I have been watching my kids more closely. I don't worry about my son but my daughter has just started LOVING picking up little pieces of bread to feed to herself, and she's also not sleeping as well as she once was... Anyway, I'm glad to know I'm not the only worrier and I will be praying for good things for you and your sweet family :)

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  10. I commend you on remembering to pray! I am a HUGE worry-er... And looking back there have been plenty of times where I should have remembered to pray - and didn't. My mind probably would have been much more at ease if I had remembered who's in charge!

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