Soooo Sick....

Well, I haven't blogged in a while because Asher has been very sick and it was all both of us could do to get through each day..... I could go into a lot of details,(and I probably still will) but it basically boils down to the following time line.........

Sunday evening: crabby!!!

Middle of the night: massively congested and miserable.

Monday: crying/whining all the time except when asleep literally on me or taking a walk in the stroller. Running a fever and still congested.

All night Monday and Tuesday: fever kept going up....Highest was 103.6 (that I know of) not sleeping longer than 2hrs at a time, even snuggled with me. Totally no interest in solid food and struggling with nursing because of the congestion. I am exhausted and emotionally drained

Wednesday AM: Call for a Dr. app and get one for 20min later. I think it is just a common cold we have to ride out, but want to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection. I had had him on homeopathic medicine since Monday morning, eucalyptus essential oil in his humidifier, saline spray for his nose and even broke down and was giving him Motrin and Tylenol, though I got a little worried when those didn't bring his fever below 102 on Tuesday.

Wednesday 8:20am-11ish: We get weighed, lungs listened to, questions asked, ears, nose and throat looked at, then poked multiple times while they try to draw blood, Asher throws up on me (he soaked me so badly they got me a towel to pat dry my clothes) and chest X-rays.

The Dr. wanted to be careful that he didn't have a Bacterial infection or chest issues, and b/c he didn't have any vaccinations and was a preemie he was a little worried. Getting blood didn't go so well. They tried in both arms multiple times, including having me lay down with him on a gurney vs. sitting up the normal way, with no luck and a lot of tears. The X-ray took just a couple minutes, but man, what they put him in to get an X-ray looked like a medieval torture device! The technician promised me it was worse for the parents then the child, but I don't know. Ask me sometime to describe it! He was such a trooper through it all. Still running a fever, missing his "usual" naptime and being shuttled all over the place is not a recipe for a good time.

Here he is right after we got home from the Dr. The red bandage is from them trying to draw blood. They tried on both arms, but we had already taken the other bandage off.

We left the Dr. worse for the wear, though at least I knew for sure there was no ear infection. His fever was lower throughout the day, he started nursing a bit more and even ate one solid food meal. I thought we were turning the corner, though he had started coughing more. Around 5ish the Dr. called and said he just thoroughly looked at the X-ray and thought he saw Bronchiolitis starting. I couldn't say I disagreed since he had really started coughing. He recommended starting an inhaler to help, which I was fine with. (i really want to avoid antibiotics as long as possible)

Wednesday night: Still only sleeping in 2-3 hr increments and literally on me. But didn't need any pain/fever medicine the whole night.

Thursday: We had a rough morning, so I decided to walk to the pharmacy on base and just get some fresh air for both of us. By the time we get there, wait around and got home, he didn't get his first treatment until almost 1pm. Late afternoon I start seeing a rash on his head and scalp. It is kinda faint, so I think I am seeing things. I ask my friend who is a pediatric NP and she agrees he has one, but it doesn't look allergic.

Thursday evening: I leave Asher for 90min with Andrew while I do AWANA's at the Chapel. (first break from Asher since Sunday evening!) Asher's rash is stronger when I get home and he has cried for the entire time I was gone. I give him another treatment and snuggle him to sleep. He is breathing easier as he sleeps and nurses during the night.

Friday morning: I give him a treatment in the morning and the rash is definitely noticeable. I start to wonder if it is from the inhaler and call the Dr. After talking, they think it is just a virus rash from his fever, which had broken during the night Wednesday....Besides, it is extremely rare to be allergic to Albuterol. I decided he is doing better overall and we can still go to Vegas later that afternoon to see Andrew's family.

Friday Afternoon: Asher finally takes an awesome nap all by himself! He wakes up and I give him another treatment (it was supposed to be every 4-6hrs but I was doing it less than that) Less than 30mins later, I pick him up and see between his shirt and pants that his back, chest and arms looks like this.......

I instantly know he is having an allergic reaction to the medicine and my mother's gut was right that it wasn't virus related. It is too late in the afternoon to get in to see the Dr. and we are supposed to be leaving in less than 2 hrs. I walk Asher over to our neighbor who is a family physician, though she isn't practicing right now. She takes one look at him and agrees it is hives and I should stop the inhaler. She spends some time with us, listening to his breathing, and checking him again for an ear infection. She tells me to get him on Benadryl even though they say it can't be used under 2. Off we run to the commissary to get some. 1/4 of teaspoon and about 30min later he is looking a bit better and is less whiny. (his crying and whiny had ramped back up Thursday late afternoon and hadn't stopped) Poor guy, he starts feeling better and then we give him something that makes him feel miserable all over again.

His hives broke out again on Saturday because he got overheated a little in the sun. Thankfully one more dose of Benadryl, and a long nap with mom and he was back to his normal self. Because we were out of town and it was a holiday today we haven't touched base with the Dr. about his allergic reaction, though I plan on calling tomorrow and discussing what our future options are, if he has breathing issues again and needs an inhaler. I don't know much about this line of medicine, but I am hoping if he is allergic to one, it doesn't mean he is allergic to them all!

He is still congested and occasionally coughing, but overall better and I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and our normal routine this week!