Burning Up

A few weeks ago Hannah had a horrible virus. A croupy cough, high fever and just plain achy all over.  Then I got it and was pretty miserable for a few days myself.  Last Saturday Aly started to show signs that she was getting it, so I wasn't really surprised when she woke up with a 104.5* temperature Sunday morning.  She laid around and slept most of the day the same way Hannah had when she was sick.  Monday the fever still hadn't broke so she stayed home from school to get more rest.  She laid around and slept most of the day again, but that night is when it got really bad.  She fell asleep on the floor and when I woke her up to take her up to her bed she started screaming that her stomach hurt.  That didn't happen to me or Hannah.  I tried to calm her down, but she was hysterical.  Anytime I touched - or tried to touch - her stomach, she screamed and curled up into a ball.  My first thought was appendicitis. 

Dan and I talked about whether to take her to the ER at Children's, but after she calmed down and fell back to sleep we decided against it.  The next morning it actually seemed as though she was actually feeling better.  The fever was down without Motrin and she was able to play with me all morning.  Around lunch time she fell asleep on the couch while I did the dishes.  When she woke up it was a whole different story.  Her fever was back and as strong as ever.  She was completely lethargic and couldn't stay awake.  From what I had read on the internet, I was convinced her appendix had burst and decided we had to take her to the doctor.  I couldn't get her in to see our pediatrician, but I talked to the nurse who said we should go to Children's and called ahead of us.  We were there for about four hours.  They said that her appendix was fine, but tested her for strep.  They also gave her some Motrin, Sprite and a Popsicle.  The strep test was negative, of course, and with the Motrin her fever came down and she started to feel better...just like she had been at home.  They told us it was a virus that just need to run its course and sent us on our way.  I wasn't convinced.

The next morning she woke up with a fever of 105*!  Her coughing was also worse and I knew it wasn't 'just a virus'.  As soon as I could, I called our pediatrician and made an appointment to get her in there.  She was so lethargic that I had to carry her everywhere because she couldn't walk.  Then, when I put her in the car to go she threw up all over the blanket I had her covered up with and again in the waiting room at the doctors.  Dr. Heiny took one look at her and said she had pneumonia and a double ear infection.  He said her lungs were so tight she wasn't even able to breathe in deep enough to get a good breath. It's a little frustrating, and scary, that the ER at Children's Hospital didn't catch that less than 24 hours before...especially since Alyssa has asthma, which they knew!

He sent us for a chest x-ray to confirm the diagnosis: pneumonia in both lower lobes of her lungs.  Because of her allergies and asthma, the virus Hannah and I both had just settled in her lungs.  He said her lungs were so full that they were probably pushing on her diaphragm, which could cause the belly pain that I interpreted as appendicitis.  He gave her a shot of antibiotics in both butt checks and a prescription for oral antibiotics.  Thankfully she had managed to stay pretty well hydrated so we could treat her from home!  The effect of the antibiotics were almost immediate, within 24 hours she was pretty much back to normal...just exhausted.

She has missed an entire week of school and will still be out until at least Monday morning.  She has a re-check that morning and he may clear her to go back then.  I hope so because she wants to go to school so bad!  That is what has upset her the most about the whole experience and kept asking when she could go back to school.

It was a scary experience for us.  I have never seen her so sick. And, I felt completely helpless.  Thank God for antibiotics!  I am praying it is something we never have to go through again, but unfortunately the odds are against us.  Dr. Heiny told me that because she has allergies, asthma and {now} a history of pneumonia, she is at a high risk for rebounding.  Basically, he said she can expect to get it at least once a year...maybe even again this year.  At least we know the symptoms now and won't have to pay $250 for a Popsicle, half a can of Sprite and an incorrect diagnosis ;) There are a lot of us praying for healing, from all of the above, for this sweet little girl.  Feel free to join us...