Our Five Ring Circus: When Sickness Strikes...

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

When Sickness Strikes...

When Sickness Strikes...

The picture above sums up the past week of my life! Taking care of Liam, who ended up getting REALLY sick over the weekend, and preparing for a meeting to discuss inclusion with the school district took up all of my time. Everything else got pushed aside...no blogging, no photography, no sponsored work, no summer fun...and rightfully so. The needs of my family always come first!


Some of you might have seen all the "excitement" unfold on Instagram or Facebook, but if not, I'll sum it up. Liam managed to go 8 months without getting sick a single time, but made up for it in one short week. He got a low fever on Tuesday and it came and went throughout the week. It was odd, because he rarely gets a fever, but he didn't have any other symptoms...and then those Chickenpox popped up! Just like his big brother, he ended up getting a mild version of the virus even though he was vaccinated. Then, on Saturday, he went into respiratory distress, and ended up in the ER. It was truly one of the most terrifying experiences I've ever had with one of my kids!

Here's how the week progressed from a simple fever to an overnight stay in the ER...


Monday, July 23rd


Monday was our quiet day to recover from the weekend, but also the calm before the storm. We spent the day at home, and after dinner, we played outside until dark. Meanwhile, Dylan escaped to my parent's house to enjoy a break from the chaos.

Tree Swing

Down syndrome blogs

Life with Down syndrome

Cozy Coupes

Tuesday, July 24th


Happy Birthday, Grant! He had to work, but we celebrated with presents, takeout, a movie, and birthday pudding (he doesn't like cake) as soon as he got home from work! The kids had so much fun celebrating their dad! (Poor Liam woke up really pale and lethargic that morning, and by the end of the night, he had a fever. And so it began....)

The Lucky Few

Fatherhood

Father and Daughter

Father and Son

Married Life

Wednesday, July 25th


Liam still had a fever, so we spent the day at home. Dylan headed back to my parent's house that afternoon to sleep over again.

English Mastiff Puppy

Thursday, July 26th


Liam stayed fever free overnight and all day, so we headed to the library for some new books just before dinner. While dinner was in the oven, I had to run back to the library to drop off a book we forgot at home. Liam fell asleep in the car, and seemed to be feeling a bit off again. After dinner, Dylan came home, and we had a quiet evening.

Down syndrome

Down syndrome awareness

Library Playtime

Friday, July 27th


We went over to my parent's house to visit on Friday. Liam got progressively crankier throughout the day, then those little spots started appearing. He ended up with about 20, and they looked just like Chickenpox. Lexie stayed for a sleepover, but we headed home early because he was miserable and ended up spiking a fever, and I put him right to bed. After he settled down, I went over to my sister's house for our monthly Girls Night. I stayed until after midnight, and when I returned, we watched an episode of Modern Family before I headed to bed.

Kids and Dogs

Down syndrome

Down syndrome blog

Saturday, July 28th


Liam didn't wake up until after noon, and he was not feeling well at all. He had a fever, and he was wheezing. He spent the day clinging to me, so I wasn't able to get anything done. I ended up giving him an Albuterol breathing treatment to see if it would help him breathe better. He hadn't needed a breathing treatment in almost 3 years, and he was NOT happy about it. Unfortunately, even after a nap (he never naps anymore), he was still breathing poorly, so we took him to Urgent Care around 7 PM.  They didn't help all that much, and sent us home with some more Albuterol, and told us to follow up with his pediatrician on Monday.

We gave him 3 more treatments at home, and he got progressively worse. By that point, it was evident he had croup on top of everything else. At midnight, his breathing was even worse. We attempted a steamy bathroom, standing in front of the freezer, and another treatment, and none of it helped. His chest was heaving with each raspy breath that he took, he was gasping for air, and when he coughed, he desperately sucked in air. At one point, his lips turned blue, his face lost all color, and he started to faint, and that's when we decided to head to rush to the ER.

I briefly considered calling an ambulance, but the nearest ER is less than 10 minutes away, so Dylan sat next to Liam while I raced to the hospital. They immediately took him back and ordered a steroid breathing treatment and a steroid shot. The doctor said his tonsils were very swollen and it sounded like he had some fluid in his chest/lungs, so he ordered an xray after the first treatment. Unfortunately, Liam fought so much, despite two of us holding him down, and the xray was inconclusive. When we got back to the room, Liam's breathing still hadn't improved, so they put him on oxygen, and ordered another steroid breathing treatment.

We ended up stying in the ER until after 5 AM. The doctor wouldn't release him until he was breathing better, and it took several hours and treatments before that happened. The diagnosis, in addition to Chickenpox, was Croup, Tonsillitis, Laryngitis, and possibly pneumonia. He was sent home with Albuterol, an antibiotic, and a steroid. Liam doesn't get sick often, but sometimes he likes to go BIG when he does, and knock out a few illnesses at once!

We didn't get home until almost 6 AM. Dylan was a huge help in the ER, and Grant and Lily were wide awake with worry when we arrived home. We were all exhausted, and headed straight to bed!

Life with Down syndrome

The Lucky Few

Brotherly Love

Croup

Breathing Treatment

Down syndrome

Sunday, July 29th


As you can imagine, we all slept in on Sunday! Liam slept well, and woke up with minimal wheezing, and his smile returned. My dad dropped Lexie off, and she joined me to run to the pharmacy, shop for Lily's birthday, and do the grocery shopping. Meanwhile, Dylan mowed, and Grant took his turn cuddling a clingy Liam. When we returned home, we put away the groceries, ate dinner, then had a quiet night before heading to bed earlier than usual! I, of course, tossed and turned until 6 AM, because my sleep schedule was off, and I was completely stressed about the meeting with the school district in just a few hours. (More to come on that!)

Down syndrome

It was an exhausting week, but we are so glad that Liam is on the mend!


When Illness Strikes... #motherhood #momblogger #Downsyndrome

8 comments:

  1. Poor little baby. I'm SO glad that he's feeling better. I know you're relieved, too, Momma!

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  2. Phew, glad Liam is ok! Sounds stressful. It's so nice that you had Dylan to help you with the ER visit!

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  3. Oh no!! Hope he is on the mend quickly!! So wonderful that Dylan is so helpful! Prayers for a quick and full recovery! HUGS

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  4. Poor kid! I'm glad he's on the mend!

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  5. Oh wow, that really is a ton at once! Poor guy- I'm glad he's starting to feel better though. And that's wonderful that Dylan was at the ER to help out!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  6. Wow, what a lot for the poor little guy (and all of you) to go through - I am so glad you finished by saying his smile had returned - always such a relief when we get these signs :) How wonderful that Dylan was such a help and comfort as well - what an amazing big brother! Best of luck for his recovery and also your forthcoming school meeting xx

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  7. These pictures just break my heart! I pray that Liam is on the mend and feeling much better!

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  8. So glad little man is feeling better.

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