I am just able
to post since the start of the week, and what a week it has been. My husband
and our daughter became ill on Sunday. My husband with the flu, and our
daughter, what we thought was he flu, turned out to be gastroenteritis along
with a bad cold.
She had a fever
starting from Sunday afternoon and for all of Sunday night, I was up keeping
vigil over the fever, which went high at times. We took her to the doctor on
Monday using our son’s follow-up appointment for ear infection. By the time it
was our turn, the baby had a high fever almost reaching 103 degrees. The nurse
immediately sent me to the washroom to wash her down.
We were sent to
the doctor soon and after she examined her, she, with a concerned look on
her face, said to me, mommy, I do not like how she looks (she was having problems
breathing and was giving off a grunting sound). She then said she would do a
referral for her to go to the children’s hospital. I must have turned white
like a ghost at that point because I was terrified thinking the worst.
When we got to
the hospital, they examined her and began administering rehydration fluid right
away, over a period of two hours. She cried so much because she is not used to
drinking from a spoon plus this fluid taste really bad.
My husband began
making calls as soon as we got to the hospital and by this time, some of our
family members began showing up. I was so happy for the support because I was
getting really fatigued from trying to feed the baby the rehydration fluids and
have her crying so hard that now her throat is sore and hoarse.
About 8pm she
was able to see the doctor and he confirmed that she was having gastroenteritis.
I said to the doctor, I really think she has the flu too, but he insisted that
it was gastro and did not give me any medication for any flu, he just told me
to give her panadol for the fever. They also gave me some rehydration salts and
told me to give her some after she has passed a stool. We were so happy to be
on our way home.
We made it through
the night with the fever in check, but later Tuesday morning, my husband was
holding her and felt her struggling to breathe. He was frightened and I was too
and so we instantly took her back to the hospital as we did not want to take
any chances at her age, and also given the fact that her paediatrician said she
did not like how she sounded.
She got to see a
doctor almost immediately who told me that it was only a cold and they could
not do anything about it, we just have to let it pass. I was not willing to
just accept that and so I said to him, yes I understand that, but at her age, I
am not comfortable with how she is breathing. He said he understood and sent me
to the treatment room, to have them suction some of the mucus from her head. The
doctor also told me to give her saline drops when she becomes stuffy. I was
happy with that and left the hospital feeling much better.
Our son and
niece loves the baby so much and would give her the world, with their germs and
all and I have so fatigued trying to prevent them from touching her hands and
face. I guess with even my best efforts, it’s just difficult. She is also a
little children magnet and so there is the challenge even outside of the home.
Some adults as well, who should know better, really do not.
She is doing
better now, still stuffy at times and cranky but when we give her the saline
drops, it really works. My husband is doing better too and yesterday I came
down the flu as well. I guess my system is just worn from all that has happened
over the last couple of days. It would be a good idea for us all to rent a
section in the TB ward at the hospital, because our home has now become germs
central.
The testing did
not stop there, as at one point after all that, we really thought we would have
ended up in the emergency room with our daughter again. I was terrified to say
the least and at that point I felt losing our daughter so real, it pierced my
heart. God gave me the resolve while at the hospital, to show some amount of
calm and composure on the outside even though I was dying inside, but for the
latter test, there was no composure at all, I was really worried. I could not
lose my second little miracle just like that and thought would God do this to
us. No, I somehow knew God would not have it that way at all, because she came
directly from his heart. At my age I was not expecting to even become pregnant
and have a perfectly healthy child and so I give all credit to my Almighty and
all knowing God.
We remain
grateful to God for his faithfulness and continue to give him thanks for the
precious little miracles he has so graciously sent into our lives, when it seem
we would not otherwise have been so blessed.
