Our Hospital Stay

So here is the whole story about what happened this week with us.

On Monday Kirsten was very fussy. She just was very irritable and not herself. I'd been worried about her stool for awhile and so I decided to take her temperature. I took her temp twice under her armpit and the temps were 99.7 and 99.9. I had Joe reading the directions for the thermometer and he said that it recommended a rectal temp so we did that and it read 102.2. I immediately freaked out and called our pediatrician who told us to go immediately to the Children's Hospital ER.

Just where you want to be - an ER during Flu season. So within 15-20 of our arrival they took us into Triage and took her temp and it was 99.7 - much better but because of our temp at home, they were still worried. The nurse explained to us that we were in for a long night. They would probably have to do a catheter so they could take a urine sample, a blood sample and spinal tap to check for meningitis. She said we might also be admitted for observation for a few days. They then put us into a private waiting room and told us to wait for a room to be available in the ER. This took at least 2 hours and seemed like forever. She was a trooper for the whole thing. Mind you I left the house with nothing - I left her diaper bag at home as well as her pacifier. Things I never normally leave without. What a mistake!

Once in the ER room, we waited for another 45 min at least to meet with the doctor. He again told us about the three procedures that they would do and what they would be testing for. The nurse first inserted the catheter and that was no problem. Then they called in a tech. and the nurse and the tech looked for good veins to run the IV with. They looked in each foot and each hand and found what appeared to be a good vein. The nurse poked and couldn't get the vein and tried some more. Then the tech tried another vein in that same hand and got enough blood for the tests but couldn't get a line in the for the IV. Then the doctors came in for the lumbar puncture.

The doctor started by saying that he gives parents a choice to be in the room or not. Well, for the other two procedures I got to be right there with my baby and soothe her cries. So of course I thought this would be the same. Well when I said I was staying, he said then you need to sit down. This is when I really started sobbing because it sounded like they were torturing her. She did not like the crouch position they were putting and holding her in. They did the first attempt - nothing, then the other doctor tried - nothing. At this point they told me, through my sobs that they would try one more time and then that would be it. I couldn't sit in the room and watch anymore. I needed to get out of that room. I was too worried that it was her spine we were dealing with! You mess up you can do permanent damage. I just couldn't watch anymore. So I paced the ER hall until the doctor told me that they were successfully able to do the puncture.

They then let me hold her again told me that they were indeed going to admit her. She had more abnormalities in her urine that may indicate a urinary tract infection. Once in our room in the infectious disease ward of the hospital the doctor told us that there was protein in the spinal fluid as well, but this may be because of the "traumatic puncture."

By the time they left us to go to sleep it was 2 or 3 in the morning. Around 9AM the doctors came to do rounds. They proceeded to talk in doctor speak to one another about what tests they were running and what they were testing for. I didn't really understand it all, but what I was hearing that all preliminary tests were negative....they just wanted to rule everything out.

They day was pretty uneventful. I wanted nursing students fumble over everything from blood pressure to heart rates. I was told she had a heart murmur that today I was told can no longer be heard. I saw many different nurses...all of which were extremely nice. The only thing that we were waiting on was for a stool - they needed to do a test. This didn't come until 1 AM. Ugh! Its like she knew we were waiting for it!

So this morning during rounds I yet again heard them say that all tests were negative and they thought we would be able to go home today and follow up with my pediatrician tomorrow. And that is exactly what happened. Now she lays upstairs, sleeping in her swing and Joe is off at a work event. All is back to normal and its like none of this happened. Except that it did and I will never forget it! I am just glad my little girl is OK. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and love.

Our little one sleeping in mommy's lap at the hospital with the IV in her right arm.