Weekend At The Hospital

Our sweet Amelia has had a rough few weeks.  It all started a few weeks ago, in mid-October, when she came down with a random virus that gave her high fevers for 7 days.  I don't know what's worse, having the doctor's tell you there's no answer as to why your kid is sick or having them actually give you a diagnosis.  I guess neither are good; the only good option is to have a healthy baby. So, we got through that 7 day virus episode fairly well and with only two trips to the pediatrician.  Amelia felt better for about a week and then all of a sudden around Halloween her sleep habits drastically changed.  She decided she no longer wanted to take a nap or go to sleep.  Normally she goes down without even a fuss, gives us a kiss, tells us "I love you" and "sweet dreams" and that's it - we're good for a nap or a whole nights worth of sleep.  When her habits changed, we were a bit worried that she might have another ear infection causing her to be uncomfortable.  Even though she did not have a fever or other symptoms, I took her to the doctor to be safe.  Everything came back fine and we chalked it up to either a growth spurt or two-year molars.  That was last week.  On Tuesday of this week she came down with a fever and it was a bit high - 102+ and it continued to spike every four hours that night.  On Wednesday morning I took her to see her pediatrician (again) to find out the cause.  This time he had a bit more concern since she had just recovered from the previous virus only a couple of weeks ago so he opted for more tests than normal.  Poor Amelia had to endure a catheter to check for a possible bladder infection and a finger prick to check her white blood cell count for signs of infection on top of the normal ear, nose and throat check.  Everything came back normal.  Our pediatrician told us to go home and monitor it and to call if anything changed or if the fever got high.  On Thursday night, Amelia's fever spiked to 105.5!  We had never seen a fever that high so we started to pack up the car ready to take her to the ER.  We called the pediatrician's office and spoke to the on-call doctor.  Since Amelia had already had a full panel of tests done at the doctor's office, the on-call doctor recommended to wait and see if the ibuprofen helped to lower her temperature within 45 minutes by at least two degrees.  If not, then to proceed to the ER.  Sure enough, about 40 minutes later, she was back down to 102 so we decided to stay at home.  In addition to all of that, she started complaining about headaches, neck pain and foot pain.  And after a Google search, I was concerned about meningitis.  First thing on Friday morning we called her pediatrician's office to talk about the night before and the continued spiking temperatures.  The nurse asked that we bring her in right away.  At the doctor's office, they decided to do another blood culture and to check for strep throat.  In the end, the doctor was uneasy about the duration of this virus with the continued spiking temperatures, the very high temp from the day before and the fact that the last virus was only two weeks prior.  Our doctor seemed fairly confident that meningitis was not the culprit for many reasons but was still bothered by all of the other issues.  And since it was now Friday, we would not have had easy access to the doctor's office on the weekend.  His recommendation was to admit her to the hospital for further testing and observation.  Not exactly the news any parent wants to hear, but there was some relief in the fact that we could be in a safe place in the event her fever went over 105 again.  After that doctor's visit, we went home to take care of the dogs and pack our things for at least a one night stay at Dell Children's Hospital.  


Friday was rough for our little monkey - she had to endure many doctors and nurses checking her vitals and the placement of an I.V. for blood draws and for fluids.  When we first got here, she walked into the hospital totally happy and being her usual charming self.  She made the admitting staff laugh and she talked to everyone on her way in.  All of the nurses on our floor were laughing at her little antics and how confidently she marched down the hall to her room.  She stopped to talk to everyone and tell them funny little things about herself or her toys.  It didn't stop once we got to the room either.  A team of doctors, nurses and interns came in to assess her condition and talk with us.  That became the "Amelia Show" and she had a full and captive audience.  Everyone was surprised to find out she only turned two a few months ago because of how well spoken she was.  That's my girl - the charmer!  Too bad the glamour of the hospital did not last long and soon she was not too happy with anyone who came close to her with even so much as a thermometer.  We were very lucky in one respect - we have a friend at the hospital!  It just so happens that the wife of one of Martin's co-workers is doing her pediatric residency here at Dell Children's.  And she just so happened to be working the graveyard shift on our first night.  What a lucky break for us!  She absolutely adores Amelia and the feeling is mutual.  Not only did she take charge of Amelia's care for the night, but she also made Amelia so happy.  She also made me happy by getting us a better bed so I could sleep in it with Amelia.  It's nice to have an inside connection at the hospital!  Thank you so much, Dr. Lori!  You are the absolute best!


It's now Saturday night and I'm posting this blog from the hospital room where we're still camped out at least for one more day.  The verdict is that we're waiting for more results on her lab work.  Some have come back with mostly negative results.  The only items concerning the doctors are two tests that show elevated levels indicating an unknown source of inflammation in her body.  It doesn't give them a lot to go on but it does show that something is happening inside of her.  We hope to have more results back tomorrow and hope to go home.  There is a small chance we'll have to see the infectious diseases team so they can lend their expertise to the situation.  In the end, we may have to settle for no definitive answer as to what this virus is.  No answer is way better than a bad one.


No one tells you that when you become a parent, you are also prepping for med school.  I've learned so much in the past two years and I'm definitely thankful for it.  So many little things that will continue to serve me well throughout my whole life.  Just call me, Dr. Liz:)

Right after she got her I.V. - notice how many sticker she has.  She was not very happy with us.

Amelia and her Lulu

Moments of happiness

Enjoying some streaming movies and Teddy Grahams.  Amelia is confined to her room and is hooked up to fluids, so we're not exactly mobile.  She has been allowed to watch endless amounts of t.v. and movies.  We've watched Toy Story part one and two at least 4 times each.