For the last two weeks or so Brea has been fighting allergies. She has had the runny nose and watery eyes but her activity level has been good and she has ate and drank well. Well, on Thursday that all changed. She began to weeze while on the playground at preschool and then Thursday night she started running a fever. She was seen Friday morning at the doctor's office and they gave her a breathing treatment. They also got an x-ray of her lungs and they started her on antibiotics. We went back in this morning for a re-check and after consulting with the pediatric cardiology team at Duke it was decided that she needed to be admitted. She was showing signs of dehydration and she had started to cough. Once we were here at Duke they started IV fluids and got a series of chest x-rays. We just learned that she has two different kinds of pneumonia...one is viral and one is bacterial. There has been a LOT of concern about her kidney function because with her being dehydrated there was a possibility of her anti-rejection drugs building up in her kidneys to a toxic level and causing kidney damage. The good news is that all of the tests have shown her kidneys to be doing well. They have now added two antibiotics to her IVs and they have her on breathing treatments. She is weak, tired and asking to go home. We are still awaiting the results of the RSV test and the Flu test as well as a few other tests but they feel pretty confident that they are treating her with the right drugs at the moment. It looks like Duke is our new home for the next few days (at best). PLEASE keep Brea in your prayers for a quick and full recovery.
As I sit here tonight typing I can hear the helicopters landing above me bringing new patients in. Those sounds bring back so many memories and it is hard to not think about all the time we spent at ACH listening to those same sounds. I am thankful tonight that we have a diagnosis and that it is treatable. I am thankful that I am only 45 minutes from home. I am thankful for wonderful neighbors who so willingly offered to care for Baker today while we tended to Brea here at the hospital. No, this is not where I would like to be but Yes, I am thankful that I am here and not eight hours away from my husband and other children.
Good night from Duke University Hospital.
Mary |
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