Also because less than a month ago I wrote my daughter hardly ever gets sick. Hell, I was practically DARING the universe to unleash its fury. I mean I should really know by now not to tempt the powers that be. What did I think would happen?
My girl was admitted to the hospital last night with RSV.
She was fine on Monday, sick with what seemed to be a cold on Tuesday and then still sick on Wednesday. I was up with her on & off Tuesday night, more to comfort her than anything else. Mild fever, mild snottiness, occasional coughing. Not a big deal. We talked about calling the Ped but what would they do for a cold? I am NOT a big fan of antibiotics at every turn but then my kids have almost (*** That's me, looking for wood to knock on) never needed them so there I go, sanctimoniously judging.
Except when I got home on Wednesday I was on the computer, she was dozing next to me and I thought she was breathing too fast and doing this strange thing where she'd hold it for a second before exhaling. Also Matt had given her Tylenol at 12 and at 2 her temp was still 101.5. So I called and they got us in at the end of the day.
I had a lovely conversation with myself driving in. It went something like:
PneumoniaPneumoniaPneumonia
PneumoniaPneumoniaPneumonia
PneumoniaPneumoniaPneumonia
Because of my college roommate's niece, who I mentioned before but am too tired to go find the link for, died of pneumonia. Also, Matt reminded me his new co-worker's brother in law. Same.
Matt has a theory that if you put something out there into space it'll happen, bad or good. He has a bit of a mystical streak. Sometimes it annoys the crap out of me. Because then I started thinking Don't Think About Pneumonia. Don't Think About Pneumonia. ...You get the idea.
Our regular MD wasn't available so we saw the same guy who, when my boy was a newborn and I was struggling to nurse him, told me I was starving his brain of nutrients. Same doctor who, a year or two later and we were feeding the same boy goldfish to keep him from ripping the wallpaper and sharps container off the walls, came in and started lecturing us about the transfats and salt in goldfish. But this time? Very cute with my girl. A few aren't-you-adorables and all was forgiven. Gawd I'm easy.
Anyway, he ruled out the ears, then thought he heard a crackle in the lungs, then she failed the Pulse Ox. FAILED. Two machines, one too-cold toe, three fingers - 86, 88, 88. Anyone who hasn't had the joy of monitoring blood oxygen machines should note that 98 is good. 88 is NOT. Even before her heart surgery, she was always in the high 90s (her poor little sieve just had to work really really hard to keep it there).
So, yeah... pneumonia. Nice work mom.
He sent us off to the ER, said he'd call ahead. He commented that normally with blood oxygen in the 80s he's supposed to call an ambulance and he might get some grief but she was stable and didn't think we'd need the drama. Well no, we didn't. I completely agreed with him and laughed a little but still... odd?
ER got us in immediately, but chest Xray was negative and RSV test positive so NOT PNEUMONIA. Suddenly, despite the ER's full attention, the girl's O2 levels, the nearly missed ambulance ride, there was profound relief. RSV is the bane of the NICU but not as a big deal in older kids, right?
Except not really a non-issue in older kids with DS or, say, repaired hearts. Hence the 86-88 oxygen levels. So they admitted her.
But she's not even on an IV, just oxygen. She'll be fine. She perked up tonight after
Just hand me the defibrillator paddles first, will you? Mommy's heart nearly stopped there for a moment.
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