Ugh, hospitals!

Well, Chloe had been sick for quite some time. I thought that she just had a cold/flu type thing like the rest of us, but we all got better in a few days! She didn't seem to be getting better. One day she'd be a little better, but then the next day she would throw up and get even worse than she was before! Also, she'd had an ongoing fever and wasn't eating well and just wanted to cuddle and sleep. The fever would stay under control with Tylenol and Motrin, but then come right back if I stopped giving it.

I did call the doctor's office twice and the nurse told me not to bring her in unless her fever reached 103 and/or she developed a cough and to just try and keep her hydrated. So I decided that she just had a cold and I was over reacting. However, on Sunday she still was not better. She was lethargic, not eating, she still had a fever, and the worst and most scary thing was that she was breathing heavy and fast! Chris and I were concerned that she might have pneumonia.

So I took her the E.R. My oh my was that an experience! All the doctors and nurses...well, all but one doctor...were very kind to us and took great care of Chloe. Of course there does seem to be an unnecessary amount of waiting and not knowing! I could hear them talking in the halls and they would say "the baby" and I was really starting to get nervous and paranoid! I just wanted someone to come in there and tell me "It's OK, everything is going to be fine. We are working together to figure out what is wrong with your baby, so we can make her well." There were a few times I really had to fight back the urge to just burst into tears and say "This is my baby who I love with my life, so you better take care of her the same way you would take care of your own baby!" I know they couldn't really tell me anything because at the time they didn't know. And they did take good care of her and did all the tests that they needed to do.

Of course they took blood. Four pokes later and FINALLY they got what they needed! She got a breathing treatment to see if that would help her breathing, which it didn't. Her temperature when we got there was 104 and her heart rate was in the 190's! Normal for a baby her age is 100-120! The reason she was breathing so hard was because of the fever and that's why her heart was beating so fast. She also got a x-ray of her chest and her lungs were clear, so that ruled out pneumonia. They took samples of her snot to test for H1N1 and RSV, those both came back negative. As a last resort before starting her IV, they cathed her to get a urine sample to check for bacterial infection. There was even talk of sending her to Wichita or doing a Spinal Tap! I would've refused that for sure!

When a different nurse came in to put the IV in, she did it without a hitch! I was so thankful. Chloe didn't even cry. Mostly because she was just too worn out at that point. They went ahead and started fluids and an antibiotic. The doctor on call came in to tell me what they'd found from the blood test results. It certainly wasn't good! They said that what she had was not viral, but it was bacterial infection in the blood! Her white blood cell count was way up and her red blood cell count was way down! The bacteria was doing some pretty tremendous damage to her blood, which was also another reason she was having so much trouble breathing. I am sure you can imagine how terrible I felt! If only I'd brought her in sooner!

Well, we were admitted to the hospital at that point and spent the next two days just kind of waiting and worrying about what the diagnosis would bring. We had to wait on the blood and urine tests to culture. Everyone told me how amazing it is when babies get on fluids and antibiotics they are just supposed to be so much better in just one day! This did not happen, so of course I was still worried when she was still fevered on Tuesday. Thankfully, my own doctor came and talked to us. It was so nice to have a kind and familiar face! He was eventually able to to tell me that they knew what was wrong.

Chloe had a UTI that turned into a bladder and kidney infection, then spread to the blood stream, so she had some pretty serious infection in her little body. It was a type of E. Coli that is highly resistant to a lot of antibiotics, but thankfully they'd put her on the right one! Slowly her blood work started getting better and she started getting a little more spunk back. Tuesday evening her fever finally broke! Also Tuesday morning the doctor took her off of the IV drip because she'd gained 3 pounds of water weight from the fluids. Too much sodium = water retention!

They switched her to oral antibiotics last evening and we were able to go home this morning around 10! It was so good to get out of that hospital!

Mom and dad came to visit us on Sunday evening. Mom brought her camera and took a picture of Chloe and me.

Chris had to take the roll of stay at home dad for a while, but mom and dad did give him a break for a while so he could come see his baby too.

My grandparents surprised us with a visit! It was great to see them!

Raggles the dog is Chloe's best friend. He made her feel comforted in a strange place. He is/was my best friend too when I was little.

Her arm was all wrapped up at the IV site to discourage her from messing with it.

Poor baby. She looks really bad here. I know it's a blurry picture too, but her eyes don't look good.

I spent a lot of time like this with Chloe in the hospital. Thankfully I did get complimentary parent trays at meal times. The food really wasn't that bad for a hospital!

Mom came and spent two days with us while we were there. It was so nice! I enjoyed her company and she helped pass the time. Also, I was able to go home and take a shower while she cuddled with Chloe. Thanks mom! And Grandma too!

The second time that Chris came for a while Chloe was doing a little better. She smiled and clapped her hands when she saw her dada!

I love this little girl and I am so glad that she is better and we are home!

Even though we are home and trying to get back to normal, Chloe is still very tired. I also think she still feels a little insecure. She is very fussy and clingy to me and cries when I put her down. I think she's afraid to let me out of her sight for fear of someone poking another needle in her arm! She is doing well with the antibiotic and nursing, but she is not eating too much else yet. I'm going to give her tummy time to adjust since she hasn't eaten very much in the past two weeks. So far she is still fever free. Let's pray it stays that way! We go next week to the doctor for a follow up appointment. He will be setting up a sonogram to make sure that her bladder and kidneys are functioning properly and that there is no urine backing up from her bladder.

The other two kids were glad to have us home and I think Coco was glad to see them too. Also, their Papa and Grandma were here from Missouri when we got home. They'd planned on coming for the weekend, but because Chloe was sick, they came early so Chris could work and they could watch the kids. They were glad to see that Chloe was home and better, but had to leave soon after we got home so they could get back for work tomorrow. We will be going back their way soon for Thanksgiving! Wow, it's close to that time already!

OK, it's late. I am done for now.