This past weekend was supposed to consist of the hubby’s birthday celebration, house shopping, and starting to organize and de-clutter for the move. Never did I expect to spend it in the hospital with our little ladybug battling the flu.
It started Friday morning with vomiting. At first I thought it was just the reflux acting up but by the evening she started to have a fever and lets just say we began going through many, many diapers.
By Saturday at noon her fever still hadn’t broke, and she hadn’t had a wet diaper in 24 hr. As fast as her feed was going in it was coming out the other end.
Off to the ER we went. Typically I dread the ER – sitting in an over crowded room, trying to find that one comfy spot on the plastic chair, all the while avoiding the leaky hacking child sitting next to me wanting to grab my daughters pink musical teddy. However, on Saturday it was like the skies opened up and the health care gods shone down on us. We arrived at the ER, registered, were seen by the triage nurse and into a room all in under 10 minutes.
The doctor was fantastic, very attentive and in good spirits. Even did a little dance when I told him my ladybug has a port-o-cath (permanent line under the skin for iv access).
By the time we arrived ladybug’s fever was up to 104 F (40 C), an iv was hooked up, fluids were pushed and labs came back normal (aside from elevated liver enzymes), so she was able to have some more Tylenol to help break the fever. Children with CDG typically have higher liver enzyme levels, simple viruses like the flu or common cold can quickly elevate these levels and induce liver damage or failure – Tylenol can speed up this process because it is absorbed through the liver. Which is why we have to watch the amount given. Thanks to my CDG family and their advice and support – I now know that having high liver enzyme levels is fairly normal and while we have to keep an eye on it I shouldn’t have an emotional melt down and enter panic mode when her levels are elevated.
As odd as it might sound to most, it was almost like a rite of passage being in the hospital for dehydration from the flu. For the first time my ladybug was like every other child. We weren’t in the hospital for GI bleeds, or surgeries, or any other CDG related issues. We were there for the flu. Don’t get me wrong I’m not downplaying it by any means, she was very dehydrated and had a dangerously high fever, but for the past 3 days we were only battling the flu. I didn’t think of feeding pumps overfeeding her, or a lab tech putting a very important blood sample in the wrong colour vile the previous week, everything disappeared. For the first time ever I could finally relate to how my daughter was feeling, I offered her what I knew always helped when I was little with flu and that was lots and lots of cuddles with mommy.
I’m sure we’ll cross paths with many other viruses, after all it’s all part of a being a kid. It’s just really nice to know that she can completely heal from the flu, and even though it may return down the road. Right now we’re in the home stretch and recovering after our first battle of the flu bug.
Little Ladybug Hugs 