So I'd like to ask for a do-over for the month of April. I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you that as I sit here and type this on April 30th - the last day of the month - it's the first day of the entire month that no one in this family has been sick.
It started right before our Spring Break when Wyatt got sick and then everyone else followed suit. However, Ethan never got better.
After several trips to the doctor and several afternoons spent like the picture above, we made one last trip to figure out what was going on. But let me step back a bit. The Tuesday after Spring Break both Jack and Wyatt complained of their ears hurting - Jack to the point of tears. So off we went to the doctor. Ethan came along just to be sure he was okay since I was taking the others anyway. Turns out he was the sickest of all. They each had ear infections in their left ears but Ethan also had a sinus infection. So home we went with medicine. Unfortunately, by Friday Ethan was still running a low fever and not acting any better. So back to the doctor we went. She thought it might be walking pneumonia or just the gunk draining that was causing his cough and continued illness, so we upped the medicine to see if it would help.
We had a rough weekend with Jason and I talking about maybe needing to head to the hospital if his breathing continued to sound so bad. Ethan couldn't sleep unless he was being held. We finally got him down and Sunday afternoon he started feeling like his old self, except that we couldn't get him to take his medicine, it was like he was choking on it. I was *this* close to sending him to school on Monday but decided to take him back to the doctor instead.
She checked him out but didn't like how he was sounding. They gave him his medicine intravenously and then checking his oxygen levels. The couldn't send us home unless they were above 90 but Ethan was reading in the 60s. So they gave him a breathing treatment and checked again. This time in the 70s and low 80s. So off to the hospital they sent us, thinking they might give him a breathing treatment and send him home or keep him overnight. So off we went.
But we ended up here ... in the PICU.
His oxygen levels stayed low no matter what they did. They took some blood and diagnosed him with Adenovirus and then a little bit later added on Enterovirus. And since he needed so much oxygen we headed to the PICU so they could handle the oxygen the correct way.
Once we got up there they told me he also had Rhinovirus and Mycoplasma Pneumonia - all four very contagious diseases. They told me to prepare for at least a week in the hospital. But I had a husband who was supposed to leave that day for a three day business trip followed by a four day business conference. And no family around to help me with the other boys.
Luckily Jason was able to cancel his trips and we traded off every other night in the hospital with Ethan but it was a long and stressful week.
We were surrounded by caring, thoughtful friends who offered to help as much as they could and surrounded us and Ethan in prayer.
His sweet PT sent him a Smile Gram to help brighten his day!
We spent two nights in the PICU before being moved to a regular room while he was weaned off the oxygen. It was so hard to see him so miserable in the hospital. The first night he tried to climb out of the bed so I had to sleep with him, which was actually better for everyone. He also slept a lot, his poor little body obviously needed the rest.
His sweet friends from school sent gifts.
And they all made him cards! All the boys teachers reached out and offered their help as well. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed each of those sweet ladies and the amazing job they have done with all three of my boys!
Towards the end of the week Ethan was feeling much better but being stuck in that small room was getting tough. His oxygen levels needed to be in the 90s for two days and one night before they would let him come home.
Everyone was getting a little stir crazy!
But after seven days, Ethan was released to go home and life could finally get back to normal.
I missed an awesome lacrosse game where Jack scored a goal and some really beautiful weather but I was happy that Ethan was finally on the mend. All the doctors and nurses told us they had never seen a child with Down syndrome recover from all those serious illnesses so quick, so I guess we were really lucky!
We had to spend some time at the park while Jack had lacrosse practice and Ethan lasted all of about 10 minutes. He was still so weak from his hospital visit. But he liked being outside and he REALLY liked playing with Wyatt.
And Wyatt really loved playing with Ethan - it was tough for everyone to be apart for a week.
But we're happy to all be home together and back to our regular routines and happy that Ethan is finally on the mend!
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