What a Week! February 26

Whew! I feel like we haven't had a week like this since you were still in the hospital! This is going to be a really long post, with no pictures because that's the kind of week it's been - really long, with not a lot of photographic moments.

You started getting sick last Tuesday - red, watery eyes; runny nose; coughing; sneezing like crazy - but since I've been told by three different doctors that babies can't have allergies because they haven't been exposed to enough allergens to develop them yet (HA!), we decided to just let it ride out. You're still working on all four molars and didn't have any fever so maybe it was just that. Well by Thursday you were still coughing. And coughing. And coughing. So we ended up taking you to the doctor and they tested for flu, RSV and strep - all came back negative so they said: looks like a cold just working its way out of her system. Keep an eye on it, you can do breathing treatments if she sounds wheezy, but as long as there is no fever it's nothing to worry about.

Thursday night you had some trouble sleeping still, Friday you just were not feeling well. Period. Friday night, you slept for all of about 2 hours total. In 15 minute increments. Not fun for Nurse Mommy. We didn't have a nurse Saturday so I spent the entire day with you trying to do everything possible to make you comfortable but it just seemed like nothing was helping. You would fall asleep and then wake up 20-30 minutes later coughing and crying. No nurse Saturday night. We decided to keep you home Sunday so you didn't pass anything on to your Cradle Roll buddies and it was another looooong day. Fortunately, we did have a nurse come in Sunday afternoon so I got to get a little bit of rest before another no nurse night. Which ended up being a really bad night.

In addition to coughing, sneezing, wheezing, and runny nose, you added tummy problems. Over the course of the last few days you had swallowed so much mucus and air that we couldn't give you your feeds because your stomach was so full! We were having to vent air out of your stomach (almost as much as your feed would have been one time!) because you would just cough and gag and cry because you were so uncomfortable. We gave you some prune juice and that has helped clear up that problem, except for some really bad gas the last two days, but it was not fun that night!

You finally got to sleep around 3:00 Monday morning. With me holding you so that you were sitting straight up. And you stayed asleep!!! You stayed asleep until it was time for me to get up and start making coffee and lunches. So I texted Daddy and said he got to do that instead because there was no way I was waking you up :)  As much as I hate that you're sick, you are such a cuddly baby when you are because all you want is to be held and I can definitely do that!

You had a swallow study Monday morning that we weren't sure how you would do. Between not sleeping, not feeling well, the constant coughing and gagging, not wanting anything in your mouth, and four molars coming in you actually ended up doing pretty decently. You are cleared to start working on more solid foods (boiled carrots, scrambled eggs, breads, etc.) but they weren't comfortable clearing you for liquids yet. By the time we got to that point in the study you were FINISHED (and you kept signing that - finished, bye, finished, up, bye) and did not want one more thing in your mouth. Plus, she said the liquid they use for the test doesn't really taste that good. When I put it in your mouth you just let it sit there. And cried. You refused to swallow it. It finally started trickling down the back of your throat so you eventually had to swallow it, but it came pretty close to not happening, in which case it would have gone into your airway. So, the therapist giving the test said she understood the circumstances, and thinks you would have done differently if things had been different, but that she can't comfortably clear you for liquids yet. We did get the go ahead to work with thickened liquids (like the yogurt drinks or thickened milk) to help get you ready for next time. So YAY and boo all at the same time.

We left the swallow study and you actually fell asleep in the car (yay!) and I called the doctor to see if we could get back in to see someone again. Went in and they told us to start doing breathing treatments every four hours, come back Wednesday and if things aren't better we'll start her on an inhaled steroid. Our Tuesday nurse was sick so you and I spent the day in our pajamas, taking 30 minute naps, eating in between and doing absolutely nothing else. You slept for a four hour stretch on Tuesday night (the longest since last Thursday!) but could still tell just by looking at you that weren't feeling good. So we went back in yesterday and they gave us the prescription for the inhaled steroid and a different medicine that wouldn't make your heart rate jump so high like the albuterol treatments we have been doing was.  You took a REALLY good nap (finally) while I dealt with the pharmacy.

They had refilled your albuterol prescription Monday, but the pharmacy didn't have any in stock so it wasn't going to be available until Wednesday. So when I went to pick up your new prescriptions, they said they couldn't give it to me because they had albuterol on file for me and Medicaid wouldn't approve both the albuterol and the new medicine since they were for the same purpose so I would need to call the doctor's office and have them fill out some forms saying which one they wanted us to have and why. Also, they don't keep the steroid brand name in stock but insurance would only pay for the brand name on this particular one so we can't get it in until tomorrow. Sigh.

So here we are, Thursday morning again. You are still sleeping (finally) and I'm actually getting this written. We survived a roller coaster week. The house is still standing. Everyone has been fed. Everyone (but me) has clean clothes. The end.