Last week the whole family came down with a nasty sickness. First Katie and me, and then Will the next day. (Bill got it about five days later.) I prayed it was just a head cold, but I found that every day, instead of getting better we all got worse. It was a very rough sickness to battle through as a mommy. I was running a fever, always either having chills or severe hot flashes. My head was fuzzy, my ears had so much pressure behind them that I couldn't hear well, and I still had to take care of two kids and two dogs all day. I still had to make all the meals, wipe sniffly noses, and take care of a baby who had been colicky before the sickness, which only seemed to get worse each day. It was rough.
Last Sunday night, I started noticing that even though we had been in the bathroom every two hours breathing steam for days, Will was stuffed up and having a hard time breathing. He sounded raspy and when he took a breath, he used external muscles. He also wouldn't eat, every time he tried to latch he couldn't breathe and he cried. We took him to the doctors' office as soon as they opened. They told us he had Bronciolitis, which had been caused by RSV and was making him strain to breathe. They suctioned him out, gave him a nebulizer and then checked his blood oxygen levels. They were right beneath borderline, so they told us to go to the hospital for an overnight stay. Katie, who was barely running a low fever, got away with just having an ear infection that needed antibiotics.
Hearing that my tiny 7 weeker needed to be hospitalized was rough. I couldn't stop crying on the way home. Katie didn't want me to leave her, so she cried as we left for the hospital, which made it even worse. She was still quite sick and whenever she doesn't feel good, she only wants her mommy.
At the hospital, they started Will on oxygen and hooked him up to machines right away. They used a suction on him that they called a mini-shop vac, which was a very accurate term! He looked so little in the hospital crib, but he seemed quite comfy. Once they finally stopped touching him and he was able to sleep, he slept most of the day. I sat beside him on the sofa, waiting to cuddle my little boy and watching Food Network. Bill had to leave soon after we arrived, but first he set up my internet connection, downloaded skype on my computer, figured out how to use the phones and got me all set up. When he left, I was so lonely that I had a hard time not crying. It was rough being left all alone when you have to watch your infant hooked up to machines!
The day after though, he was already looking less pale and was back to eating well. I could hold him more. Skype was on my computer all day so I could see Katie and talk to her. Ordering lots of food from food service also helped! I literally gained 3 lbs during our stay! I was homesick and wanting my little boy better, but at least I was in a good place with wonderful nurses and doctors and I could see that Will was getting better. Being able to sleep without constantly having to check him since he was hooked up to machines also helped. It was the first time I think I slept peacefully since becoming a mommy! Still, we had to stay another night and hoped to be released the day after.
The next day they managed to wean him off of oxygen. He went up and down with having issues, but finally at mid-afternoon, the doctor released him. I was so excited to see Katie, though when I ran to hug her and ask if she missed me, she said "Mickey Mouse?" while pointing to the tv! It's been two days since we got home and we're settling in well again. I was afraid at first to ever put Will down, now that he didn't have machines telling me about where his oxygen was. But, he's been doing really well. He isn't having breathing issues and he's eating fine. He has a follow up on Monday to check him out again.
While this sickness is slow to leave, we are finally on the mend. Every day, instead of feeling a whole lot worse, we're starting to feel better. Today my sense of smell is slightly coming back. I can mostly breathe through my nose again. I can sleep for more than ten minutes without waking up choking and hacking. I can hear normally out of one ear again. I wish I knew how the kids felt, but I just have to judge them based on what I'm feeling and what I notice. Honestly Katie seems to be doing even better than me - she's always on her feet again, she's mostly stopped draining, and she doesn't seem to ever slow down or show any signs that she's still sick. She must be able to taste food now, because when I try to give her breastmilk in her juice cup, she hands it back and says "Bad juice." Thanks, kid!
I hate winter, and this sickness has just made me even more eager for spring. It's almost here, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment