Blessings in a Simple Life
In November, Abigail started to get a constant nagging cough. I had called her pediatricians' office once a week to ask if she should be seen, but they kept telling me that if she did not have a fever and was eating, that it was probably just viral and to let it run its course. On Christmas Day, both of the kids became quite ill with cold symptoms, which aggrivated Abby's cough to the point she was having difficulty breathing. On Dec 27th, I took Aiden to the PA because he had a fever with the cold...I brought Abigail along in case Michelle would see her, too. Thankfully, Michelle did see Abby and started her on Zithromax because she had rattling in her chest and she thought she had pneumonia. On the 29th, she was much worse and had developed a fever of 105 that would not come down with any fever reducers. The nurse practitioner examined her, took a CBC, and came back saying that it was a virus and that she should not be on an antibiotic. The 30th came bright and early with Abby's fever 105 still, and Aiden had developed what looked like acne on his face, index finger, and the back of his arm. I called the pediatrician and he said to ignore Abby's fever, and to give Aiden benedryl that it was probably an allergic reaction. Sunday, Aiden's "acne" looked about the same, but Abigail had developed an odd "rash" with a fever of 106.7. I gave her tylenol and motrin, a dose of benedryl, and called the on-call emergency nurse. Her "rash" was large red blotches all over her body. The nurse said to give her a cold bath, and wait until Monday to see if it would go away. I didn't wait. I took her to the ER. When we entered the ER, her fever was still over 106 and her red blotches were covering 90% of her skin. Her oxygen saturation level was 78%, and she was lethargic after only a 30 minute drive. She was diagnosed with a systemic allergic reaction to Zithromax, pneumonia, an ear infection in her right ear, and possible asthma. We spent a week in the hospital. The day she was sent home, we found out the "acne" Aiden was sufering from was a Staph infection he had contracted in the Peds office during one of our visits. He was put on a second antibiotic and got better. Abigail, however, got much worse. We returned to the hospital to find out that her pneumonia had gotten much stronger, her ear infection was worse, and she developed fluid around her lung and heart. This was when her doctor began telling us that her chances of pulling through these illnesses was slim. We were talked to about making a living will for her and about all of the possible health issues she may have that were causing her body to not fight these infections. By this point she had lost 9.5 pounds, weighing in at 21.5 (the weight of the average 12 month old and she was 3 years, 9 months). January 25th, she had a set of tubes placed in her ears because the infection was becoming a threat to her brain. Feb. 8th, she had a second tube put in, and was able to come home.
A trial it has been.
Through all of that, though, was the constant comfort that only God can give. God constantly reminded me of how strong I knew my baby was during my pregnancy. Our church family was there every day to give us their love support. Abigail had so many visitors from our church while she was in the hospital, many cards and gifts, meals that were prepared for Wes at home with Aiden, and so many prayers that made such a lasting impression on a tiny three year old's tiny soul. My daughter has seen first-hand how God can use people in her church family, and it is a witnessing that will never leave her. We had the love and prayerful support of our distant friends and family, many we have not seen or been in contact with in many years. I once heard a pastor of mine say, "Your friends will walk with you on a path, but your true friends given by God will walk through the mud with you and help you up if your feet get stuck." I am so thankful for those friends that I called upon during this muddy time that came to my aid in prayer. Our prayers are being answered every minute.
This past Sunday, Abigail got her biggest wish during her illness...she got to go to church. She not only got to go to church, but she sang and spoke about her grattitude for her church in "big church". She was on top of the world, and my heart was so very blessed to see that joy on my precious baby's face.
February 27th will be Abigail's next X-Ray to see if the pneumonia and fluid has cleared from her body. Her weight has come back up to 30 pounds. If her X-Ray is clear, they will send us to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem to have some testing done for Cystic Fibrosis as well as many autoimmune disorders that could have caused her body to not fight those infections. (She had a total of 5 different antibiotics for a total of 7 1/2 weeks.) We are praying that the tests will all come back normal and that she will grow up to be a strong, healthy, Christ-focused young woman.
We will also be bringing Aiden to Winston-Salem to a growth specialist in May. Children grow should grow to be half of their total adult height by their second birthday. Aiden turned two on January 7th, but has only grown 1/4 of an inch since he was 12 months old. It is very abnormal to have such little growth, so his doctor would like to have him tested for a myriad of possible diseases that would affect his stature. He is developing well mentally, talking in sentences, singing his alphabet, counting to twenty, trying any word you ask him to try, etc. I am really not worried about it. I think God really has taught me how to trust Him through the past 13 months. We'll just wait and see if he gets a giant growth spurt in the meantime.
I will post some pictures I took of the kids in the past couple weeks so you can see how well Abby is starting to look and how adventurous my toddler boy is getting. My prayers are with you all, and my love for you is constant!
Labels: Struggle
I am soooo glad Abigail is back and your are able to breathe a sigh of relief now. Thanks for keeping me updated. I had my church praying. Your attitude in all of this is one that is very encouraging to me as I enter the mom stage of life. Thanks for your words, and we rejoice with you guys in Abigail's healing.