RSV

After our night in the ER we took Jack to a follow-up visit with his pediatrician, Dr. Khan. Dr. Khan looked him over for a few minutes & decided Jack needed to be admitted to the hospital because he was dehydrated and his breathing was still not great. I was SO surprised! Poor Jack! Jeremiah was in Bullhead for the morning (35 mins away) but when I called to tell him the news he was just about ready to head back. Jack was admitted just before noon on Tuesday and we spent the next hour or so doing the fun part - the iv! And lucky Jeremiah got to miss it all! Because Jack was dehydrated his first 2 veins blew, so on the 3rd attempt they got the iv in his arm near his wrist. I almost started crying as they put it in the 3rd time - it was getting so hard for me to have him go through this, just screaming his lungs out. It made me have a lot more understanding for what Justin & Jamie go through emotionally with Katelyn! Jack hated the iv the first day! He was very very tired (something that happens with RSV) so most of the day he slept, but the times he was awake he was mostly angry about the iv in his arm! The only times he seemed like he wasn't sad were when he had a bunch of mini m&m's & when he had a little serving of chocolate ice cream! Other than that he didn't eat anything, and he didn't really talk at all that day either. My poor little guy! I stayed the night with him in the hospital so that wasn't a great night sleep! They had a little heart rate monitor hooked to his big toe & every time the top number dropped below a certain # an alarm would beep. It didn't ever drop much lower than the safe zone so he wasn't in danger or anything, making the alarm super annoying! He was also getting breathing treatments every 4 hours and even though the respiratory therapist was quiet, when she came in at 4am I'd just been up with Jack for 20 or 30 minutes so I stayed awake for that too. The next day Jack was feeling much better and Dr. Khan said he was looking improved but that he'd come back in the evening to re-evaluate. Jack didn't sleep at all on Wednesday like he'd done on Tuesday, and instead of being angry about the iv he was angry about the heart rate monitor on his toe! I tried to keep his sock on or his blanket over his foot so that once he was distracted he wouldn't notice it so easily, but every time he saw it he got upset & tugged on it & cried a little. We tried to keep him entertained with a more than healthy dose of Dora, Blue's Clues, Baby Einstein, and Curious George cartoons.









When Dr. Khan came back in the evening he thought Jack needed to stay on the iv a little longer. At least Jack & I got a better night's sleep! On Thursday morning Jack seemed to be doing even better. When he saw the banana on his breakfast tray I peeled it for him but thought it seemed a little big to eat with just one hand (since he couldn't use the one w/the iv) so I broke it in half. That was a mistake! He was SO upset about it! He threw a fit for about 5 minutes before he finally would eat the thing, and even after he started eating it he'd whine & whimper and occasionally toss it on the bed. He really is getting to be quite the little fit thrower! Fortunately Dr. Khan thought Jack was doing well enough to go home so we were discharged after breakfast and he was SO happy to be home. Callie is sick too, I'm sure with the same thing, but RSV usually is just a really bad cold from her age on up. So when Jack & I got home she'd been sleeping on the couch and woke up in a coughing fit. Jack had missed her though & gave her some very good sweet hugs after we sat down next to her on the couch. Yesterday was a tough day because even though Jack was doing so much better, Jeremiah returned to work & Callie was extremely grumpy & ornery! My sister Tara was there with me most of the day (she & my mom took care of Callie & fed us while Jack was in the hospital), but with my lack of sleep (from the last 7 days!) I was physically & mentally exhausted & was having a hard time dealing with her constant cries because she couldn't have purple grape juice in her sippy cup on the couch. I was so thankful when Jeremiah got home & my mom & Tara came back with a good meal! Jack & Callie are both doing great today (and so am I) & definitely on the mend! Thank goodness!