Let me start from the beginning. Thursday night both kids got fevers. They both had had shots that morning at their 3 year and four month appointments (Ally and Andrew respectively) so I wasn't overly concerned with the fevers. Tylenol and early bedtime was all that we did. Then over the weekend they both started to get coughs. Now, I can handle my cough, I can handle Ally's cough okay, but Andrew's cough - not so much. It worried me. So, we stayed home, took it easy, I nursed Andrew often (he was still eating just fine) and just played it by ear. Sunday was Superbowl and the kids both actually had good mornings - health wise. We headed down to Mike and Morgan's knowing that we wouldn't go overboard, just relax and watch the game.
By about 5:30 they both started to get bad again. The coughs got worse and they were both uncomfortable. We went home early and turned in for the night. Overnight was pretty bad too. They were both up coughing most of it. At 8 Monday morning I was on the phone with the doctors office getting them both in.
We headed to the office and got right in at 9:45. The doc took a look at Ally first and diagnosed an earache. Antibiotics and rest for her. Then the doctor (not our normal doc) heard Andrew cough and immediately changed her focus. She ran out of the office and grabbed a machine to monitor his pulse/oxygen level and had a heck of a time getting the thing to stay on his little toe. That machine always reminds me of "E.T. Phone Home" because it makes your finger (or in this case his toe) glow red. At the same time, the nurse brought in this breathing machine. So we had the pulse/ox monitor falling off, the breathing machine loudly blowing air into this little mask, Ally freaking out cause she didn't know what was going on and Andrew starting to loudly complain because he was being fussed with and was starting to get hungry.
At that time I don't think I grasped the seriousness of what was going on - in fact I know I didn't. Because after we got everyone calmed down, I was still completely shocked when the doc looked at me and said "we're going to admit your son." She must have seen my face go white and my jaw drop because she immediately started consoling me - telling me her reasons for wanting to admit him - as if I was mad at her for suggesting it. It wasn't that I was mad, it just took me completely by surprise.
So, we gathered up our things while she called over to the hospital and made sure we had a bed. I'm thankful that Andrew was well enough that we didn't need an ambulance. It was just weird walking into the hospital lobby and saying "um...I'm here to admit my son..."
Got Andrew to the room and the nurses started looking him over. They poked and prodded. The nasal swab was an ugly experience (thanks to my Dad for being there for that one) and they had a really hard time finding a vein to draw blood from. Because they didn't know what he had, all the hospital staff had on masks and gowns. Felt like we were in quarantine - I think we actually were.
And then we waited. We went for a chest x-ray. Not so bad. He didn't seem to mind much. But when we got back his little pulse/oxygen percentages were not as high as the nurses liked so they put him on oxygen. Here's a terrible phone pic of my little guy and his tubes.
Then we just waited. We waited for the results of the chest x-ray, the swab and the blood. We heard 12 hours, we heard 24 hours. We just knew there was something wrong and he needed to get better. After awhile I heard from one of the nurses that there was a spot on his lung that looked like pneumonia. Ugh - pneumonia? But then...we heard that it wasn't pneumonia and just a viral infection of some sort.
He was started on breathing treatments and those continued every four hours. He didn't seem to mind much, especially since we just had to wave the contraption in front of his nose and let him inhale the medicine.
Finally at around 2 AM we got the results that Andrew has RSV. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is basically just a really nasty cold. It rears its ugly head in the winter months. In adults and older children it just causes a bad cold - what Ally and I are suffering from. In infants (and even the elderly) it can be fatal. Incredibly contagious as its passed easily by physical contact, who knows where we picked it up. But at least we had an answer.
Also around 2 AM we were able to turn off little guy's oxygen. I must have stared at the pulse/ox monitor for over an hour after we turned it off willing his numbers to stay high enough to know he was breathing well on his own.
By 7, we saw his regular doctor. She came by and let us know the results of all the tests officially - nothing like hearing it all from your own doc. She listened to Andrew's lungs, thought they sounded good and just prescribed the breathing treatments to continue at home. He no longer needed the oxygen and we were safe to be discharged. Here's a pic of Andrew after he heard the news.
A few hours later we were checked out and on our way home. I really have no desire to go back to the hospital ever again - unless its for baby's being born. For that - I'm all about it (someone elses baby - not mine - we are done!)
So...a whirlwind experience it was. Steve and I were talking about how neither of us had even been admitted to the hospital (I don't count childbirth) and how scary it was that Andrew had at only four months. I am grateful that he won't remember the experience - although it wasn't a bad one, Sutter Roseville is always good to us.
Now I get to stay home with them the rest of the week. Rest and relaxation and trying to get better is on the menu. Not much else. The rule is - wash your hands often and stay away from sick people. I sincerely hope the Carroll clan didn't infect anyone else with this thing. It is nasty.
Hopefully the next post will bring happier news, but we're hanging in there.
~Becky
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