Our Latest Saga.....and it's still unfolding

I'm beginning to feel like I have Munchausin (or whatever it is called when you think something is constantly wrong with your children)! Between the 2 girls and myself I feel like I should rent the office space next door to the doctor and just move in. Or better yet just camp out in the waiting room.

First it was Ainslee and her reflux then Kaylee with croup and sinus infection. Now we are all 4 sick. And Ainslee just keeps getting worse as the week goes on. Let me just start from the beginning of this week. Ainslee had her 8 week appointment scheduled on Monday and Kaylee began getting sick over the weekend so I decided to make an appointment for her as well (kill 2 birds with 1 stone sorta idea). Kaylee was sent away with a prescription of antibiotics for her sinus infection and told that if she got worse they would have to give another round of steroids (like she was on last month). But thankfully she got better, that is about the extent of the good news. On Monday Ainslee had just started getting sick with the whole head cold, that Kaylee eventually gave to all of us. The doctor told me to give her saline drops and suction her nose to help with the congestion. And also elevate her crib so she is sleeping in an inclined position, which I was already doing. Oh and Ainslee also got her 1st round of immunizations at that visit as well. So we left there thinking everyone would get better in a few days, that is not what happened. Ainslee progressively got worse. The first few days she was unusually fussy and wouldn't settle. She would scream if you touched her and she wasn't sleeping more than 2 hours at a time, mostly she was sleeping about 1 hour or less. This went on until Wednesday when I took her temperature and it was 100. I called the doctor and they said to bring her in first thing Thursday morning. So we packed up and headed to the doctor at 8 o'clock Thursday morning (let me mention that I had to wake up both girls to get out of the house, I just HATE waking up a sleeping baby). So the doctor examines her and gives her a prescription for congestion. I was told if her fever got to 100.4 to call back. I attempted to get her prescription filled at 2 different pharmacies but they were out and had to order it. By this point Ainslee was nursing for less than 1/2 of what she usually does and was really lethargic. All she wanted to do was sleep. Thursday evening when I checked her temp it was 101. So I called the after hours number and I was instructed not to give Tylenol and to bring her to the ER immediately. I had arranged for my mom to come out and stay with Kaylee while I took Ainslee. I picked up Rita and Ceire on the way, they wanted to accompany me, and thank God they did!

The whole way there we joked that we would get there and her temp would be normal. We wondered what they were going to do for her. When they checked her temp sure enough it was still 101, we quickly learned what they do for an infant that she with that high of a temp. It is an automatic full work up. She had blood drawn, IV put in, catheter, and 2 chest x-rays. I was told if this would have happened just a few days earlier she would have an an immediate spinal tap. She will only have to have that done if the other tests show something suspicious. I have to say that Ainslee was a real trooper through all the poking and prodding. She slept through most of it. Me on the other hand had to practically leave the room when they put the catheter in. I could hardly watch as they dug around in her little arm to find her vein that kept rolling away from the needle. My little baby looked so pitiful there with her eyes glued shut from mucus, her nose completely clogged and needles going in both arms. Poor Baby!

here's her little arm with the IV

On top of that she had lost 1/2 lb since Monday. I figured that is like 3.5% percent of her body weight. If she was competing in the Biggest Loser she would have definitely been above the yellow line. But this is not the Biggest Loser and the objective is NOT to lose weight. I mean YOU try losing 3% of your body weight in 3 days. That part scared me because I knew she wasn't eating well. My mom has always told me that "a mom knows best, and they know there child better than anyone." I just knew that something wasn't right with her.

After 3 hours in the ER (from 10pm-1am) all her results came back within the normal limits. Except the blood culture which takes 48 hours to get a result. All they did in the end was give her a dose of Tylenol and told us to follow up with her pediatrician. So we have ANOTHER appointment on Monday with the doctor. I think this the 6th doctor appointment for our family in 1 week plus an ER visit. When i climbed into bed at 2am I was REALLY glad I laid down for that hour nap earlier in the day, if it wouldn't have been for that and the fact that I had Rita and Ceire with me and my mom at home to help with Kaylee, I don't know how i would have made it through the night. I am SO THANKFULLY for all the help that I have here, and I think about Hawaii everyday and what I would do there by myself with no support system. I am SO GLAD we stayed here!!!

Please pray that the blood culture comes back giving us good news and that she starts making a turn for the better soon.....very soon! It is so hard seeing your helpless little baby so sick and struggling.

Addendum: Sorry Ceire I forgot about the blood spewing.

here's what happened: It was time to be discharged and the nurse went to take out her IV. The process went smoothly she put the usual gauze pad on it and then covered it with a bandaid. And she left the room to go ask the doctor a question. We began getting her dressed back into her clothes when Ceire noticed blood in her own hand. We looked down and saw the gauze pad and bandaid were COMPLETELY soaked in Ainslee's blood and it was pouring out from under the bandaid. I ran out into the hall to catch the nurse. She came running back in and with a little effort stopped the bleeding. She didnt even take the time to put gloves on her hands. It was definitely a scary situation for a couple of minutes. Nothing like a little scare to keep me awake for the hour drive home.