At our daughter's 1 yr well visit, she had blood work done. Our pediatrician just called to say her bone ALP levels were elevated and they want to test her again. The Dr. wasn't very helpful in explaining what this could mean - she was rather evasive which has made my husband and I totally freak. I can't google it any more because all I am finding is CANCER and this is not helping the freaking out. Anyone else's baby have this? What happened?
UPDATE: I called and spoke more directly with our Dr. and will be going in for more blood work in a week and a half. Apparently these increased levels sometimes happen and will go away in a few weeks. If they have not dropped, we will see a specialist. I'm also going to make another appointment with a second pediatrician and consider switching. We're worried but less frantic. Thanks for the advice, moms. I love this site.
We had new blood work done and her ALP levels came back normal, thank god. We are beyond relieved. We are interviewing new doctors, as well.
Thanks everyone for your advice and support!
It could just be from anemia. Get it retested asap. Call right now and schedule it if you haven't already. Drs forget sometimes that most people don't know what test results really mean. It can be very scary to research the internet for answers and so much info out there is wrong. If your pediatrician won't answer your questions and help you understand what's going on with your child, then it may be time to find a new one.
if they aren't panicking don't panic. If they even thought cancer.. believe me you would be at a hospital right away. sometimes ALP is from MONO... or infections similar to that.. so don't sweat it.. call the dr. and say you want to know what they are looking for and why. you have a right to this info. good luck.. say a prayer.. have a cup of maybe wine... and don't panic...
If you aren't satisfied with your doctor's ability to communicate with you, you may well want to find a new doctor. A test result like this could mean so many different things, from a vitamin D deficiency, to a thyroid issue, to something much more difficult.
No matter what happens, you need a doctor who answers your questions! Get the blood test done again ASAP, and try to be very careful about the websites you use for research! This one seems to be very informative:
http://www.sydpath.stvincents.com.au/tests/ALP.htm
So many websites just make us more scared. All you need is information! That's what your doctor is there for.
Good luck!
Hi K.,
I know you are terrified. I did some searching too and I found that elevated ALP levels can be caused by a variety of things and not just cancer. Some things were simple bone growth to gastrointestinal issues. From what I read there are a whole host of reasons including false-positives on the test. This is probably why your dr. isn't being specific.
Please try and stay calm throughout this time. I am praying that this all works out for you.
A.
If you have not yet done so, call the ped's office back and insist on speaking to the doctor right away to get more info. Go there in person if you feel you must. Explain what you found online and why you are freaking so that they can either calm you down with other possible explanations or confirm that you are justified with your fear and what the next steps are, timing, etc. For example, do you have to bring her in for more tests or do they use the same samples to re-run the tests? If it's the same samples, how can they be sure there's no mix up with her sample (mislabled, contaminated, etc)? Do your best to stay calm and be her advocate, but don't accept a lack of communication from those who know more, even if they don't have all the answers [yet]. Good luck!
I am not sure what ALP levels are, but the reaction I had to your post was to be horrified that the doctor did not give you a clear understanding of what this means. The website Web Md can be very helpful, but if I were you, my first move would be to get your daughter's medical records and get a second opinion and some more information from another pediatrician. Best of luck and I hope that everything goes well with your daughter!
