Thursday, February 17, 2011

Flu Bug

Holland is sick right now with our first case of Influenza. The FLU. It's one of those things, like RSV, that strikes fear in the heart of every micropreemie parent. She has had a flu shot every fall since she came home from the NICU, with 2 extra shots last year to help protect her from H1N1. Unfortunately, the shot can't protect us from every flu bug out there, so here we are.

She had a low-grade fever on Friday night, but it came right down with Motrin and didn't return on Saturday. I actually took her in to after-hours care, thinking I should make sure it wasn't another case of strep (we had that a couple of weeks ago), but it was so crowded with sickos that we ended up leaving without touching anything and without being seen. She was okay that night, and on Sunday during the day, with the exception of a really runny nose. On Sunday night the fever returned and she began to feel really, really crummy. I took her to the pediatrician on Monday morning and they diagnosed influenza. We have been managing okay during the day with Motrin, fluids, and lots of television, ipad, and video games.

Night time has been a lot more difficult. For three nights in a row she was up at least once an hour crying, moaning, and generally feeling miserable. She could not breathe through her nose, was coughing, and had all over aches and pains. She complains about a tummy ache and a yucky dry mouth and lips. A few times she actually called out, "Somebody help me!" :-( Last night, night 4, was the first that she (and I) got longer than an hour stretch of sleep at a time. She actually slept pretty good from 2am until 8am. So far today her fever has not returned and I am hopeful that we have turned a corner.

Through it all her lungs have seemed to remain remarkably clear, and at both checks at the doctor's office she was satting 99-100. Happy, happy, joy, joy. I will take 3 miserable night at home with clear lungs over ANY nights in the hospital on oxygen. So, today we remain over one year hospital-free, and it looks like we might have kicked the flu bug's butt at home. (I hope I am not speaking too soon...)

Holland will be out of school this whole week, and missed her kindergarten Valentine's Day party. Eden is amazingly still healthy. I am crossing all of my crossables that she will STAY that way and not catch this, because she is supposed to start 2 weeks of intensive physical therapy at EuroPeds on Monday. Her getting sick now will be a major setback in so many ways... We are so ready for spring!


Thursday, February 10, 2011