Calcium Levels: Looking good and we've taken her down to one dose a day. She'll have her blood tested again in June and hopefully come off entirely.
Vitamin D Levels: Looking good and we're keeping her on one dose a day. Who doesn't need a little extra vitamin D? It seems to be all the rage.
IGM or Quantitative Immunoglobulins: Levels are a little low and that is typical of kids with 22q11. Igs are antibodies produced by plasma cells that are a big part of our immune system. Igs are produced in response to bacteria and viruses. Testing for Igs lets us know if Lydia can have her 1 year live vaccines.
CD8 or T-helper Cells: Levels are low at 113 and should be around 200. These levels should rise in time and with age. CD8 cells are used by the immune system to attack infection, they're the killer cells. Testing for CD8 levels lets us know if Lydia can have her 1 year live vaccines.
So, all that adds up to no live vaccines at 12 months. This is something we knew was a very real possibility because of the 22q11. A lot of kiddos with the deletion have a compromised immune system. Lydia has done very well and has only been sick once...with pneumonia...after heart surgery...in the hospital.
We'll test Lydia's blood again at 16 months in hopes of getting live vaccines at 18 months. The Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine and the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine are the two in question. Live virus vaccines are just a weakened form of the virus. If we give these to Lydia before her counts are up, she could very easily get the virus we're trying to prevent.
Until 16 months then.
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