Lucas has been sick, sick, sick since after the last post I wrote. He got the respiratory funk, which caused him to wheeze. This caused ME to take him to the doctor. They thought he sounded like he had pneumonia, but weren't sure. He did have a double ear infection so they put him on an antibiotic that would help the ear infection AND the breathing. They put him on Augmentin which is a pretty brutal antibiotic on the digestive system for 95% of kids I've seen on it. But, it was stronger than the standard Amoxicillan, so we went with it. He was so sick that we had to skip going to see the Warm Beach Lights of Christmas in Stanwood. Next years, right?
Just as soon as the holidays hit, a few days into the antibiotic, he got the stomach flu. This wasn't from the antibiotics. He threw up multiple times all over at Christmas Eve, then had diarrhea non-stop. It was a mess. But his respiratory junk was going away. After Christmas, he's recovered from the stomach flu (but successfully given it to my mom, dad and grandma) and is almost done with the respiratory funk too! However, his system has now succumbed to the antibiotic side effects. The diarrhea from the antibiotics is now just shredding his poor bottom. His toddler teachers and I were strategizing every which way we could help this situation. We finalized our plan with a first layer of the Zinc Cream (because it heals the rash), then a layer of A&D Ointment (because it protects the bottom), and finally a heavy dusting of powder (which helps it not to stick all over the diaper but instead stay on his bottom). It worked - no more bleeding rash!
So Lucas finishes his Augmentin the Thursday before New Year's Eve. He doesn't have any symptoms and he has about two days or so of healthy living. Then New Year's Day he wakes up all snotty. That next day, Monday, he's developed a cough again. Tuesday morning, I wasn't even sure I should take him to school. But, he wasn't running a fever or anything, so I tried it. Somewhere between early and mid morning, Lucas' breathing became exceedingly worrisome to Elisha. She let me know, trying not to freak me out, and I immediately called the doctor. They get him in (that's the great thing about Peacehealth). We actually get to see the doctor that cared for him at the hospital when he was first born, Dr. Kelly. She hasn't seen him since we got in that ambulance bound for Seattle Children's!
Anyway, by the time we get to the doctor's he was wheezing pretty badly. He had developed a fever as well and was just miserable. They hooked up the oxygen sensor to his finger and he was registering anywhere between 85 and 89 percent. He is supposed to be at 98 to 100 percent. They start to get worried at 93-95 percent. So the 80's are pretty bad. The nurse looks completely scared and then I start to freak out a little inside. I was mentally preparing myself for another stay at St. Joe's. Can you imagine staying in a hospital with a mobile toddler? Oh man, that would be so hard.
They dose him up with two steroids - one oral (like prednazone) and one in the nebulizer with his albuterol. After both of those kick in, about 45 minutes or so, he has improved to 92-93%. Thank God. And I didn't realize how ashy his skin was until he had the normal color to it. He perked up a little bit. The doctor came back in and told me that he STILL had his double ear infection. So, they decided to give him antibiotics via injections - one a day for 3 days. We'd be back each day. He falls asleep on me in the 45 minutes it takes them to get the shot ready, of course. So, he wakes up to us putting him on the cold table and then getting a shot in each leg. It was awful. They tell me I need to wait an additional 30 minutes to make sure he doesn't have an allergic reaction to the shot (we have to do this EACH time he has the shot in the next two days too). So they leave the room and I attempt to comfort my little guy.
He's still sniffling and half awake, laying on me, and he gets this look on his face that I've recently seen. It's his "I'm going to throw up all over you" face. And he does just that. He throws up all over me, all over himself, all over the floor and the bench. I don't even move until he's done throwing up all over. Of course, at breakfast this morning he's had massive amounts of french toast and pears. Cinnamon throw up. (: I stand up gingerly and open the door out into the doctor's office - which is adjacent to the front desk area where all the receptionists are working. They just stared at me!! It felt like they were staring at me forever! I finally said, "Um, can I get a little help?" And they got me some towels and at my request, a nurse to help me clean up and move to a new room. Of course, #1 mom here didn't pack any extra clothes for Lucas (and of course, I'm covered in vomit as well), so they bring me a hospital gown to put him in. Me, I'm stuck with puke clothes.
The next few days are filled with tons of nebulizer treatments (even some in the middle of the night), steroids, and visits back to the doctor for antibiotic injections. On Wednesday, they decide to give him a chest x-ray because they hear both a rattle and a wheeze in his chest that they think might be pneumonia. The chest x-ray process is really crazy. They strip him down to his diaper and put him in this contraption where his arms are sticking straight up. This clear plexiglass, adjustable tube is covering his chest and helping to keep his arms up, while just giving him enough room to poke his little head out. Then they strap it closed. They kept preparing me for the fact that he would cry and kept saying, "It's okay if you want to step outside." I felt like saying, "Yes, that's just what my frightened toddler needs. He's already freaked out because he's in contraption of death, let me just leave him in this room with a half dozen strangers." I guess there are parents that can't handle this though, and it would be better for the child not to see their mom or dad having a panic attack in the corner of the x-ray room. He had his x-ray, which was much easier than half the procedures we did at Children's Hospital, and it was confirmed that he has "bilateral pneumonia". After his third injection shot, we then add on a prescription of Zithromax. This is now his fourth antibiotic since late October.
So, he finishes with his Zithromax on this past Wednesday. He's symptom free. But this weekend (14th and 15th) he's sleeping in much later than he normally does. He's beginning to sneeze and it seems to me that he is getting sick again. I think I just might scream. Not for me, but because I imagine this must just really suck for him to feel so crappy all the time. I hate that I have to give him nebulizer treatments all the time. That's about an hour a day that he's stuck sitting in my lap breathing in vapors. I also don't want to give him any more steroids or antibiotics than I have to. If he keeps sprouting this never ending ear infection, we may want to consider tubes.
I'll keep you updated as I am trying to be proactive this time and will call the doctor's office on Monday for a follow up. If I can catch this before it gets bad, it will be the best for Lucas, hands down. Thank God my job is so patient with me in this process, I've missed a lot of work lately.
On a very happy, positive, HEALTHY note: We went to Children's Hospital in Seattle on Friday, January 6. I was hoping for it to be his last appointment with the neurology department, and it was!! They told me his development looked right on and that I only needed to return if I noticed his milestones were delayed in any way. It was really interesting because in this visit, they focused more on his cognitive development and less on his physical development. They wanted to make sure that he was developing language at an acceptable rate.
The following Monday, his Occupational Therapist, Stephanie and the resource coordinator, Julie, came to see Lucas at school. We all made the hard decision that we would end services. It was only a hard decision because I've come to really like both Stephanie and Julie. The whole Center for Early Learning is such a fantastic resource and they've been both helpful and super supportive on so many levels. I've been nothing but impressed with them. But, Lucas is thriving and there's no reason to take up those valuable resources that other children need when he's doing just fine. So, we said our goodbyes and I promised them I would send bi-annual pictures and cards (Megan, it's your job to remind me - June and December). They were so impressed with his progress. Apparently only about 25% of kids "graduate" out from the program. Lucas is in the minority and I am eternally thankful for that.
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