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October 30, 2006

Stop This Crazy Ride I Want To Get Off

Seriously.

Last week was totally a blast. Not. Saturday Dylan woke up congested again. No big deal, just a little cold, right? We ran our errands Saturday morning, because we had a busy day. Saturday afternoon Darren and I took an Infant CPR class. By the time we got home, Dylan was wheezing again so we called the doctor. She said to start nebulizing again, which we did. Then Saturday evening we had a birthday party for Uncle Mike (and celebrated mine and Darren's a little too).

Sunday morning I woke up and I was back to the fun times of puking my guts out. Darren took care of Dylan, who was still congested, for most of the morning and thankfully I was feeling a little better by mid morning. I felt good enough to get up and let Dylan sleep on me. I didn't do much all day, but then Sunday night was a rough night. Dylan was up throughout the night. He hadn't been eating much and we fed him in the middle of the night.

Monday we had a bit of a backward slide. Darren had to stay home from work to take care of Dylan - who had a fever and couldn't go to daycare - and me - who was still throwing up. I managed to pull it together enough to go to Dylan's doctor with Darren. He was put on Pulmicort - an inhaled steroid - and an antibiotic for the ear infection he also had and we also had to continue the other nebulizer treatment. Monday was rough, but by Monday night I was feeling better at least.

Tuesday was a good day. I felt better. Dylan was feeling better. He still wasn't eating much, but he didn't have a fever all day and he was back to his normal self. Then came Wednesday.

Even though Tuesday was a good day, Dylan kept us up Tuesday night coughing. We didn't get much sleep. I woke up Wednesday sick again. But Dylan was alright so I struggled through - at one point I had a pail in one hand and him sleeping in the other arm - until it was time to drop him at daycare. Somehow we made it there and I came home and crashed on the couch. I couldn't sleep because of the running to the bathroom and I knew that sleep was what I needed. So finally at around 10:30 I went to the store for some Pepto to see if it would help. While at the store my phone rang. It was daycare. I needed to go get Dylan because he had 102.6 fever.

Panic!

I called my mother-in-law and asked (begged) her to come over and help. There was no way I could take care of him in my condition. On the way to daycare to pick up Dylan I called his doctor - who said just keep an eye on the fever that they didn't need to see him - and my doctor. I got an appointment at 1:30. I needed to get myself better so I could take care of my baby.

Dylan had Tylenol when we got home, and he hung out with his Grammy while I tried to sleep until my doctor's appointment. He still wasn't eating much, and he wasn't acting like himself, but I figured it was from the fever. I went to my doctor and I was there for a while. He gave me a shot to stop the nausea, but he had to give it to me half a dose at a time because one of the side effects was dizziness and I had to drive myself home. After the first half didn't react badly, I got the second half. Wonderful. I felt super. I was loving life because I wasn't puking. Then my mother in law called my cel phone and told me that she thought Dylan's temperature was going back up.

I went home and sure enough, his temperature was over 103. Plus now, he was having difficulty breathing. His chest walls were pulling in to breathe, which is not a good thing. We gave him tylenol and I called the doctor again. The doctor said to do another nebulizer treatment - he had just had one - and if it didn't improve to go to the ER. Well guess what. It didn't improve.

So Grammy, Dylan and I trekked over to the ER. Darren met us there after work. After a chest X-Ray (he doesn't have pneumonia), an RSV test (he doesn't have RSV), a dose of motrin (the fever finally went down) and three nebulizer treatments that did nothing to fix the breathing, they admitted him.

Well, let the fun begin. My poor 5 1/2 month old baby was admitted into the hospital. They gave him an IV. They hooked up a blood oxygen monitor to his toe. And wouldn't you know it, he was still happy and giggly.

We were in the hospital until Friday afternoon. Darren stayed the nights because I needed to sleep or I would end up sick again. (The doctor gave me some drugs to help with the nausea and I had to take one on Thursday, but after that I was ok). Dylan needed oxygen on Thursday while he was sleeping, but by Thursday evening he was doing much better. He still wasn't eating much, but he was also on IV fluid.

Friday after we got discharged and Saturday were a little rough. Darren got sick from not getting any sleep in the hospital and I was still on the verge. Dylan wasn't eating Friday and Saturday but then yesterday he got his appetite back. The wheezing is gone, he's eating like a champ, and pretty much back to his old self. He's still a little congested, but that should go away in time.

Going forward, we have the pulmicort to give to him, probably through the winter to prevent this from happening. Then as soon as he gets congested we have to start the other nebulizer stuff instead of waiting until he is wheezing. We also have an appointment next Monday to go see a Pulminologist.

I realize everyone said that parenthood would not be easy, but I had no idea they meant it would be like this!

Posted by Terri at October 30, 2006 11:01 AM

Comments

*hugs*

I'm so sorry that you are having such a hard time. I just hope that circle of sickness is finally broken now. You really, really deserve a break.

*more hugs*

Posted by: Juno at October 31, 2006 10:56 AM

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