Germs have overstayed their welcome in our house, to say the least! We went through a spell a while back where is seemed like we just couldn't kick the illnesses, and we've just been through it again!
It started 2 weeks ago, when Mikah started running a fever and got a nasty cough. We went to the doctor, and they said he had bronchiolitis. This was on a Friday.
The next Monday evening, Kaisyn spiked a fever. She just wasn't quite acting like her normal self, but we figured she was in the process of catching what Mikah had, so we weren't too concerned.
The next day, (Tuesday) while Kenna and Kaisyn were playing, Kaisyn started having random spells where she would just scream out in pain, and run to my holding her lower back. Mainly on her right side at first. This continued through the next morning, so of course we were headed back to the doctors office.
That day (Wednesday), the kids normal pediatrician wasn't in the office, so we saw another doctor. She wasn't concerned about the fever or the pain yet, because she said if Kaisyn had a UTI (which would be causing the pain in her back) she would be sicker, throwing up and crying when she pee'd. So she just said to keep watching her, and if she was still running a fever on Friday, to bring her back.
The next day, we were back in the office again, because Mikah wasn't eating and was feeling worse, and had developed a pretty mean wheeze.
This time, they sent us straight for chest x-rays, because the doctor thought he heard a crackly spot on Mikah's right lung. Turns out Mikah actually had multiple spots of pneumonia on BOTH lungs. So they started him on two different strong antibiotics, one for his bad ear infection and the other to knock out the pneumonia.
That Friday was an easier day. Mikah felt rough, and his antibiotics were making his little tummy really upset. But Kaisyn, for the first time all week, didn't spike a fever. So I thought we were turning a corner for the better!
The next day was when the fun REALLY began.
Kaisyn woke up that morning with a fever of around 101. Not too high, so we weren't too concerned yet. But by nap time, it was up to 103.5, so I knew something was wrong. She was having more of the spells where she would just hold her lower back and SCREAM, so I called the doctor again. It took FOREVER for them to call us back...
I had called them around 2 that aternoon, and we had a party to find out what a friend of our's baby is going to be that night at 6. My mom and dad came over to watch Kaisyn and Mikah since they weren't feeling well, and Dustin, Kenna, and I went to the party.
The nurse called me back while we were there, and made us an appointment to return to the office for both Kaisyn AND Mikah (who was still wheezing and was running fever again) the next morning (Sunday).
We got back to our house around 7:15, and I checked Kaisyn's fever. It was up to 104.7. We used 2 different thermometers to check it, and compared it to everyone else's in the house just to make sure that was right, and it was.
My other BIG concern with Kaisyn was that she wasn't eating or drinking...at ALL. And that girl usually has quite the appetite!
So I phoned the nurse again, and this time was put through to the urgent nurse since Kaisyn's fever was so high. They told me to put her into a lukewarm bath, give her popsicles, sponge her down, and take her to the ER if it went above 105. We did all of the above, and kept it under 105 the whole night.
Sunday morning at the doctors office, he said that he thought Mikah caught a virus on TOP of his pneumonia, and that was what was causing the fever and making him feel so crappy. So he wasn't too concerned since he was already on such strong antibiotics.
But he was a little concerned about Kaisyn and her not drinking, mixed with her random bouts of pain. So he ordered a urine sample be taken by cath, and bloodwork through a finger prick.
Both were done, and we were told her white blood count was fine, and her urine was clean, so just keep watching, and come back Tuesday if we were no better.
Home we went, again. And by 8 that evening, Kaisyn's fever was at 105.5, and Mikah's was at 104. So off to the ER we headed.
The nurse at the kids pediatric office told us to head to Presbyterian, so we did. While on the road to the hospital, I told my mom and Dustin that I really wanted to go to Levine's, but we figured that either way, the same things would be done, and the nurse wanted us to go to Presby, so we did. We went there with Khoen, too, and they dismissed his soft spot swelling as a virus, and said he would be fine. Two weeks later, well, you know what happened. That is a funeral I still wish I had never had to plan. :,(
Anyways, we were at Presby. Makenna was hospitalized there when she was an infant for RSV, and we had a great experience. So I guess it just depends on which doctors you see.
The doctor we saw in the ER was TERRIBLE. They took their temps in triage when we arrived, and of course we had just given them Motrin before we left the house, so their fevers were down. Which yes, that was a good thing, but I guess that made them look at us like we were retarded.
We were there for 5 hours before they called us back. When they did, the doctor literally listened to Kaisyn and Mikah's heart, and looked in Kaisyn's ears. And thats it. Her fever was BACK up as high as it had been when we headed that way, and they told us fevers, no matter how high, weren't dangerous. That the brain won't cook itself. Ok...that's fine, but I knows people who have children that have had seizures from fevers over 105. I was livid.
He told us to follow up with out pediatrician the next day, and released us. He offered Kaisyn some more Motrin before we left, and we asked them to give it to her, because she felt terrible. And we headed home, with me in tears.
The next morning, Kaisyn's fever was 105.1, so I called my mom to come over, and I took Kaisyn to Levine's. When we got there, her fever was 101.9, and she had Motrin in her. They were immediately running tests on her, and trying to get her to drink. (The other hospital completely ignored my comments about her not drinking at ALL that day, until she drank about 2 ounces of gatorade at the hospital.)
They did a chest x-ray, which was clear. They did blood work, which showed an elevated white blood cell count. They did a urine culture, which was clear of infection but showed she was dehydrated, and had white blood cells in her urine, which wasn't normal.
By this time, her fever was up to 104.9, and they had already given her Motrin. We couldn't get it to come down. She was miserable, barely opening her eyes and just whining at the slightest movement. They told us then that she would be admitted.
The doctors there were AMAZING. They even went a step further, and dissected her white blood cells to see what it was they were trying to fight. That's where things got weird. They described it to me like a pie chart. A normal person's white blood cells should always be fighting both bacteria and viruses at a certain level. When those levels are elevated, thats how they know what they are dealing with. The normal level for bacteria was like 45-50%, and hers was only at 51%, so they pretty much considered it normal. The normal level for viruses is like 30-35%, and hers was 33%, so very much in the norm.
But, her body had called in the immature white blood cells, which is what it usually does when it is fighting something bad and needs backup. Her immature white blood cell count in her body should have been at a 0, and it was at 4%. Not too high, but still cocncerning to the doctors.
She was admitted, put on IV fluids, and put on a strong antibiotic, because they weren't sure which other course to take at the time and decided to be on the safe side.
The night was pretty uneventful, Motrin kept her fever down, and she had 2 bad pain spells. And the next day, she was feeling somewhat better already, and ate some eggs for breakfast.
The doctors ordered another urine sample, and this one looked even worse. There were even more white blood cells. They ordered an ultrasound of her kidneys, and diagnosed her with a kidney infection. She had another round of IV antibiotics, and came home that evening. The ultrasound showed that the structure of her kidneys was all correct, so she could come home.
Since she's been home, she has been feeling MUCH better. The antibiotics have knocked out the fevers, and she is eating and drinking like before she was sick. I am a happy mommy!
I took Mikah back to the doctor that Wednesday, because he was still running fever. And again, I was told to bring him back in 2 days if he wasn't feeling better.
Today is Friday, and we went back to the doctor again with both Kaisyn and Mikah. Kaisyn for a hospital recheck, and Mikah for a recheck as well. Mikah sounds a lot better in his chest, so he is happy with his progress.
His MRI is scheduled for Monday, February 11. His doctor said if by Wednesday of next week his nose is still this stopped up, I need to call and have it pushed back a week. They don't want to sedate him until his chest is cleared up and his cold is pretty much gone.
And he is happy with how Kaisyn is doing. He said that he found it very unusual that Kaisyn had a kidney infection with all of her urine cultures coming back clean, so he had called to talk to the doctors at Levine's about it.
The doctors there told him that they wouldn't be shocked if it happens again soon. If it does, she will need to have more tests run to check the flow of her urine. She may have some urine being pushed into her kidneys when she pees, which would cause the kidney infections. So we just have to keep an eye out for spiking fevers or her crying out in pain and holding her back.
So for now we just wait and pray that is was just a fluke, and it won't happen again! If it does, we will figure it out and be by Kaisyn's side the whole way.
I am keeping Mikah secluded from people until after his MRI, haha! I don't want him to catch any new germs, so we can get this behind us! I am a nervous wreck about it and so ready for it to be done!
But I am praying that these germs are about to be done invading our house, and we can enjoy some healthy time as a family!
I pray all of you are doing well, and having a great week!
(((HUGS))) from the McGinnis'!!
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