My gorgeous 3 week old son Czarli is not well. can someone explain what the hospital is saying in English ?

Question

The hospital took some blood a week ago when he left hospital and have phoned me today to say that they want him back tomorrow for some more blood tests. They say his cortisol/cortisone levels are wrong and he may need some medication now and into his future life. All i can get out of them is "oh dont worry" and then the women on the phone said "YET". Dont worry yet. Yeh right. Czarlis mother and I are soooo scared. Can anyone tell us what Cortisol/Cortizone is/what it does/what problems can it lead to.

Answer 1

i am so sorry that ur baby is not feeling  well, (mommy of 2, &1 on the way) that's really a hard question 2 answer, but why don't u pull Cortisol, or Cortizone on a website, and that will help you understand the situation more, or go to ask.com. Good Luck with the baby's results, and u just stay strong for the baby and keep ur head up.  

Answer 2

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenaline gland. I think having too much its called Cushing's syndrome (google it and read up)

Don't trust anything that wikipedia says, its not a completely reliable source. Look for medical journals.



But still, talk to your doctors, ask simple questions and you'll get simple answers.

Answer 3

Cortisol is a substance in your blood that fights inflammation.  So if the levels are up it means there is something the body is trying to fight off. However, high cortisol levels can also mean a problem with the insulin, so diabetes is a possibility. Any problem your baby might have has obviously bee caught early and most things are manageable.

I'm sorry this is very short and simple. I hope this helps, though. Good luck tomorrow.  

Answer 4

Call the pediatrician and tell him you are worried.  Ask him/her the questions that you want answered.  My first thoughts are.

What is Cortisol/Cortizone and what function does it have on the body?

What causes high/low levels?

Is there anything I can do as far as diet is concerned?

What are good support websites I can refer to?

What will his future be like?

Will he be able to learn and grow the same as other children?

What kind of lifelong treatment will be needed?

Is there a specialist nearby that I can consult with, maybe a geneticist?

Can you give my number to other families who have children with this and can you ask them to call me? (other families with the same problems are a great resource)

~~I'll keep your family and the baby in my prayers~~

Answer 5

First, I offer you my sympathy as every new parent worries incessantly about their newborn baby and you've been handed one more thing to worry about.  Second, I would take the advice of the nurse / doctor and not worry at this moment.  Why?  Because at this point they really don't know and it's too early to know why your baby isn't metabolising cortisol/cortisone.  It could be something that might be easily rectified.  Just relax and lavish lots of love on your little boy.  As the tests come back, everything will be explained.  

You are in my thoughts.  And I'm so glad your little boy's problem has been caught early.  

Best of wishes and good luck little Czarlis.

Answer 6

All I know about this issue is it has to do with insulin (I think). However, I want to assure you, you will soon be an expert on the subject. My son went into the hospital with SVT when he was 20 days old - his entire system was shutting down and doctors didn't know what was going on, so we got the whole, "he'll be fine, don't worry" speech many times. I never did figure out the problem until well into his 3 week hospital stay.

My advice: Don't come on here looking for answers, no one will be able to give you a good one, don't try to frantically look it up on-line either - chances are you'll find something that sounds related, but isn't. Try to sit down with his doctor and make them give you straight answers - it's hard because they are trying to be honest, but they can't always dumb down lingo for us, sometimes we have to learn the new lingo in order to understand the needs of our children. Keep talking to them until you understand - or until they have given you enough info for you to have a clearer idea what you are dealing with.  

Answer 7

For the sake of accuracy, ask your doctor exactly what it all means. Ask if he has printed information on your baby's problem.

Answer 8

Here is some info:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/corti...

Answer 9

If I was you, i'd call my peditrician and ask them to explain it to me :)

Answer 10

Maybe this will help you out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol

Answer 11

okay well i dont know what it is or symptoms are but heres a thing to keep in mind -

when a hospital says "yet" it means that they are unsure of what is happening. That's probably why they need more blood tests. they probably dont know if anything is even wrong with him. Just stay positive.

Answer 12

This may have been due to your baby either being preterm or extremely low birth weight..did either of these happen to your lil boy?

Cortisol is a hormone that:

Proper glucose metabolism

Regulation of blood pressure

Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence

prolonged levels can lead to heart disease..he could potentially have a metabolic disorder..sorry to hear but, the Dr. will keep you posted