We wake Anthony up (which is odd to begin with that WE wake Anthony up in the morning...) so we can do our traditional Easter things- egg hunt and open Easter baskets. Nicholas is all excited as the Easter Bunny started the hunt right outside his bedroom door!
However, I am nursing Anthony in the nursery and he is just burning up. Temp: 105. 105!!!! Unheard of!
So, we shoot some Tylenol down Anthony, steer Nick away from the egg hunt and hop in the car to Strong ER. While Nick spends Easter at Gigi's, we spend the day in the ER. The nurses and doctors quickly get to work on our baby. IVs pumping him with fluids, blood draws, lung and chest x-rays, lumbar puncture....all trying to figure out what is wrong.
It's an infection....
Yes, in a way it is. His treatment ACTH-is a hormone injection lowers his immune system. So, we kept him in a bubble as much as we possibly could,
but somehow he contracted this infection which we later figure out is .... bacterial meningitis...
We went through lots of "he said, she said" at the beginning. From Doctors in the ER saying "We are going to test him for meningitis, but I really don't think that is what it is..." to Doctors in the PICU saying....
"You know he has meningitis right?"
They tell us the good, the bad and the ugly of what the night could look like. At one point Brad puts his head against the rail of the crib.
I know what he's thinking.
Please don't have this go to the "ugly..."
In these types of situations it seriously is an out of body experience. Looking back I have no idea how we got through it, but I guess your body goes in to fight mode and you buck up, you get strong. After all, we have no other choice BUT to be strong...
Brad stays at the Ronald McDonald house and I stay in the PICU with Anthony. In the PICU he gets hourly checks and Sunday night goes relatively well.
By Tuesday we have a clear treatment plan and the Infectious Disease doctors tell us that his treatment needs to be a whopping 21 days. Ugggh, 21 days in hospital treatment. So, I guess Anthony will be getting his own "21 day fix"
Thursday we moved to the floor and the doctor's said he looked fantastic! He should make a full recovery from the meningitis as it was caught early. The little stinker has actually been smiling up a storm, I think it could be due to the ACTH out of his system, but he sure does love to flirt with all his nurses. I just love him.
With flu season children under 14 can not visit, so the brothers won't get to see each other for a while. Brad and I will make it work going back and forth with the kids. Nicholas' 3rd birthday is next week so we will celebrate together with him while someone stays with little guy.
Oh yea, and then someday we will have to get back to that egg hunt.....
We are praying for Anthony and you, all!
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