For a woman who’s doctors told her she had a completely “textbook” childbirth, and a baby as healthy as a horse and just a few sicknesses here and there, I never would have thought my child would end up in the hospital.
This day, at the end of October, you were having a lot of trouble breathing. So much so that you were upset/scared/hysterical by the time Daddy brought you home from running errands. As soon as he walked through the door he said he thought we needed to go to the ER. I knew you weren’t one hundred percent, but it must have gotten worse as the morning went on. We rushed you to the emergency room. Didn’t even put you in the car seat. I held you the whole way, wondering what would happen once we got there.
Once we were there, they checked you out and we sat in the exam room for a couple of hours. They decided to give you an IV so they could administer medicine easily. The first poke into a vein in your hand made you jolt, which resulted in the nurse having to try a different vein. She then put it in your arm. It. Was. The. Worst. Moment. In. My. Life. You cried so hard, it made me cry. I remember looking at your Daddy with helpless eyes.
Two hours turned to three, then four. Then finally the doctor told us we would have to stay overnight. We were SHOCKED. We thought you were doing better, but the doc thought otherwise. So we waited…
And waited…
And waited…
And waited…
Until finally, after 10 hours in the emergency room, we finally got an overnight room. We were exhausted. I slept in the bed with you.
The nurses were great. They came in around the clock to give you medicines and you slept the whole night through. They administered a steroid and an antibiotic through your IV, and you had to get breathing treatments every 2-3 hours. That is a lot for a 2.5 year old to endure. You didn’t trust most anyone when they came in. And I completely understood why. It broke my heart to have to put you through it all.
We thought we would go home that day, but no. They needed to keep you another night until your heart rate was back to normal. Sometime during the second night, the doctor got a call that your blood culture came back positive for bacteria in the blood. He informed us that this more than likely came from the IV when it was administered by the nurse in the ER. This was a completely new set of problems, which then required us to stay in the hospital until they knew what kind of bacteria it was, and if the antibiotic you were already on would fight it off. We were livid.
You were such a trooper, though, and you loved the food there. Especially the soups. We played games, and Play-Doe, and watched a LOT of television. I slept in the bed with you every night.
After the third night of staying in the hospital they finally told us we could leave. The bacteria had more than likely been dissipated by the antibiotic and you were diagnosed with Asthma.
We have had a few hiccups since this time, but nothing as bad as this. Since you started school we have taken you to the doctor about six more times and been on a lot of medicine. In December, your Dad and I thought it would be best to take you out of school and spend our time recuperating. You were catching too many things at school and we all just needed a huge break from getting sick.
You have been pretty good since then, with only getting some minor sicknesses.
I pray we never have to go through that again. I love you so much and will do anything I have to, to keep you healthy.
Mom.
This was waiting in the ER for HOURS!
Finally getting into our own room.
Never leaving your side.
I brought you a goody bag with games and fun stuff to keep you busy on our hospital vacation.
Appetite!
You LOVED the hospital food!
Feeling much better
I made you stand up to take a bath in the hospital tub.
Hospital was scary sometimes when everyone would come in a poke at you.
Since there was no trick or treating allowed due to your asthma, we dressed up and went to frozen yogurt instead!
AliceLayne 