When a person goes to the doctor, the inevitable question always arises about medical history. Maybe the doctor wants to know what sort of illnesses and surgeries a person has had; perhaps the doctor wants to know what sorts of conditions run in a person's family.

When I am asked a medical history question - about my own medical history (both personal and family) - I have no problem answering. I just think back on my experiences and what I know about "stuff" that runs in my family.

When the question of family medical history comes up about Iliya, I always have to stop and think. We know a tiny bit about his biological medical history - accurate? who knows. What we do know isn't really relevant right now, so I usually just answer "I don't know." Typically, to medical professionals, I go ahead & volunteer that he is adopted, so there could be something we aren't aware of.

But when asked about his personal medical history, it seems that my memory only goes as far back as August of last year. I know all about Iliya's medical history in Russia. It is typed up neatly on about 3/4 of a page, and was given to us on Trip 1....and was updated on Trip 2. But for some reason, I am prone to only remember what we have actually experienced with him, which could be dangerous.

And this forgetfulness has surfaced twice.

The first time, we were at the urologist, at the consult for surgery. The doctor asked several questions - including questions regarding any surgeries or illnesses Iliya may have had in his past. And there was a very important question to which I answered "no" when the answer was actually "yes." Of course, it's true, he hasn't dealt with any of this since we've been home...but related things were on his Russian medical. And not only can not-disclosing this information (however accidental or forgetful it may be) be dangerous...it is downright embarrassing. Consider this situation:

Doctor: any history of x,y, or z?

Me: yes (explanation), yes (explanation), & no.

(Later)

Doctor: okay, well, since he has never had a history of z ...

Me: oh WAIT, he did have something about z listed on his Russian medical...

Doctor: (looking at me like I have 2 heads - because what mother doesn't tell something that major?) but you told me he hadn't had problems

Me: well, I forgot to mention it. It was something like (tries miserably to pronounce the name of the condition)... And I don't have a copy of the medical with me, so I can't tell you exactly what the diagnosis was, but they told me he grew out of it.

Doctor: Okay, well, this sort of changes things. We'll need to get an x-ray.......

Me: Oh wait, he's had an x-ray done since he's been home and everything checked out fine.

Doctor: so he's had an x-ray, here?

Me: Yes.

Doctor: Okay, then.

See? Embarrassing. In that situation, it wouldn't have necessarily been dangerous, but still...

And the second time it happened was this past Sunday.

Iliya's surgery went well on Friday...but when the anesthesiologist/anesthetist asked about breathing problems, I answered "no." The thing is, yes, Iliya seemed to have breathing issues in Russia - but when we got home, any problems he'd had completely went away...so I guess we just attributed the breathing problems to mold or something in the baby home.

So on Friday, when he really began coming out of anesthesia, Iliya started coughing - and it sounded like the breathing tube had irritated his throat. By Saturday, he was wheezing mildly - and on Sunday morning, it had gotten bad enough that I asked a friend of ours (who is a doctor & incidentally, also our GP), if he would mind listening to Iliya's chest after church. As he was listening, he asked me questions:

J: Hmmm...I hear wheezing in his lungs. Does he have a history of wheezing?

Me: No. I mean, he had a cold back at Christmas, but he never wheezed.

J: Okay. Well, we probably need to get him on an inhaler...it will come with a thing called a nebulizer -

Me: Oh yeah, he had one of those in Russia

J: Melissa, you just told me he never had a problem with wheezing...

Argh.

You know what my theory is? So often, PAPs are told to take Russian medical reports with a grain of salt. The belief is that Russians are not typically trained in Western medicine and that they tend to overdiagnose -- to an extent, that may be true. But Western medicine or not, the Russian doctors are still doctors. And we need to remember that they are usually our only link to our children's personal medical history. In retrospect, I can remember the baby home doctor telling me that they believed that Iliya reacted adversely to the anesthesia - when he had surgery just before we went on Trip 1 (in my defense, this was a year ago) - and that it caused him to have breathing problems.

He was still having breathing difficulties - and had the inhaler/nebulizer - when we went on Trip 2. But as I mentioned above, when we got home, his breathing cleared right up, and I completely forgot about what the doctor had told me.

That's where it can get dangerous.

So after a very rough night of wheezing, coughing fits, and a debate on whether or not to go to the ER, I placed a call to the pediatrician this morning. We secured an afternoon appointment - and after 2 hours of traumatic visits entailing an exam and chest x-rays, the doctor determined that Iliya has pneumonia in the lower lobe of his right lung. He is now on a pretty strong antibiotic and orders to stay out of preschool for the rest of the week.

I asked the doctor her opinion on what could've caused the pneumonia, and she said:

1. it could've been a matter of timing. He could've been about to get sick, and the surgery helped instigate the sickness - OR -
2. he could be sensitive to anesthesia, which could've induced the wheezing. We should remember this for the next surgery that he needs, and the anesthesiologist can give him a particular type of anesthesia to help prevent the reaction

And you know what I thought?

If I had only remembered to tell them what little I knew, then this might have been prevented. Talk about mommy guilt.

But the moral of the story, from the way I see it - to those of you who adopt - just remember your child's story. Don't forget that that story actually didn't begin when you brought your child home; rather, it is simply the same book, but a new chapter. Take Russian medicals for what they're worth - but just because your child comes home and each diagnosis on that medical is proven wrong (or outgrown), don't forget that there could be a reason it has been there, at some point in your child's lifetime. Don't completely - even unintentionally - write off your child's medical history as something that was just "overdiagnosed."

Because that 3/4-sheet of paper - and any conversations with the orphanage doctor - are the only two things that tie you to the medical history your child had before coming to live with you. And - as I've recently been kicked in the rear to remember - it's very important to remember.