Monday, April 27, 2009

Return to normalcy?


012, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

I'm posting a few more pics from our trip. I keep coming across more as I am downloading them. This pic is at the hospital when the RN brought this fun little wagon out for us to pull Henry around his room when he got antsy. He also rode to the car in it when we left. MUCH better then a wheelchair, eh?
Henry went back to his pediatrician today for a follow - up and all is well. He was 24 pounds 4 ounces an almost 2 pound weight gain from when he was sick. His breathing is much improved and I only have to neb him 2 times a day now. AND, his ears are clear. So, hopefully we can stay healthy now. As long as we avoid the swine flu...
We go to the ENT later in the week to see why his tubes aren't doing a darn thing for him and we see the asthma/allergy doc, too.
I'm still unpacking and unloading and trying to clean up. I made it to the gym today for the first time in 2 weeks. It sucked. In a good way. Owen returned to school and had NO HOMEWORK! How is it possible to miss 5 days of school and have NO HOMEWORK!

Hopefully, my household is really, really boring for a while....and my blog posts are filled w/ adventures about play dates and yard work and sports activities.....

Fave nurses


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2 of our favorite PICU nurses. The day we left we brought a cake and card to our 7th floor nurses and our PICU nurses. Henry had fabulous care throughout his stay. And, quite honestly, I have nothing negative to say about anyone at the hospital. The doctors were wonderful, respiratory therapy was wonderful, even the custodial staff was super kind. One of my fave things about the hospital was how the parents are encouraged to participate in morning rounds. So, in the AM the MD's (attending, residents, and fellow), pharmacists, RN's, respiratory therapy, and others all meet in front of each patient's door to discuss their plan of care. When they get to your child's room, you are encouraged to come out and discuss the plan with them. It's a great practice, because as a parent, you know what is going on and have all of your questions answered.

48 hours here...


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DEER!


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Many evenings at my mom's house deer come out of the woods and hang out. I know that they are JUST deer, but I still love to watch them. It's amazing to me that they hang out right in my mom's backyard (and a little sad, really).

Baby bros


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My "little" brothers and I....I got the short genes (obviously). It's a running joke in our family. It's really not very funny...

Sunday, April 26, 2009

We made it!




We're home! After our most eventful trip back to Eville ever, we finally made it back at 1 AM last night. It was a beautiful day and after celebrating a friend's birthday party, the boys spend the afternoon playing w/ the hose.
We spent 13 days in Eville and during that time we: celebrated Easter, my birthday, Evelyn's birthday, went to the zoo and science center (the boys went w/ grandpa), spent 36 hours in the Ozarks w/ Amy and Jeff, went to Chesterfield mall, The Galleria, and Fairview Heights mall, spent a day w/ my grandparents, and of course, spent 4 days in the hospital and 2 days in ICU. That my friends is NOT a relaxing vacation :). I hope our next visit back (Thanksgiving..probably) is much LESS exciting.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Today was a good day.

No puke. No hospitals. Very little diarrhea. No fevers. No complaints. Sunshine. 75 degrees. Shopping by myself. Baby brother came back from college and suprised us. Great day.

Our plan, as of now, is to leave Saturday morn and head back to Bville. We might have been able to leave Friday morn and make it home by late, late Friday night (so Owen could make his soccer games on Saturday). But, I think it might be pushing it. So, we're going to take one more day of rest and head home on Saturday.

Looking back on the whole thing, I'm grateful for so many things. It could have been worse (although, not much). I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we weren't at such a great pediatric hospital. Or, if we had been en route to Bville when this went down. Or, if the ER doc had sent us home as he was going to originally. It's a blessing that we were in St. Louis, surrounded by family. But I feel so blessed, too, that there were so, so many of you out there praying for Henry and our family. Prayer chains. Lots of good karma. Good thinking and wishes. AND, so, so many of you offered to help our family. Bring us food, clothes, a mattress (thanks, Joanna!)...if we would have been there much longer, I would have taken you all up on them. I appreciate it. We appreciate it. Thank you all.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

8th floor garden


022, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

The last night day Henry was in the hospital I took a walk while he was sleeping (Eddie was still there) and went up to the 8th floor. Remember I told you how wonderful this hospital is? This is a photo of their 8th floor garden. A beautiful big garden w/ swings, flowers and butterflies. A great spot for the sick kiddos to come and sit and get some fresh air. Henry was in isolation so he couldn't visit it.....Also on the 8th floor was a teen lounge (where the kids were playing Wii and watching TV), a SCHOOL (for kids who are hospitalized for a long, long time...so, so sad), and a children's lounge w/ loads of toys and all sorts of volunteers and Child Life employees entertaining kids. They also had a Disney quiz game going on. It was super cute. The kids were buzzing in and answering Disney questions for prizes. One of my fave things about the hospital is a small thing, but I loved it. On the elevators when you pushed the floor you were going to the voice that said "going up....7th floor" was a child's voice. Perfect. A child life volunteer came to our room that last day and asked if they could come in and play w/ Henry. They have so many people to entertain the sick kids. It really is a fabulous hospital.

The cafeteria


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A picture of the SLCH cafeteria....

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Guess what?

We're back at grandma's house. It's a wonderful thing.

The view from his window


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We might be able to go home today. The attending physician said it might be OK, but he's still not peeing or drinking much. And, he doesn't want to rush it. We want to go, but we also don't want to have to come back. We're going to see how dinner goes and if he's peeing and drinking, go home late this evening. if not, tomorrow?

Owen is puking now. Hopefully, his isn't like Henry's. And, hopefully he doesn't get the paraflu, too. I can't imagine he would be as bad as Henry. But, then again, I never in a million years would have guessed this would have happened to Henry.....

Why the bath today was necessary...


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check out all the sticky spots left on his back from his cardiac monitors. Gross!

Progress


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Getting IV number 2 taken out...

How about this for happy?


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Some good news...maybe? He still had his IV this AM and they said they wouldn't be sending him home for at least 24 hours after his IV was out. So, they said he would go home maybe Thursday or Friday.

I was bummed. But....then his IV infiltrated and they had to take it out. So, they said we would see how he does and if he does well, maybe, just maybe he would go home tonight. Yipee!!! (maybe).

But, it's almost 2 in the afternoon and he's only had about 200 cc of fluid in AND he's pooped 5 times, so I'm not sure that's going to be enough to send him home. Fingers and toes double crossed.

His rash all over his body is continuing to expand and now they think it might be from a latex allergy. UGH!

We bathed him today and he's running around the room much happier since he's not attached to an IV pole. Now if only he would drink.....

Will you allow me.....

a small moment of self pity? It will only take a second. Believe me, I understand how lucky we are. I KNOW how sick Henry was and what could have happened (hello...they don't just put kids in the ICU for fun). And, how wonderful that he got sick here where all of our family is. And, what a blessing that we are at St. Louis Children's Hopsital. I shudder when I think what could have happened if we were somewhere else. They moved soooo quickly.
So...self pity, just for a small moment. I'm tired. Really, really tired. Physically, emotionally exhausted. I really, really miss my big boys. I miss my bed. I miss the shower and my toothbrush. I miss fresh air. Did I mention how tired I was? I'm super happy that Henry is now awake and alert and responding. But, I'm not sure his super irritable behavior is a good trade. He's miserable and is literally crying constantly. He's not sleeping well, so that doesn't help. He finally fell asleep around 10 tonight. But, he's getting breathing treatments every 4 hours, full assessments every 2, and he's still pooping during the night. Also, our room is close to the helicopter landing pad and it's really, really busy (and, OMG! LOUD!). Also, I thought Henry was going to transfer to a regular unit, get better, and maybe we could go home tomorrow night. That's looking like less and less of a possibility. He's still not drinking. He still has an IV. He's still pooping. His asthma is worse. And, he's covered in a rash. Will be lucky if we get back to Eville by Thursday, at this rate. Which means we won't leave to go back to Bville until Saturday and it's play off weekend for Owen's soccer team and he is going to be absolutely crushed to miss those games. Crushed. UGH!
Ok...I'm done. I'm now remembering how sick my baby boy was and how I prayed that I would hear him scream again. So, so thankful....

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Good-bye PICU.....


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Hello 7E.

We're back on the floor we started on. This time getting better instead of worse. This much we know for sure:
- he tested positive for the rotavirus.
-he tested positive for the parainfluenza virus.
-they suspect he has viral meningitis
- he broke out in a rash today (unknown origin)
-he has bilateral ear infections
-his asthma has gotten worse today (presumably because of the paraflu) and he is now being nebbed every four hours, having inhaled steroids twice a day, and now he is on oral steroids.
The attending physician today said that his course has been considerably complicated by having two separate viruses that affect two different parts of his body.
-he's extremely irritable again today.
-he is down to one IV, no cardiac monitors, and no catheter.
-he's still having lots of diarrhea: about one time every 1-2 hours (but this is much improved from before).
They may lock off his IV tonight and see what his input and output is like the next 24 hours. He's still not drinking tons. The attending physician said it was possible he would be discharged tomorrow night, but Thursday was more likely. He said he wouldn't be in a big hurry to send him home (I think they like him :))

All for me?


004, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

Henry got breakfast this AM. His first attempt at food in 4 days. And, although, he looks really excited. He didn't really eat any of it save for a few bites of gogurt. He wanted to try Eddie's bacon, egg, and cheese croissant and had a few bites. Then, spent the next few minutes gagging like he was going to puke. But, he didn't. Small steps. He weighed a little over 22 pounds this AM. Poor baby weighed 21 and a half at one year, 5 months ago. He's lost soooo much weight.
The way that they do the patient menus around here is really cool. We have a huge menu and we're told to call whenever we want to eat and order ourselves. They said if we wanted something and it wasn't on the menu they can make it. How about that for service? Plus, since they have a Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut he can have ice cream, milkshakes, blizzards, pizza w/ every meal (hypothetically). The menu has everything a child could want, including make your own omelets (breakfast served at any time), smoothies, soy milk, and even pb and j without the crust. :)

Good morning!

Henry didn't sleep a whole lot last night, but he's sitting up eating this morning. For the first time in four days. Toast. Let's hope it stays down.
There's rumors that we MIGHT get to leave the PICU today and head to a "regular" floor. Fingers crossed.

Good Night


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Here's hoping that tomorrow is a better day.....

Special visitors


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Grandma came to the hospital for a while and Eddie went home for a shower and to spend some time w/ the boys. When he came back he brought the boys w/ him for a quick visit. It was super sweet. Henry perked right up when they walked into the room.
Also, Amy and Jeff came to visit us this afternoon and brought me a diet vanilla coke from Sonic and almond m & m's. Henry slept through their whole visit. But, I'm sure glad they came :)

NEL


041, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

The hospital dog, Nel, came to visit Henry this afternoon. Henry LOVED it, but really wanted to get a bit closer to him. But since Henry can't get out of bed and the dog couldn't come in (because Henry is in isolation), he had to settle for a distance view.


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Awake and alert. His cardiac monitors were moved to his back, so he wouldn't pull them off. There are two pieces of tape fibers that stick out of his arm IV. He loves to rub them against his nose. So, so sweet...
As of midnight, he still seems to be improving. His pooping is a bit worse again, but no vomits in 24 hours and he even had three bites of a graham cracker this evening. His first food since Friday morn. His blood sugars have stabilized and so they no longer need to poke his finger every 4 hours.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Good news, bad news

Bad news: They now believe that Henry has viral meningitis and he tested positive for the parainfluenza virus.

Good news: Other then a few episodes of extreme irritability he seems to feel MUCH better this afternoon. He's sitting up in bed, flirting w/ the nurses, waving to people in the hallway.

I'm cautiously optimistic. :)

1 step forward, 2 steps back


038, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

After Henry's good night, he's had a rough morning and early afternoon. More poo.....and refusing to even try any fluids by mouth. Also, he seems to be existing in two states: asleep or completely hysterical. There's been very little in between (although he did have about a 15 minute stretch when he noticed his bed controls and went "up" and "down" a whole lot.)
Because of his extreme irritability, they were concerned that he might have developed intasusspetion (I know that I spelled this wrong). Thankfully, he had an abdominal ultrasound this morning and all is well. So, they still think that all of this is either the rotavirus or cdiff or a combination of the 2. Either way, he won't be leaving the ICU today.

Henry update


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My last post was at 230 AM and it's now 730 AM, but in those few hours he has been fairly stable. He has had a few poopy diapers, but it seems to have slowed down a bit. His catheter has a temperature probe in it (isn't that genius?) so his temperature is being constantly read on the cardiac monitor. It's up again, so they're giving him Tylenol.

His abdominal xray was negative. His blood work that they did when he got to the PICU showed that his BUN was really low and had gotten lower then when he was in the ER. So, despite the mass quantity of IV fluids he's received, his dehydration got worse. No one was particularly surprised by how low his BUN was though, because he looks worse then he did when he was in the ER and obviously they knew that or he wouldn't be in the PICU. They just drew his blood again, so we'll know how he's doing now, soon.

The wound care nurses are seeing him this AM to talk about caring for his extremely sore bottom. The docs and nurses are going to round on hism this AM and I'll let you know what info I get from that.

When he woke during the night, he was particularly peeved w/ the catheter.

He hasn't had any more fluids by mouth, so we're going to see if he can keep something down this AM.

I'm hoping that he can be moved again to a regular floor sometime this afternoon, but they said he just got to the ICU and we'll see...
He is getting LOTS of attention.

That chair Eddie is in is the one we took turns w/ during the night. There's also a parent ICU lounge w/ lots of couches and lots of parents sleeping on couches. Eddie found an empty one and slept on it a bit last night. They have a parent ICU shower, too.
More later...

Yesterday


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So tired...he's sleeping on the floor.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit


036, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

Henry is in the pediatric intensive care unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital. I know a lot of you know some details thanks to the glory of facebook and we appreciate letting so many of you know because there are tons of you praying for him...and we appreciate it. He is currently stable and I 'm resting quite a bit easier, but he's still really, really sick.
Here's the rest of the details (please bear w/ me if my spelling is off....it's 2 AM and it's been a super long last 24 hours)

Henry started having diarrhea Friday morning, two times. Then, he started puking. He puked 3 times during the day, but continued to run around and play in between being sick. Eddie and I were having our fabulous day at the Ozarks. My mom was with him.

He puked 5 more times during the night and had more diarrhea. In addition, he was puny and didn't want to be put down. My mom called us to come home from the Ozarks around 645 AM.

This is were things continued to spiral down. I can't even tell you exactly how many times he puked between Saturday AM and Sunday AM. Probably 10 more ish.....in addition he add TONS of diarrhea. I was writing down every poop, every vomit, and every cc of fluid we got in him (which wasn't much and nothing stayed down).

Finally, around 730 AM, after Henry vomited two mores, I called my pediatrician and headed to the ER. At this point we were going on 48 hours of continuous diarrhea and vomiting. We were at the St. Louis Children's Hospital by 845 AM and seen right away. Initially, they told us they would give him some IV fluids and send him on his way, but then they decided he needed a nebulizer treatment (he had started coughing the night before). Then, they noticed he had an ear infection (even though he was on his 2nd antibiotic to treat that very same ear infection). Then, his blood sugars became unstable 61-81-53....THEN, he started having a crazy amount of diapers 12 super soaking ones in less then 2 hours. And, he was extremely lethargic. He didn't even pay attention when they put his IV in. So, they decided to admit him.

We got to 7E around 230 pm and he seemed to be doing better. They were giving him IV anti-nausea medication, but the pooping continued. Literally, he was losing anywhere from 200-650 cc per hour in poop and he threw up a few more times and suddenly, the IV fluids they were giving him couldn't keep up w/ the volume he was pooping/vomiting. He got super sick super quickly. He was a horrible skin color (was really mottled), blue lips, and was shaking uncontrollably. He was so irritable, he was unconsolable. His pulse and blood pressure went up. His temp went up. His oxygen saturation went down. They said he was in shock and wanted him in ICU.

So, here we are. We got here around 9 pm and he seems to be stabilizing. He has 2 IV's in. Cardiac monitors on. Catheter in. He has had an abdominal xray (to rule out an intestinal blockage), blood cultures, lots of blood sugars, labs, numerous meds, numerous nebulizer treatments. And, his ear is now leaking pus, so he's on IV antibiotics, too. He has one on one nursing care and is getting lots of attention. EVERYONE, of course, remarks on how beautiful he is and WOW! check out those eyelashes :)). His poop, finally, around 2 AM seems to be slowing down. They had even stopped putting a diaper on him for awhile and just stacked pads under him, because it was literally rolling out of him. He's getting one IV of maintenance fluids and the other IV is replacing the fluids he loses (by pooping or diarrhea) every hour.

They suspect that he has the rotavirus, although we won't have the tests back until tomorrow. They are also testing for c diff, an abdominal blockage, and other GI bugs. If it's the rotavirus, as they suspect, they can't give him medicine to stop it. They can only wait as it runs it's course and keep him stable.

I asked the attending doc, how many rotavirus kids end up in the ICU every year...this is a super busy, high acuity hospital. 1 or 2 she says. Aren't we lucky?

We were going to head back to Bville tomorrow. Not going to happen. For now, I'm praying that we can leave the ICU by sometime tomorrow and maybe leave the hospital by later this week. I don't know....that might be pressing our luck.

The ICU is a tough place for mommies and daddies, too. Because of the high acuity of the kiddos here, there are no niceties for moms and dads. (all private rooms, though). We are sitting in bolt upright chairs and the RN is in here continuously. Don't get me wrong....I want him to be looked after like that, but we're tired. And, St. Louis Children's Hospital is a wonderful, wonderful hospital. It's currently ranked as the #5 best Children's Hospital in the country. And, when I get a chance, I'll share some of the cool things about it (including the Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut in the cafeteria. YUM!).

What can you do? Continue to pray for a speedy recovery. On second thought, it doesn't even have to be speedy. Just a recovery, please. I believe in the power of prayer.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Back to the ville...

We had to come home. My mom tried really, really hard to keep from calling us, but Henry puked 5+ times during the night and when he wasn't puking he was having diarrhea. She needed reinforcements. She called at 645 AM. We were back by 1145 AM. And, we had a wonderful 24 hours. Maybe next year...sigh....

Henry is still quite sick. Continues to puke. Continues to have diarrhea. Now, more then 24 hours later. He needs to turn the corner quickly here.....

Friday, April 17, 2009

Today


094, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

I know that I am behind on my posts.

Excuses? I'm having soooo much fun and not a lot of down time. I will go back and tell you more.

But, l'm going to start w/ today. Now.

I'm in the Ozarks. On the lake. Southern Missouri. With our super good friends, Amy and Jeff. Amy and Jeff have been our dear friends since high school. 16 years worth. We went to proms together.

Today, we are in the Ozarks together. Amy's mom and dad have a beautiful condo (on the water) here and my mom graciously offered to babysit for a birthday present. We left Thursday evening and are not planning on coming back until Sunday evening. That's a lot of time together. Alone. It's quiet. Gloriously quiet.

We went out to breakfast today and in between shopped at the outlet malls and other stores. Went out to dinner and now we are lazily lounging on the couch watching the Blues game. Quiet. Gloriously quiet.

But, just to throw a slight wrench in our plans: Henry is puking. My mom called this afternoon to share that news with me. It's 11 pm now and he's puked 5 times and had numerous bouts of diarrhea. I know that she doesn't want us to come home, but if he continues to puke we are probably going to have to come home early.....sucks.
At least we have today.

This photo was taken at our dinner location, the Horny Toad.

Amy and Jeff


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Our partners in crime....

Dinner


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Dinner at the Horny Toad w/ Amy and Jeff. Yummy.

Turning 33....


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I turned 33 during our visit to Eville. It was the first time in a long time that I've been surrounded by family on my birthday. It was wonderful.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

What we've been up to....


046, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

Sorry for the lack of posts. We've been super busy, but in a great kind of way. Owen complained about his neck again Sunday and I was frantic. I spoke w/ the ENT in length on Monday and he gave me options: readmit him for another 24 hours of antibiotics, more steroids, repeat the cat scan, or wait. I opted for the wait option and I'm glad we did. He has never complained again. YIPEE!!! Hopefully, we are on the mend. All three kids are on antibiotics and for now, healthy. We are still planning on making the trek to Eville on Saturday (after AM soccer games) and are hoping to be there in time for Easter Sunday. I have spent a lot of the week packing, getting ready, and catching up on laundry. We're excited. See the rest of the posts to see what else we've done in the last few days.


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Isn't this the cutest little baby fingers and fist you ever did see?


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Enjoying some black olives w/ brother.

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt


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We participated in the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt last weekend. Henry didn't much get it and was completely frightened by the Easter Bunny (who made a special appearance), but the big boys sure loved the candy and the neighborhood Easter parade.

Going for a ride.


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Henry lays down on a blanket and screams until someone pulls him. Happy. Content. Going for a ride. I love how he lays on his back.

Clean clothes, again :)


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LOVE my new front loader washing machine. I'll keep track again of how many loads I do soon, because this new baby holds much bigger loads.


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Right before we went home...doesn't he look GOOD?


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Owen watched soccer on you tube at the hospital.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Waiting for our luck to change....

I came home from the hospital Friday night and was greeted w/ at least 10 loads of laundry. As I was tackling them on Saturday, my washing machine broke. It was 9 years old and has lived a long, full life...but seriously, did it have to go NOW??? I'm spending my Sunday searching for a new washing machine.

And, Owen started complaining about his ear hurting again last night (rating his pain at a 5/6 out of 10....he does the pain scale expertly now. He did it a kajillion times at the hospital). On the left side. The side w/ the infection. That was one of his original complaints. He never had an ear infection. It just hurt from all the swelling. Today he rates it a a 2/10. Better, but still he was at a 0/10 the day he left the hospital and all day yesterday until the evening when it started hurting. I hope this doesn't mean that the oral antibiotics they sent him home on aren't going to be strong enough. UGH!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Much improved!!


002, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

Owen is feeling so much better today. As of this morning they said he would still be in here 48 hours, but he's doing SO well that they are now saying he can go home tonight after he's had a full 24 hours of antibiotics! Yipee! His ENT said and I quote, "Yesterday, he looked way too sick to be in my office. This afternoon, he looks way too healthy to be in the hospital." :)
Owen's first thought after he heard he might go home this evening was, "great! I can play soccer tomorrow." I asked the ENT (because I knew he wouldn't be happy if I told him no.") and the ENT told him he had to have limited physical activity for one week. Hopefully, this means we will still be able to make the trek to St. Louis next Saturday.
I'm still a little nervous that the swelling and pain is going to come back off the IV antibiotics and steroids BUT if it does, I'll know what to do. I won't wait so long to get him treatment next time.
Next time, I'll listen to him more. I'll listen when he says he's hurting really, really badly and not just assume that he's being overly dramatic (as most of you know...he has a tendency to do sometime). Owen is one tough little guy. Do you know he NEVER cries when he gets shots? And, when they put his IV in yesterday and did blood work, he didn't flinch (I have MOMS who cry when I put IV's in them....seriously.) He watched the whole thing and asked questions. When they put the tubed camera down his nose and into the back of his throat, he didn't cry. He watched it on TV. He is a tough cookie. Knowing this, I should have known he wasn't "embellishing" his pain. Next time, I'll know.

Swelling


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Not sure if you can see the swelling in Owen's jaw line or not on his left side from this photo, but it's there. This photo was taken this AM when the swelling was already much improved.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Owen update

To make a long story short, Owen's in the hospital. I have my laptop and we're getting ready to turn in for the night, but I'll give you the story as I can in the time that I have.

As I said yesterday (I think I posted this, right? My days are completely jumbled after the last 24 hours), Owen's been complaining about neck pain since Saturday. Yesterday, at the pediatrician he was diagnosed w/ strep throat and started on antibiotics. Our night went down hill around 830 pm when hell froze over at the Bauer house. Owen said (I repeat, OWEN said this), "I just want to go to bed. PLEASE...let me go to bed." Owen has never, never uttered those words before. Not under any circumstance. I should have known how bad he was then. But, I didn't. He went to bed. A half hour to forty five minutes later, he woke up screaming that his neck hurt SO bad. He complained of a headache, too. He had Motrin and Tylenol in him and for the next 5 hours he slept for 5-15 minutes before he would wake up screaming about his neck and head. At 130 AM, I finally called our pediatrician and spoke to the on-call/triage nurse who said to take him to the ER. Owen and I drove to the ER around 2 AM at which point he seemed to perk up a bit. We got there and I said, "You seem like you are feeling a bit better. Maybe we should go home." He said, "OK" and we turned around and went home. Crazy, I know. HELLO??? What was I thinking??? Anyway, he slept off and on from about 3-7 AM and we were at the pediatrician at 10 this AM.

She thought he had a peritonsillar abscess and said his left tonsil looked much worse then yesterday. In the meantime, he is now throwing up in her office, can't swallow, and hasn't had anything by mouth since 1 AM (because he can't swallow). She called our ENT who was in surgery and she didn't think Owen could wait for him, so she was going to call an ambulance and send him in. But then the ENT said that he could see Owen at 1230, so we went to his office where the ENT decided he needed to be admitted to the hospital. He called the hospital to direct admit him, so we wouldn't have to go through the ER and was told that the hospital and the pediatric unit was on diversion. (Not accepting new patients). So, we sat in his office for an hour and a half (where he continued to puke) and finally, the ENT said he couldn't wait any longer. He needed to go to the ER for treatment until the hopsital could admit him. He suspected that Owen had a deep tissue abscess, not a peritonsillar abscess. He said best case scenario: no abscess, IV antibiotics, IV steroids, IV Morphine, rapid improvement and discharge in 2-3 days. Worst case scenario: deep tissue abscess, surgery in 48 hours, and w/ improvement discharge in one week.

So, we went to the ER where Owen had a CT scan, lab work, blood cultures, IV Morphine, IV antibiotics, and IV steroids.

We are know in our comfy hospital bed on 5M at Crouse. The IV Morphine has made Owen feel a LOT better. His CT scan showed lots of swelling, but no abscess (good news). Bad news: his labs were way off and his airway is in danger because he has such an extreme amount of swelling. So, the plan is for him to get 24 hours of IV steroids (to reduce the swelling) and IV antibiotics for 48 hours. If he's still not feeling better and spiking a temp (did I mention that he has a fever, too?) and his labs continue to be off, they will repeat the CT scan on Saturday, because it's possible that after the swelling is reduced they will be able to see an abscess OR an abscess is just beginning to form. For now they are saying he has a cellulitis.


I'll blog more as I can.

OH....Owen wants me to tell you that the RN told us today that the moral of the story is: 95% of people who drive to the ER and then turn around will be back within 24 hours. Good to know.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Back to the pediatrician AGAIN!

As if two visits to the doctor and two dental appointments weren't enough for the week (it is, after all, only Wednesday), I had to take Owen to the pediatrician today. His been complaining about his neck hurting since Saturday. I thought he might have pulled a muscle playing soccer, but he continued to complain and I've been feeding him Motrin around the clock. So, today I finally took him in and he has strep throat. But, the best part is that while we were there, Henry puked! I want to cry.

I did have one really great moment yesterday...

when I LMAO!!! Here's the story: I've been taking a step class at the gym that is an absolute killer. The instructor is ALL energy and ALL business. She dances around the step doing mambo, sasheying, etc, etc.....it's very confusing BUT a lot of calories are burned in the process. So, Eddie's been working out at AB a lot. In fact, he's down 20 pounds and he decided to join my gym because everytime he ends up going to the brewery to work out they find him and he ends up fixing things and doing work. Anyway, I had a step class last night and he decided to go with me.....TO MY STEP CLASS. I thought for certain he would back off once he walked into the class with 20 women in lycra and spandex. But, nope, he didn't back down. And, I proceeded to LMAO for the next hour. Shockingly, he hung in for the whole full hour and danced around the step semi-appropriately. But, it REALLY got funny when the girls started clapping w/ the music and he totally go into it, clapping along. Or, when the instructor yelled, "how's it going?" and he yelled along with the other girls , "woo-hoo!". It was absolutely, too-die for HYSTERICAL!
Side note: he wants to go back and do it again :)