Last Saturday night (a week ago) she acted a little puny. Didn't want to eat dinner--just very tired. Sunday she was acting a little off also, so I checked her temp in the afternoon and it was 99. She had a bit of a cough, so I thought she had a little cold. Lucky us--she was just about finished with her antibiotics for an ear infection. She has a low temp and a little cough Monday. Monday I went shopping and got a new ear thermometer because I just haven't trusted my forehead temp taker. When I got home and tried it out, it showed she had 101. During the night it shot up to 103.9 so I sent my mom and dad to the all night pharmacy to get ibuprofen since obviously the Tylenol was not working.
Tuesday I took her in to our pediatrician. He did a rapid strep and RSV culture in the office. They were both negative. He sent us to the lab for the full strep and flu cultures. Both of those were negative, so he said it was just a virus that needed to run it's course. But her fever was still spiking over 103 while I was alternately tylenol and ibuprofen. She was hardly eating and just sipping on water or occasionally juice. She also had a rash on her upper arms and legs. By Friday I was at the end of my rope.
At 815a I called his office back. I left a message with the nurse and after an hour she hadn't returned my call. I decided to call my partner in crime's peds office. They weren't accepting new patients except on a waiting list but I said I wanted a second opinion on a high fever that had been going on for a week. They said bring her in at 3p.
At 1145a my nurse finally called back. She got a little snippy when she found out that I had an appointment with another office. But I've gotten over that guilt trip.
I was so nervous in my decision. I felt like I burned a bridge with my old doc by just making the other appointment. What if the new doc didn't take my kids as new patients? Where would we go? Then I thought my kid's don't have to have a pediatrician. My regular doc would be fine. Since Little md turned two they are all done with their vaccines. So to have a specialized doc wasn't a must. I feel confident if my doc needed to consult a pediatrician he would. He comes from a line of doctors and he has kids of his own. We really like him and his staff and his PA.
It was also helpful that my husband, mom and dad, two best friends, brother and sis in law all agreed and supported me.
At the new doc's office, we went into the sick kid waiting room (yes separate waiting rooms-bonus). As I was filling out paperwork one of the receptionists noticed Little m looked like she was running fever and got us immediately into a room. Within two minutes we were speaking to the doc. She gave Little m Motrin (her temp was 102.5). And began the exam. She decided that her fever was too high for just a virus for that long. She said we should admit her to the hospital (where she was on call for the weekend) and run tests and get an IV started because she was getting dehydrated. She said that would help her feel better and fight the infection. She wanted to start her on two IV antibiotics and if her chest xray came back showing pneumonia, then start her on an oral antibiotic.
At this point I started tearing up because let's face it...it pretty much confirmed my worst fear that my little girl was very sick. Dr. Maya gave me a hug--'it's going to be okay mama' she said.
We left her office with the admitting orders and went to the hospital to check in. My daughter was amazing. She let them do the IV and draw blood and followed orders and didn't fight or even cry. I put her in a diaper in the hospital because with her sleeping so much and feeling so weak I knew there would be accidents.
At this point I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to see her in that tiny hospital gown in the bed with the IV in her little hand. This was taken with my phone on Sunday. She was doing so much better, her color was good and she was smiling. Thank goodness her two Merlia dolls were able to come stay with her in the hospital.
There are moments and pictures of this weekend that are etched in my brain. Her watching them start her IV. D carrying her downstairs for her chest x-ray. Her getting choked up talking to her sister on the phone because she missed her so much. Her taking one bite of graham cracker and saying 'mom I need a break' because she just couldn't eat another bite. Holding her while she gagged over taking her medicine. And then her saying through her tears "Mom I love you so much. And this just makes me love you even more." I still cry when I think of that moment.
And the better moments; Her singing on Monday so loud that I told her she needed to be quiet so she didn't scare the nurses down the hall. Her getting visits from my two BFFs and her grandparents and her aunt. The all day Dora fest that she had Sunday because she was the only non baby patient on the floor and got to choose the in house movie. The fact that her fever went away and the medicines started working. Chocolate cake smeared on her face when she finally started eating again.
We got to walk the hall Sunday afternoon because she had been fever free for 24 hours. She loved looking out the window into the garden. We saw flowers and birds and a water fountain. Then we looked out another side and I said 'do you think we can see our house from here?' She looked down and said 'no, I'm ready to go back to the room.' I really think she had a bout of true depression while in the hospital. Even after she felt better, she still was down and not herself.
So what we discovered from the testing was that she had a mild case of pneumonia. Other lab tests are still pending, but Dr. Maya seems to think there was some other underlying infection. Her blood work numbers were off initially, but that could all be related to the infection. Her second set of labs were returning to normal. We have a followup appointment Friday.
I came down with something in the hospital myself. And as soon as I got home Monday afternoon and took a shower, I went to the walk in clinic where they were able to give me a steroid shot and antibiotic to treat fever and sore throat. I won't even get into the stress I am feeling over being around Little m during this. God willing her meds will keep her from catching this. I am on quarantine in the bedroom for now.
Through it all I would not have survived without my mom and dad and husband and BFFS and brother and his wife. They were constant support.
Soon I'll have to update on the dance recital that happened Saturday night. I just am a little emotionally spent right now.
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