This crazy kid is a ton of fun. He's usually up to no good. And he's especially cute in his VBS t-shirt.
Welcome to my life.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Hospital
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I updated my blog, but I have a good excuse explanation... Snuggles has been sick.
It all started two weeks ago when Snuggles got another seemingly-run-of-the-mill cold. Snuggles woke up from his Sunday afternoon nap with a runny nose. Not so unusual considering the fact that during the seven months we've been in Nashville, we've had six cold viruses run through our family. (Darn those Tennessee viruses that are foreign to our Yankee immune systems!) Snuggles' cold progressed through the usual stages... runny nose, stuffy nose and cough (complicated by asthma). We treated Snuggles with extra breathing treatments using the nebulizer and went through several boxes of Kleenex. When Thursday rolled around,
Snuggles had a previously scheduled well visit with his pediatrician (more on that later). She wasn't too concerned about the cold, and since his lungs sounded okay, she went ahead and cleared him to receive his routine vaccinations.
Everything seemed fine until we woke up Friday morning. When I picked Snuggles up out of his crib, I noticed he felt warm. I took his temp: 103.2. So I called my office and told them I had to stay home with Snuggles. Then I called Nana Nurse (my mom), and left her a voice mail. She is always my first point of info when it comes to Snuggles' health. Next, I called Snuggles' pediatrician. Before Nana Nurse called me back, I received a call from Snuggles' pediatrician's office. The triage nurse said the fever probably resulted from the shots combined with the cold/virus. Instructions were to treat the fever, give Snuggles lots of fluids, and call them on Monday if the fever persisted.
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to the sound of Snuggles crying. As I handed him his milk, I noticed he felt hot, so I gave him some Motrin. He quickly accepted his milk, and laid back down in his crib to go to sleep. I went back to bed. I woke up later that morning to find him sleeping quietly. I decided to let him rest. I enjoyed the lazy Saturday morning drinking coffee and reading a book. At about 10:30 a.m., I couldn't believe he hadn't woke up on his own yet, so I went to check on him....
Snuggles was sound asleep in his crib, breathing fast and absolutely burning up with fever. When I picked him up, he looked up at me with this pitiful look and just said, "Mama..." I swear it was like he was saying "Help me!" He was limp as a dish rag. I nearly had a heart attack. His face was covered in thick, gooey snot, so I took him to the bathroom to clean off his face. I realized at that point that he was REALLY hot, so I hurriedly checked his temperature. Guitarman stood next to me as I watched the digital thermometer and started counting aloud... 103, 104, 105 and rising! I turned to Guitarman and said, "We're going to the hospital!"
Guitarman ran downstairs to start the truck and get it started cooling off. (It was over 90 degrees outside at 10:30 a.m. Welcome to Tennessee!) Thanks to my lazy Saturday morning, I was still in my pajamas and had not showered. I raced around getting dressed, putting in my contacts, and grabbing the few supplies we needed. Guitarman held Snuggles with tears streaming down his facing, and I heard him praying for Snuggles, asking God to touch his son. I felt a sob welling up in my throat, but forced myself to focus on getting Snuggles out the door and to the hospital. Maybe I would let myself fall apart later.
We loaded Snuggles in the truck, and drove to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in downtown Nashville as fast as we could safely drive. I sat with Snuggles in the backseat of the truck. I tried to get him to drink a little Pedialyte, but he wasn't having any of it. He sat there, motionless, breathing really hard and fast. I was so scared, but I knew if we could get him to Vanderbilt, he would be in good hands. Those were the longest 30 minutes of my life.
After a brief wait in the "quarantine" room of the ER, the folks at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital took us into the triage room, where they asked a few questions, and then moved us into an exam room right away. Within minutes, there were 2 doctors and 3 nurses in the room. They took Snuggles' temp, and it was 105.5! The doctor looked in his ears, and announced he had a nasty ear infection in both ears. His heart rate and respiration were both too high, which they said was probably from the high fever. The doc listened to Snuggles' chest, and ordered an x-ray to check for pneumonia. The worst part about all of it was how still Snuggles remained during the entire examination. He didn't protest at all when they pocked and prodded him... he just laid there, too weak to fight. It was awful!
The first order of business was to lower Snuggles' fever. They gave him a Tylenol suppository and gave him Motrin a few minutes later. The x-ray showed signs of early pneumonia, so they started him on antibiotics. They wanted us to see if we could coax him to drink some juice in his sippy cup, but he refused to drink anything.
After several hours of Snuggles not showing much improvement at all, they started an IV to give him some fluids. After the IV, Snuggles actually sat up in bed. He still wasn't moving around much, and he refused to drink anything. But his temp was coming down, and he showed more signs of life. The nurses tried to cheer him up by bringing him some toys...
Since Snuggles seemed to be improving a little, the hospital decided to let us go home. Before they let us go home with instructions to feed liquids with a syringe (basically "force feeding"), they decided to give Snuggles more IV fluids to "boost" him up before sending him home. While they were preparing our prescriptions and getting ready to remove the IV, Snuggles started dry heaving. The docs didn't like that because they knew it would be difficult to keep him hydrated and medicated, so they decided to admit him.
What I haven't told you yet is that in addition to Snuggles being sick, John and I were also battling the cold/virus ourselves. We both had nasal congestion and a scratchy throat, and I had a nasty cough. (Gotta love asthma!) After spending all day in the ER, I had used my rescue inhaler several times without much relief. One nurse even asked me if they needed to start a chart for me! What I really needed was a nebulizer treatement of Albuterol, and I desperately needed to lay down. But after they admitted Snuggles to the hospital, it became clear that none of us would get much sleep that night... The doctors, nursers and respiratory therapists started coming in/out of his room a lot. I needed to get home for a breathing treatment, and I really needed some rest because I wasn't feeling well at all. As much as it killed me to leave Snuggles, we decided it would be best for Guitarman to stay at the hospital with him overnight so I could go home and get some rest. Otherwise, we feared I would be in the hospital next. So I went home and took a sleep aid so I could get some rest. (I was so worried about Snuggles that I couldn't sleep without some medicine to force me into Dream Land.)
It turned out our suspicions were right. Neither Snuggles nor Guitarman were able to sleep much that night. They braved a night of interrupted sleep... people in/out of the room taking Snuggles' temperature, giving him meds to keep his fever in check, giving him breathing treatments and checking his vitals. I don't understand the theory behind repeatedly waking an ill child who desperately needs rest! But anyway....
I woke up early Sunday morning and headed back to the hospital to relieve Guitarman. He needed to get to the church because there was no one to fill in on short notice. When I arrived in Snuggles' room, I was thrilled to see him sitting up in bed, watching "Yo Gabba Gabba". After being on continuous IV fluids all night, he looked so much better! I filled his sippy cup with the almond milk I brought from home (he can't have cow's milk or soy milk), and we were all thrilled that he started drinking on his own!
I spent most of the morning cuddling with Snuggles, encouraging him to drink lots and lots of juice, and watching Elmo.
We even played a little Peek-a-Boo between naps.
I knew Snuggles was feeling better when he started smiling again.
By late-morning, the doctors decided Snuggles was well enough to go home. But we had to wait for Guitarman to get finished at church so he could come pick us up. Vanderbilt has wagons at the hospital that they let patients use to take walks. (Wagons are much more cheery for transporting kids than wheel chairs!) Snuggles absolutely loves his wagon at home, and the hospital wagon was no exception.
Although he was still too weak to walk much on his own, Snuggles enjoyed riding around the hospital in the wagon while we waited for Daddy to come pick us up.
It took several days for Snuggles to turn the corner toward recovery... He was very weak, so he was wobbly when he tried to walk, and sometimes he just fell over. He spent most of Monday and Tuesday sitting in my lap or sitting on the couch beside me.
I did not enjoy my boy being sick, but I sure did enjoy the extra cuddle time!
Although Snuggles was still weak on Monday, he did perk up for a few minutes when a delivery man arrived at our house with a "Get Well" balloon bouquet from our church family.
By Wednesday, Snuggles was back to running and playing again. I am so grateful to all our family and friends who prayed for Snuggles while he was sick. I'm also thankful for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. They were so great taking care of Snuggles, not to mention very kind to all of us!
It all started two weeks ago when Snuggles got another seemingly-run-of-the-mill cold. Snuggles woke up from his Sunday afternoon nap with a runny nose. Not so unusual considering the fact that during the seven months we've been in Nashville, we've had six cold viruses run through our family. (Darn those Tennessee viruses that are foreign to our Yankee immune systems!) Snuggles' cold progressed through the usual stages... runny nose, stuffy nose and cough (complicated by asthma). We treated Snuggles with extra breathing treatments using the nebulizer and went through several boxes of Kleenex. When Thursday rolled around,
Snuggles had a previously scheduled well visit with his pediatrician (more on that later). She wasn't too concerned about the cold, and since his lungs sounded okay, she went ahead and cleared him to receive his routine vaccinations.
Everything seemed fine until we woke up Friday morning. When I picked Snuggles up out of his crib, I noticed he felt warm. I took his temp: 103.2. So I called my office and told them I had to stay home with Snuggles. Then I called Nana Nurse (my mom), and left her a voice mail. She is always my first point of info when it comes to Snuggles' health. Next, I called Snuggles' pediatrician. Before Nana Nurse called me back, I received a call from Snuggles' pediatrician's office. The triage nurse said the fever probably resulted from the shots combined with the cold/virus. Instructions were to treat the fever, give Snuggles lots of fluids, and call them on Monday if the fever persisted.
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to the sound of Snuggles crying. As I handed him his milk, I noticed he felt hot, so I gave him some Motrin. He quickly accepted his milk, and laid back down in his crib to go to sleep. I went back to bed. I woke up later that morning to find him sleeping quietly. I decided to let him rest. I enjoyed the lazy Saturday morning drinking coffee and reading a book. At about 10:30 a.m., I couldn't believe he hadn't woke up on his own yet, so I went to check on him....
Snuggles was sound asleep in his crib, breathing fast and absolutely burning up with fever. When I picked him up, he looked up at me with this pitiful look and just said, "Mama..." I swear it was like he was saying "Help me!" He was limp as a dish rag. I nearly had a heart attack. His face was covered in thick, gooey snot, so I took him to the bathroom to clean off his face. I realized at that point that he was REALLY hot, so I hurriedly checked his temperature. Guitarman stood next to me as I watched the digital thermometer and started counting aloud... 103, 104, 105 and rising! I turned to Guitarman and said, "We're going to the hospital!"
Guitarman ran downstairs to start the truck and get it started cooling off. (It was over 90 degrees outside at 10:30 a.m. Welcome to Tennessee!) Thanks to my lazy Saturday morning, I was still in my pajamas and had not showered. I raced around getting dressed, putting in my contacts, and grabbing the few supplies we needed. Guitarman held Snuggles with tears streaming down his facing, and I heard him praying for Snuggles, asking God to touch his son. I felt a sob welling up in my throat, but forced myself to focus on getting Snuggles out the door and to the hospital. Maybe I would let myself fall apart later.
We loaded Snuggles in the truck, and drove to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in downtown Nashville as fast as we could safely drive. I sat with Snuggles in the backseat of the truck. I tried to get him to drink a little Pedialyte, but he wasn't having any of it. He sat there, motionless, breathing really hard and fast. I was so scared, but I knew if we could get him to Vanderbilt, he would be in good hands. Those were the longest 30 minutes of my life.
After a brief wait in the "quarantine" room of the ER, the folks at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital took us into the triage room, where they asked a few questions, and then moved us into an exam room right away. Within minutes, there were 2 doctors and 3 nurses in the room. They took Snuggles' temp, and it was 105.5! The doctor looked in his ears, and announced he had a nasty ear infection in both ears. His heart rate and respiration were both too high, which they said was probably from the high fever. The doc listened to Snuggles' chest, and ordered an x-ray to check for pneumonia. The worst part about all of it was how still Snuggles remained during the entire examination. He didn't protest at all when they pocked and prodded him... he just laid there, too weak to fight. It was awful!
The first order of business was to lower Snuggles' fever. They gave him a Tylenol suppository and gave him Motrin a few minutes later. The x-ray showed signs of early pneumonia, so they started him on antibiotics. They wanted us to see if we could coax him to drink some juice in his sippy cup, but he refused to drink anything.
After several hours of Snuggles not showing much improvement at all, they started an IV to give him some fluids. After the IV, Snuggles actually sat up in bed. He still wasn't moving around much, and he refused to drink anything. But his temp was coming down, and he showed more signs of life. The nurses tried to cheer him up by bringing him some toys...
Not interested.
Since Snuggles seemed to be improving a little, the hospital decided to let us go home. Before they let us go home with instructions to feed liquids with a syringe (basically "force feeding"), they decided to give Snuggles more IV fluids to "boost" him up before sending him home. While they were preparing our prescriptions and getting ready to remove the IV, Snuggles started dry heaving. The docs didn't like that because they knew it would be difficult to keep him hydrated and medicated, so they decided to admit him.
What I haven't told you yet is that in addition to Snuggles being sick, John and I were also battling the cold/virus ourselves. We both had nasal congestion and a scratchy throat, and I had a nasty cough. (Gotta love asthma!) After spending all day in the ER, I had used my rescue inhaler several times without much relief. One nurse even asked me if they needed to start a chart for me! What I really needed was a nebulizer treatement of Albuterol, and I desperately needed to lay down. But after they admitted Snuggles to the hospital, it became clear that none of us would get much sleep that night... The doctors, nursers and respiratory therapists started coming in/out of his room a lot. I needed to get home for a breathing treatment, and I really needed some rest because I wasn't feeling well at all. As much as it killed me to leave Snuggles, we decided it would be best for Guitarman to stay at the hospital with him overnight so I could go home and get some rest. Otherwise, we feared I would be in the hospital next. So I went home and took a sleep aid so I could get some rest. (I was so worried about Snuggles that I couldn't sleep without some medicine to force me into Dream Land.)
It turned out our suspicions were right. Neither Snuggles nor Guitarman were able to sleep much that night. They braved a night of interrupted sleep... people in/out of the room taking Snuggles' temperature, giving him meds to keep his fever in check, giving him breathing treatments and checking his vitals. I don't understand the theory behind repeatedly waking an ill child who desperately needs rest! But anyway....
I woke up early Sunday morning and headed back to the hospital to relieve Guitarman. He needed to get to the church because there was no one to fill in on short notice. When I arrived in Snuggles' room, I was thrilled to see him sitting up in bed, watching "Yo Gabba Gabba". After being on continuous IV fluids all night, he looked so much better! I filled his sippy cup with the almond milk I brought from home (he can't have cow's milk or soy milk), and we were all thrilled that he started drinking on his own!
Still in the hospital bed, but feeling better
I spent most of the morning cuddling with Snuggles, encouraging him to drink lots and lots of juice, and watching Elmo.
Watching Elmo at the hospital
We even played a little Peek-a-Boo between naps.
Peek-a-boo!
I knew Snuggles was feeling better when he started smiling again.
Saying "Cheese!" for the camera
By late-morning, the doctors decided Snuggles was well enough to go home. But we had to wait for Guitarman to get finished at church so he could come pick us up. Vanderbilt has wagons at the hospital that they let patients use to take walks. (Wagons are much more cheery for transporting kids than wheel chairs!) Snuggles absolutely loves his wagon at home, and the hospital wagon was no exception.
Snuggles' wagon ride at the hospital
Although he was still too weak to walk much on his own, Snuggles enjoyed riding around the hospital in the wagon while we waited for Daddy to come pick us up.
It took several days for Snuggles to turn the corner toward recovery... He was very weak, so he was wobbly when he tried to walk, and sometimes he just fell over. He spent most of Monday and Tuesday sitting in my lap or sitting on the couch beside me.
I did not enjoy my boy being sick, but I sure did enjoy the extra cuddle time!
Although Snuggles was still weak on Monday, he did perk up for a few minutes when a delivery man arrived at our house with a "Get Well" balloon bouquet from our church family.
By Wednesday, Snuggles was back to running and playing again. I am so grateful to all our family and friends who prayed for Snuggles while he was sick. I'm also thankful for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. They were so great taking care of Snuggles, not to mention very kind to all of us!
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