Getting Sick

Well, we successfully made it through the holiday season without Peyton getting sick and winding up in the hospital - just as we prayed for!

(insert sound of needle scratching across a record here) 

Today being the first day after the holidays, when people are heading back to work and back to school, was the day Peyton became sick.  Again.  She seemed just fine all day yesterday until bedtime.  She just would not go to sleep.  she was fussing a lot, which is just not typical for her.  She required a lot more suctioning.  Then it became a situation where she was coughing and becoming hoarse with all the coughing.  It was like she was trying in vain to clear something from her airway but couldn't.  Suctioning wasn't helping.  She was gagging a lot and threw up a couple times.  I, myself, had been under the weather for the past few days, so was still kind of out of it myself last night.  I got up a couple times to help Ron, but had to go lie back down.

Then came nearly 3:00 in the morning this morning.  Peyton was still awake,still screaming and crying, and still inconsolable.  It was somewhere around this time where Ron and I switched off and he tried to grab a little sleep while I sat with her.  Her heart rate had gone way up, which is consistent with a fever.  Her temp was only 99.5.  A little later on it was 100.7.  Then it was 101.7.  I gave her some Tylenol and just sat with her and rocked her for ages.  I finally swaddled her and held her close.  I rocked her and cried and prayed for her.  April, if you are reading this, I can't tell you how often I looked at your painting over her crib and prayed Jeremiah 29:11 over her last night.  It truly was comforting having it right there to look at while struggling to console her.

Peyton catnapped for maybe 20-30 minutes but then suddenly awoke with the inconsolable screaming again.  Then she started to gag like she was going to throw up.  I managed to get her in her crib and get the suction going before she did.  Once again, she had some of the bloody material in what came up.  Not good.  So, on top of whatever was going on with her, the gastric bleeding reared its ugly head.

I swaddled her and rocked her some more but somewhere around 5:40, I just had to put her down.  I took a time out, grabbed my laptop, logged in to www.youversion.com so that I could read my daily bible readings so I could try to start my day right.  Well, continue my day - it started at 3:00am.  I'm taking part in what our pastor has called the "Daily Wisdom Challenge".  Read about that over here: http://fontenblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-new-year.html
I am glad I took the time to do that, although I did find it more of a challenge to come up with a 140-character-or-less piece of wisdom to tweet about this morning.  God created sleep - and Sarah saw that it was good.  Evening came, and morning came....with no sleep.  (fyi, that was not the kernel of wisdom I imparted on my fellow Seacoasters at 6:00 this morning)

While Peyton slept, I grabbed a quick shower so I would be ready for when the nurses came this morning.  We had two nurses today - one was orienting as a possible back up.  Ron and I were on the fence during the night as to whether or not to go to the ER.  We decided to hold off until the nurses came and until I could talk to the nurse practitioner in the pulmonary clinic.  That would be the tougher one. She's in clinic all morning, so I knew I wouldn't speak with her until after noon.   I figured either she'd be find with nursing care until I could speak with the NP, or she'd be bad enough where we'd just wind up going to the ER anyway, so it wasn't too big a deal to me to have that be the case.

Just as I expected, the NP called me back just shortly after noon.  I had left a message with all the details of Peyton's condition - increased heart rate, lower oxygen, fever (up to 102 by that point), increased work of breathing, lethargic (who wouldn't be with no sleep all night??), etc.  She was going to call in an antibiotic prescription for Peyton to get started on.   I mentioned to her that I'd called the GI clinic last week about the continued gastric bleeding but hadn't heard back.  I also mentioned she'd had blood work done in the GI clinic on 12/16/10 and had heard nothing back on that.  I figured since they've spoken to each other regarding Peyton recently, perhaps she could act as an intermediary for me and get the information from them that I've been waiting on.  

Later this afternoon, I received a call from someone from the GI clinic.  She basically said upfront that the GI doctor and pulmonary doctor spoke about Peyton and she needs to have a bronchoscopy and endoscopy ASAP.  They want to do it Wednesday.  I mentioned Peyton is sick with a fever.  She said they are aware.  That tells me the level of importance.  If they are willing to sedate her (yes...another general anesthetic is involved) while she is under the weather, it must be serious.  The nurse I spoke with in the GI clinic indicated that this gastric bleeding she's having just isn't good.  She spoke with the endoscopy coordinator and the only thing that could hold up the procedure from happening on Wednesday is if Peyton's fever doesn't break.  Anesthesia won't be wanting to sedate her if she's had a fever.  This all came about late in the afternoon, and it's been like prayers are being answered because for the first time since the wee hours of the morning, her heart rate is back in the 130s/120s (still a bit high, but not creeping up to the high 160s/low 170s as it was at its worst!).  True, she's had a 3rd dose of Tylenol since it all started, but nothing has helped until now. 

Please pray with us that Peyton's fever breaks, first and foremost, and that the antibiotics (which are quite strong and aren't usually prescribed for children) kick in ASAP so she can have her procedure on Wednesday.  They're going to call me tomorrow to check in on Peyton.  I'm praying I can tell them she's vastly improved.  And, should she have the bronchoscopy and endoscopy as planned, please pray with us that whatever is causing this gastric bleeding is healed and the bleeding stops.  The last thing I want to hear is that Peyton requires some sort of surgery.  As we know from our visit to the surgeon a few weeks back, it is possible that what is going on is all part of the decline in her overall condition.

We covet your prayers for Peyton's healing from this illness and from the bleeding she's been having.  Thank you!