The doc team was in again this morning. They ordered some more blood work and an echo cardiogram to make sure that her heart valves have not been affected by the (strep A)infection. She will also have bone scan today to determine of there are any other joints or bones that are infected. Tomorrow the picc line will be placed and I will be taught how to care for the line and give medications through the line at home.
Speaking of home... If all of the tests come back with good results and there are no problems with the picc line placement she will be able to go home Tuesday, possibly Monday but we've learned all about hospital time so Tuesday seems more likely and at this point I would hate to rush out of here too early and be sorry later.
Mae is looking forward to more visitors today and someone is (hopefully) bringing a card reader so I will be able to upload some photos. Yay! I am such a visual person so not being able to post photos has been difficult because really she looks good and I want everyone to see that her spirits are up and she is improving day by day. Last night we watched a movie and it was the first time in days that I heard her laugh. It was the most rewarding sound this Mama could hear after days of listening to her cry (understandably) of leg pain and blood draws and botched IV placements.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
No Cute Title Or Photos, Just An Update
Finally this morning Mae had her sinus CT scan to see if the sinuses were the source of her strep bacteria infection. We haven't heard any results yet and the bone scan that we came here for won't be until Monday because of the weekend and staffing issues. Oh yeah, that means we will be here until at least Monday, but no one here seems to care how long we need to be here, they keep saying she'll be here "as long as it takes". I guess I'll have to learn to accept that but still I wish we knew a little more and had a definitive treatment plan for her.
The parade of doctors were in here this morning examining and going over her history for what seems like the kagillionth time(as Mae would say). Her right knee and left elbow are responding well to the penicillin but the right ankle is still pretty red, swollen and ouchy (again Mae's word). If her Tylenol is given every four hours, the pain seems to be under control but if it goes much longer than that, the pain is pretty intense. She actually held her foot on the floor today while transitioning from the bed to wheelchair for her scan without too much trouble, but just a few minutes ago I helped her to bathroom and she refused to stand on it and even me carrying her filled her eyes with tears from the jostling.
We may have figured out (possibly) where the infection came from. Remember last week when Binny lost her tooth? Well, the following day, Mae came off the bus with her top tooth in her hand. Turns out one of her friends helped her pull it out, which means there were several dirty fingers next to an open wound. At this point it is just a possibility and we still plan to talk with the Infectious Disease doctor (hopefully today) about why she gets these infections so easily and how to prevent them in the future because let me tell you, I don't plan on making hospitalization and IV antibiotics an annual event.
Mae's appetite is still good, and she's keeping herself occupied with the TV and Mom and Dad's undivided attention. We both stayed here with her last night. The gardener slept in the pull-out sofa and I slept with Mae in the hospital bed. It felt good to be there for her if she needed me but neither of us really got a decent night's sleep. The monitors were beeping all night long and the nurses were in constantly to check vitals and give her meds. Binny is still taying with Grandma N and I'm sure she's having a great time, although I haven't heard from them yet today.
My dad and brother were here this morning for a visit and my bro dropped off his laptop (which I'm currently using) for me to use for the rest of her stay here. Awesome! I don't have my photo card reader along to upload photos but if I go home at all to change clothes, shower or whatever, I'll pick it up. Overall she's doing well considering she's stuck in bed.
***UPDATE:
The infectious disease doc was just in and determined that she may have had a touch of strep throat which got into her bloodstream through the open wound where she removed her tooth, then the bacteria settled into her joints and caused the infection. The bone scan has been scheduled for tomorrow morning so see if any of the bones are infected and also to see if any other joints have been infected as well. Before she goes home sometime early next week she will have a picc line inserted that will be used to draw blood and also the port where the antibiotics will be given. Finally we have some answers and are starting to appreciate being here at Children's.
Our friends and family have really pulled through for us in the last few days with offers to do everything from meals and child care for Binny to mowing our lawn and watching our dogs . (The last 2 were from our good friend who is 9 months pregnant! No we didn't ask her to mow our lawn, but they are watching our dogs. Hopefully we'll be home before she goes into labor so we can return the favor of dog sitting.) I also want to thank (again) everyone who has said a prayer for our family or even cared enough to check out my blog and facebook page for updates. We appreciate the concern and well wishes and I hope to be only giving good news for the rest of our stay here!
Friday, May 15, 2009
We're Just Here For The Cupcakes
Well, we made it. After a long and bumpy ambulance ride (no lights and sirens) we arrived at the HUGE children's hospital complex down in Milwaukee. Mae did great on the way here and had no problems with the trip. She has now been seen by 3 resident docs here and we've gone through the whole story more times than I'd like to count. She right now is receiving her first dose of IV penicillin here at Children's. She's still off the IV fluids and is eating and drinking well, or at least the usual.
Here at Children's the food is much better than regular old hospital food. They have a menu in the room with every kid friendly food imaginable and I can call in her order anytime she wants and they'll bring up it up within 45 minutes. Tonight she ordered (for the third straight meal in a row) mac and cheese. I think it actually had real cheese in it, and she ate it surprisingly enough. She ate most of her fruit cup as well with the exception of the hard honeydew melon that she refused, and right now she's eating a super Delicious looking chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Okay, I guess that's why she ate everything else first, the promise of that mouth watering cupcake was enough to kick start her wimpy appetite.
Her right ankle is still very red and is in a fair amount of pain but the swelling and redness in her right knee and left elbow have gone down considerably. She still is not walking or bearing any weight on that right leg so we have been helping her to the bathroom and shifting around in bed. her spirits are good except that by now she knows that everyone is here for HER, so she's starting to become a tad demanding and bossy but I can't say that I blame her. I guess it all balances out in the end. You poke me, I'll request a glass of water, then 5 minutes later a glass of juice, then a video game, then Spongebob on the TV, etc...
She hasn't had any of the testing yet (the main reason we came down here) but hopefully tomorrow she'll have those done. I guess there is no big rush as long as she's getting the IV antibiotics, but I really am curious as to what they will find and what the corresponding treatment will be.
She was supposed to go to a birthday party tonight but obviously that didn't happen. She was really bummed by that but I promised her that when she gets home she will be able to have the Birthday girl over for a playdate. Tomorrow we're expecting some visitors to come see her here. She's looking forward to that and my younger brother has agreed to let me borrow his laptop for a few days so I can keep updating here for the out of town fam. and concerned bloggers. Thanks bro, I knew you would come in handy one day!
For now that's about it, her leg still hurts but the fever is gone and everything else looks good. We have no idea yet when she will be released, but one doc said that she needs to be able to walk before they will send her home and that is still (in my estimation) a few days off. I know we are in good hands and if anyone can solve this, it will be the doctors here.
Here at Children's the food is much better than regular old hospital food. They have a menu in the room with every kid friendly food imaginable and I can call in her order anytime she wants and they'll bring up it up within 45 minutes. Tonight she ordered (for the third straight meal in a row) mac and cheese. I think it actually had real cheese in it, and she ate it surprisingly enough. She ate most of her fruit cup as well with the exception of the hard honeydew melon that she refused, and right now she's eating a super Delicious looking chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Okay, I guess that's why she ate everything else first, the promise of that mouth watering cupcake was enough to kick start her wimpy appetite.
Her right ankle is still very red and is in a fair amount of pain but the swelling and redness in her right knee and left elbow have gone down considerably. She still is not walking or bearing any weight on that right leg so we have been helping her to the bathroom and shifting around in bed. her spirits are good except that by now she knows that everyone is here for HER, so she's starting to become a tad demanding and bossy but I can't say that I blame her. I guess it all balances out in the end. You poke me, I'll request a glass of water, then 5 minutes later a glass of juice, then a video game, then Spongebob on the TV, etc...
She hasn't had any of the testing yet (the main reason we came down here) but hopefully tomorrow she'll have those done. I guess there is no big rush as long as she's getting the IV antibiotics, but I really am curious as to what they will find and what the corresponding treatment will be.
She was supposed to go to a birthday party tonight but obviously that didn't happen. She was really bummed by that but I promised her that when she gets home she will be able to have the Birthday girl over for a playdate. Tomorrow we're expecting some visitors to come see her here. She's looking forward to that and my younger brother has agreed to let me borrow his laptop for a few days so I can keep updating here for the out of town fam. and concerned bloggers. Thanks bro, I knew you would come in handy one day!
For now that's about it, her leg still hurts but the fever is gone and everything else looks good. We have no idea yet when she will be released, but one doc said that she needs to be able to walk before they will send her home and that is still (in my estimation) a few days off. I know we are in good hands and if anyone can solve this, it will be the doctors here.
Change Of Scenery
We just heard back from the doctor about Mae's test results. She tested negative for Lyme disease, but the fluid in her joints was determined to be strep bacteria. Not sure yet where that came from. Possibly an upper respiratory infection that traveled to her joints to settle in. Her doctor wants some more testing done to see if the problem can be pinpointed and treated. Her doc also consulted an Infectious Disease doc down at Children's hospital in Milwaukee who also agreed that she needs more testing to determine what the hell we're dealing with. Although her doc is very confident that she could get great care here, she recommended that we transfer Mae down to Children's Hospital mostly because they have more resources than the hospital here (and I'm assuming a better selection of DVDs). She will have a bone scan to determine if any of the bones are infected and sinus CT just to see if that was the origin of the strep bacteria.
Mae and I will be leaving by medical transport hopefully in the next hour or so, no lights and sirens but they will have some more medical monitoring than what we have in our car (duh). The gardener will be dropping Binny off with Grandma N and then he'll join us down at Children's later this afternoon. So far that's all I know. I'm not sure what is going to happen in the next few hours but I know that we will be in good hands down at Children's.
Mae is getting a little stir crazy sitting in bed still after almost a week of limited mobility. The IV is no longer hooked up with the exception of when she gets her IV antibiotics. She has been encouraged to get up and walk around but her leg is still in pretty rough shape, which makes it difficult to walk. Her doc said that we would most likely be at Children's through the weekend possibly into Monday if everything goes well. When she goes home she will need to be on IV antibiotics for 4 weeks and I will need to give her those through a more permanent IV line. Of course we will be given instructions on how to do that before she is discharged.
Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers! I will try to keep updating as often as possible, but I am at the mercy of other people's computers at this point because we do not own a laptop. For now we're doing fine, just anxious to get going and get Mae back to her old chipper self.
Mae and I will be leaving by medical transport hopefully in the next hour or so, no lights and sirens but they will have some more medical monitoring than what we have in our car (duh). The gardener will be dropping Binny off with Grandma N and then he'll join us down at Children's later this afternoon. So far that's all I know. I'm not sure what is going to happen in the next few hours but I know that we will be in good hands down at Children's.
Mae is getting a little stir crazy sitting in bed still after almost a week of limited mobility. The IV is no longer hooked up with the exception of when she gets her IV antibiotics. She has been encouraged to get up and walk around but her leg is still in pretty rough shape, which makes it difficult to walk. Her doc said that we would most likely be at Children's through the weekend possibly into Monday if everything goes well. When she goes home she will need to be on IV antibiotics for 4 weeks and I will need to give her those through a more permanent IV line. Of course we will be given instructions on how to do that before she is discharged.
Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers! I will try to keep updating as often as possible, but I am at the mercy of other people's computers at this point because we do not own a laptop. For now we're doing fine, just anxious to get going and get Mae back to her old chipper self.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
At Least The Pediatric Hospital Gowns Are Cute
Tonight
Just yesterday...
Just yesterday...
This morning at home waiting to go to her appointment.
E.T. finger (pulse ox. monitor) but because the movie E.T. was made in 1982, she had no idea what E.T. finger was. As soon as I got home tonight I ordered it on Netflix. The hospital has a rather large collection of kid friendly VHS movies, yet they no longer have VHS players in the rooms, only DVD players and a very tiny and crappy selection of DVDs. I guess I know where our DVDs are going when my kids outgrow them.
A quick update:
Mae's condition is the same and we haven't heard any news on the blood tests yet, but we had a nice evening together as a family. We all ate matching pink popsicles and shared a bedtime story. (Superfudge by Judy Blume Chapters 9 & 10.)
My husband is at the hospital with her tonight to allow me some time to sleep off my headache and take a much needed shower. Binny asked if she could sleep with me tonight and of course I wouldn't have it any other way. I need her too.
Hospitalized
Well, at this point today my brain has turned to mush. I have been inundated with fancy doctor talk and I'm worried sick about my dear Mae who is currently resting comfortably in her hospital bed.
She saw her (fantastic, no nonsense) doctor today who was very concerned with the swelling and redness around her knee and ankle. She immediately re-ran all of the blood work tests and consulted with an Orthopedic surgeon. Both docs decided that the best place for Mae to be today without question, was the hospital. After the blood work was drawn, we drove straight over to the hospital where Dr. P (Orthopedic surgeon) was waiting for us in the lobby and immediately started checking her out and explained what he had in mind for her.
Mae ended up having minor surgery to drain the fluid from her right ankle and her right knee. He called this condition septic ankle and septic knee. He also discovered a similar area on her left elbow that he tried to drain but didn't come up with any amount of fluid. Of the three, the elbow seemed to be the newest and least progressive areas of infection.
For now, neither of the doctors (I spoke with both at length) know what is causing this but hopefully by tomorrow the blood tests will give them a better idea. Best case scenario? Lyme disease, believe it or not. (Originating from a tick bite last summer. Not that we ever noticed a tick bite on her.) Both docs are hoping for Lyme disease because it is the most common and easiest to treat. The incubation time for Lyme disease to produce arthritic symptoms is 6 months to a year, so it's likely but the results from last night's blood work are not consistent with Lyme disease. the blood work from last night showed a bacterial infection, which the pediatrician said may have just been a skin infection that is unrelated from the joint problems. At this point we just don't know and in the next few days if there are not any definite answers as to what is causing her infected joints, we may be headed down to Children's hospital. I guess it's just a wait and see game until we get any test results.
On a happier note, Mae has been in great spirits today and never even cried once. Me, on the other hand? Well let me just say that this sucks. bad. I didn't really cry until my friend called just to chat. She had no idea what was going on, but as soon as she said "how are you?" The tears started flowing. But really now that I had a good cry, I am starting to feel better and the pounding headache that I've been trying to fight off since last night has finally started to subside.
The Gardener stayed home from work today and waited at home for Binny to get home from school. they are both here at the hospital now along with my MIL who stopped in to see Mae.
So I guess I have no answers yet, but I am optimistic. Thank you for all of the well wishes, prayers and thoughts. I will update again as I learn more and I will try to call as many family members as I can tonight but my cell phone battery is already in the red zone. Please don't worry for us too much, Mae will get through this!
She saw her (fantastic, no nonsense) doctor today who was very concerned with the swelling and redness around her knee and ankle. She immediately re-ran all of the blood work tests and consulted with an Orthopedic surgeon. Both docs decided that the best place for Mae to be today without question, was the hospital. After the blood work was drawn, we drove straight over to the hospital where Dr. P (Orthopedic surgeon) was waiting for us in the lobby and immediately started checking her out and explained what he had in mind for her.
Mae ended up having minor surgery to drain the fluid from her right ankle and her right knee. He called this condition septic ankle and septic knee. He also discovered a similar area on her left elbow that he tried to drain but didn't come up with any amount of fluid. Of the three, the elbow seemed to be the newest and least progressive areas of infection.
For now, neither of the doctors (I spoke with both at length) know what is causing this but hopefully by tomorrow the blood tests will give them a better idea. Best case scenario? Lyme disease, believe it or not. (Originating from a tick bite last summer. Not that we ever noticed a tick bite on her.) Both docs are hoping for Lyme disease because it is the most common and easiest to treat. The incubation time for Lyme disease to produce arthritic symptoms is 6 months to a year, so it's likely but the results from last night's blood work are not consistent with Lyme disease. the blood work from last night showed a bacterial infection, which the pediatrician said may have just been a skin infection that is unrelated from the joint problems. At this point we just don't know and in the next few days if there are not any definite answers as to what is causing her infected joints, we may be headed down to Children's hospital. I guess it's just a wait and see game until we get any test results.
On a happier note, Mae has been in great spirits today and never even cried once. Me, on the other hand? Well let me just say that this sucks. bad. I didn't really cry until my friend called just to chat. She had no idea what was going on, but as soon as she said "how are you?" The tears started flowing. But really now that I had a good cry, I am starting to feel better and the pounding headache that I've been trying to fight off since last night has finally started to subside.
The Gardener stayed home from work today and waited at home for Binny to get home from school. they are both here at the hospital now along with my MIL who stopped in to see Mae.
So I guess I have no answers yet, but I am optimistic. Thank you for all of the well wishes, prayers and thoughts. I will update again as I learn more and I will try to call as many family members as I can tonight but my cell phone battery is already in the red zone. Please don't worry for us too much, Mae will get through this!
A Quick Note To Family
It all started Monday afternoon. The school called and said Mae wasn't feeling well. She had a fever of 101 and was complaining of body aches. She spent the night on the sofa and by Tuesday afternoon she was complaining of aches and pains now in her leg, still running a fever. Tuesday afternoon her left eye started to swell so I immediately called the doctor and made an appointment for that afternoon. Of course her doctor wasn't in and the only pediatrician available was the one doctor we have not had a lot of luck with. Yes this would be the same doctor who poo pooed her Orbital cellulitis last year that hospitalized Mae for a week. Mysteriously by the time we made it to the clinic (about an hour after I called) the eye swelling and redness was gone and all she had was a slight fever. Doc came in, checked her over and insisted to me that this was a virus and said we should just keep up giving her Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever down. I didn't buy it, but short of getting into an argument with the doctor, there was nothing I could do.
Tuesday night was awful! Again Mae slept in the living room but couldn't get comfortable and was complaining of extreme leg pain. The fever was higher at about 102 and she was having a hard time keeping fluids down. By the afternoon she couldn't bear weight on her right leg at all but was resting comfortably once she could tolerate the Tylenol and Motrin again. The gardener came home from work while she was taking a nap and I tagged off so I could go the farm. By the time I arrived home from work, her ankle and knee were swollen, red and warm to the touch. Off to the ER we went. We dropped off Binny with my MIL for the evening.
After poking and prodding and waiting, the ER doc. came to the conclusion that this was another cellulitis (the same type of infection she had last year around her eye) but this time it was in her leg. They put in an IV to give her a strong dose of antibiotics and drew some blood to find out what type of infection she is battling. They ended up sending us home around 10:30 (In the middle of a thunderstorm no less) with the IV still in her arm and instructions to see her doc today and probably more IV meds.
She slept on the sofa again last night after another dose Tylenol and we also applied some warm compresses to her knee and ankle (the two worst areas on her leg) which seemed to help with the pain and swelling. This morning she woke up in a lot of pain once again and a fever of 102. After getting some Motrin into her system she was able to hobble over to the kitchen to eat some breakfast and now we're just waiting to go to the doc this afternoon. Her spirits are good and she didn't even shed a tear last night during the whole blood draw and IV setup. She has been such a trooper and I feel so bad for her especially since this could have been caught 2 days ago at the first visit to the clinic... At least today she will see her own (fantastic, no nonsense) doctor and hopefully she'll be on the mend in a few days.
Ever since Monday when this started I kept having flashbacks of her Orbital cellulitis last year. I'm not sure if it was because it was around the same time of year or if it was just my Mommy instinct kicking in, but the Gardener and I knew something was up. This wasn't just a run of the mill virus.
I haven't made any calls to family yet just because we still don't know too much at this point. Really, she will be fine once the meds can work their magic just like last year. Please try not to worry too much. I will keep you all posted as we find out more info, probably here on the blog or through email so I don't have to call everyone and explain myself over and over.
Tuesday night was awful! Again Mae slept in the living room but couldn't get comfortable and was complaining of extreme leg pain. The fever was higher at about 102 and she was having a hard time keeping fluids down. By the afternoon she couldn't bear weight on her right leg at all but was resting comfortably once she could tolerate the Tylenol and Motrin again. The gardener came home from work while she was taking a nap and I tagged off so I could go the farm. By the time I arrived home from work, her ankle and knee were swollen, red and warm to the touch. Off to the ER we went. We dropped off Binny with my MIL for the evening.
After poking and prodding and waiting, the ER doc. came to the conclusion that this was another cellulitis (the same type of infection she had last year around her eye) but this time it was in her leg. They put in an IV to give her a strong dose of antibiotics and drew some blood to find out what type of infection she is battling. They ended up sending us home around 10:30 (In the middle of a thunderstorm no less) with the IV still in her arm and instructions to see her doc today and probably more IV meds.
She slept on the sofa again last night after another dose Tylenol and we also applied some warm compresses to her knee and ankle (the two worst areas on her leg) which seemed to help with the pain and swelling. This morning she woke up in a lot of pain once again and a fever of 102. After getting some Motrin into her system she was able to hobble over to the kitchen to eat some breakfast and now we're just waiting to go to the doc this afternoon. Her spirits are good and she didn't even shed a tear last night during the whole blood draw and IV setup. She has been such a trooper and I feel so bad for her especially since this could have been caught 2 days ago at the first visit to the clinic... At least today she will see her own (fantastic, no nonsense) doctor and hopefully she'll be on the mend in a few days.
Ever since Monday when this started I kept having flashbacks of her Orbital cellulitis last year. I'm not sure if it was because it was around the same time of year or if it was just my Mommy instinct kicking in, but the Gardener and I knew something was up. This wasn't just a run of the mill virus.
I haven't made any calls to family yet just because we still don't know too much at this point. Really, she will be fine once the meds can work their magic just like last year. Please try not to worry too much. I will keep you all posted as we find out more info, probably here on the blog or through email so I don't have to call everyone and explain myself over and over.
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