Saturday, November 17, 2007

Back to the hospital we went!

We made a kind of unexpected trip to the Children's Hospital on Wednesday and just got home today! I didn't even think that Isabella was sick, just was recovering from a cold, when I noticed her chest retracting Wednesday morning. I had noticed the afternoon before that she was sleeping more than usual but just thought that she was in a growth spurt. I also noticed Tuesday evening that she had hardly eaten all afternoon so I pumped and gave her a bottle, which she drank just fine.
Wednesday morning she wasn't drinking again and when I sat her up from trying to nurse her, I noticed that she was breathing weird. I decided to lay her down in her bassinet and check her chest. When I lifted her onesie, I noticed her chest sucking in between her lower few ribs and her stomach bulging out when she breathed, which is retracting. As a nurse, I knew this wasn't a good sign so I rushed her to the Children's Clinic and after observing her for a little while and giving her a neb, the pediatrician put her on oxygen immediately because her oxygen saturation level began to drop and called an ambulance to the clinic. At the hospital, since she was lacking other symptoms (no fever, not much of a cough, etc.), they did a full run of tests, from spinal tap for meningitis to chest xray, full blood test, RSV test. She tested positive for RSV and they found infiltrates in her lungs which they first thought was pneunomia but after the 48 hour blood panel came back negative, they realized that the infiltrates were from the RSV.
We had an exciting few days and are glad to be home in the routine of things!!! Just as a side note, how on earth are the pediatricians, interns, residents, and med students so young??? Do they begin their medical training in junior high? I swear I could have given birth to a few of those kids! The first pediatrician (mind you, a pediatrician has specialized a bit beyond general MD I believe) that met me in the ER seemed slightly older than my 15 y.o. nephew! How scary!!! Seemed to have a brain in his head but it doesn't do much for me to be talking to a kid that still has peach fuzz on his chin!

5 comments:

Cecily R said...

How scary! I'm so glad everything is okay and that you are home getting back to normal (whatever normal is...OUR normal is not normal, but it works for us). I know RSV is bad this season.

Sending happy thoughts to your house...

Darla said...

Thanks so much! It's nice to be home again, and you got that right, our normal is not normal either! It's our life, far from normal but works for us as well!! :) I was on your blog last night (I've read it before too but can't remember if I've commented...I can hardly remember yesterday so I can never remember if I've commented or just thought about a comment...ever have that syndrome?) but I tried to comment and think I lost it before it posted!

houseofdanes said...

Darla,
How darn scary!!!! I'm so glad all is well with the lil pumpkin.
Hosptial trips with small children are never fun. Keep me posted.
I tried to put a video of the pups crying on my blog but it's kinda dark.. you can get the picture how they cry like babies though and kinda freaks me out.
When is hubby due home?
tami

Shellie said...

I'm so glad you're back home. That sounded so not fun.

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

How scary! My sister is a RRT and deals with RSV alot... dang scary, glad that you caught it!