It all started the day after Emersynne's 15 month check-up so at first I just assumed the fever was from her three shots. We spent several nights trying to keep her very high fever down and then she developed other symptoms like bad congestion, a terrible cough, and then diarrhea. Since it had only been a few days of having the fever I didn't call the doctors. Things usually go away after three or four days anyway so we really weren't all that concerned. After a really bad Saturday night of being up with Emersynne all night long it was such a relief to find that church was canceled due to our snow storm. I had know idea how I was going to teach my YW lesson and play the choir songs for the Christmas program on no sleep. Sunday was another bad night so Monday morning I took Emersynne in to the doctors.
The doctor spent a lot of time listening to her breathing and her lungs and then told us he felt it was best to head over to the emergency room to get her checked out. He said she was sicker than just a normal flu virus and wanted to make sure there weren't other things going on. So instead of doing laundry and getting the house ready for Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Wally, I spent twelve hours in the emergency room with Emersynne.
She was one sick little girl and just wanted to sleep. Every time she fell asleep in my arms somebody came in to run another test, watch her ribs while she was breathing, or listen to her lungs. She had chest x-rays to rule out pneumonia, was tested for H1N1, RSV, and something else. Since she had gone a week with no eating and hadn't been drinking much the doctors decided that while she was there they wanted her to have some fluids. She refused to drink so the only other option was to put an IV in. That was when we realized how bad she really was. Emersynne cried and cried as they tried to find good veins and she never got a tear out. She was really dehydrated which made getting the IV in very difficult. The first set of nurses came in and tried four times to get it in. They tried on her hands, feet, and arms. Her little veins would either collapse or they weren't even able to find them at all. After trying four times they sent for the IV team to come up and try. They tried three more times and didn't have any luck. It was so awful to watch and have Emersynne give me the look and just want me to pick her up and hold her. After giving Emersynne a break and letting her calm down another set of nurses came in to try. They spent some time looking at their options and after the fourth time for them trying they were successful. They got it in on their last time of being able to try. They had exhausted all their possibilities and had only one more spot to try. If they had not been able to get the IV in they would have had to put a tube down Emersynne's nose to give her fluids that way.
It was such a relief to know her body was finally getting the fluids it needed. After getting two bags of solution Emersynne had a wet diaper and was even drinking out of her sippy cup. The doctors suggested that we keep her at the hospital over night but since her condition was border line it was our decision. That was a hard call to make. In the end we decided to take her home knowing she would get a good nights sleep there. We spent the next day really pushing the liquids but she still refused and we had to resort to using a syringe to get it down her throat.
Grandma Vicki helping Emersynne "drink" her juiceShe was still running a fever and miserable. We were worried about her condition and after a day of her being home from the hospital we were once again in the emergency room with Emersynne. She continued to refuse to drink and eat, still was running a fever, and had really bad diarrhea. While we were there we learned that the test for RSV had come back positive, she had Roseola, and some sort of stomach virus that was causing the diarrhea. After sitting with her for a few hours she started drinking and was interacting with the nurses. It seemed that she was turning around and starting to pull out of it. It was such a relief to be able to bring her home and not have to suffer through the IV ordeal again.
While Emersynne is not totally well we do occasionally see glimpses of her happy little self. She has started drinking again and is eating little bits too. Her rash from the Roseola is gone and her fevers are fewer and not as high. She still is clingy and fussy and not feeling really good but it is nice to see her improving and even see those smiles and hear her baby chatter again! That is the best Christmas present ever!
