Thursday, September 1, 2011

It's Been A Rough Week....

Yeah- it's bound to be a rough week when this is where you're staying. Little Man James was admitted on Monday because of a bulging fontanelle (soft spot). Can you see it? His little head was pretty pointy for a few days.
Life in the hospital is rough- this is after fasting for 26 hours, 1 MRI, 1 MRV, 1 CAT scan, & 1 spinal tap. And he wasn't even blinking- this is how he really looked.
Can you see the bulging soft spot & the swelling under the skin on the forehead?
Yes, family. My kids do have big noggins. But when it's this bad you can definitely tell when it's swollen! Stinkers.....
Wednesday was a little better- no needles, at least. Wait, until they had to redo the IV that blew in his arm.Sigh- I just wanted to take him & run. So much pain & trauma. But we had to find out what was going on!By Thursday the noggin was more normal-shaped. Taking out the fluid for the spinal tap really made a difference!
And we were lookin' spiffy in our cute tiger gown.

So here's the scoop. James has viral meningitis. It's MUCH less severe than bacterial meningitis, and since it's a virus, they can't treat the meningitis, just the symptoms. Viral meningitis is caused by a virus- anything from roseola to West Nile Virus, to a common cold. They told us there's only a 50-50 chance that we'll find out the cause.


Basically, they can only treat the symptoms of both the virus & the meningitis. So since his only symptoms were a fever & a nasty nose (oh, and the pointy head), & those symptoms were resolving on their own, we got to go home 2 days early! Yay! So sometime Friday or Saturday they'll have some more test results in & we'll get some more answers.


For now, we're just going to hang out & snuggle our bug. What a scare!

12 comments:

Adam and Samantha said...

oh my gosh how scary, glad he is doing better, poor little guy =(

Tanner, Amy, and Alexis said...

So glad you guys are home and he's ok! Scary week! Let us know if you need anything.

Cheryl said...

It is so hard to see our babe's go through pain. I am glad he is ok and hope he feels better soon. That is scary. Poor little guy.

Ashlie said...

I'm so sorry Kris (and Jack)! Glad he's doing better now. Not fun!

Ashlie said...

I meant James! Oh boy.

Hilary said...

So scary! I'm so glad it ended up being something he can recover from on his own. But still, meningitis? Yikes! I hope the poor little guy isn't too traumatized by all of those yucky tests. Enjoy your cuddle time. You deserve to relax a little bit after going through that ordeal!

Casey and Brittny said...

When can I bring over some cake balls? I think you all deserve something yummy. Poor baby - and poor mommy!

Wendy said...

Best in the recovery of you all!

Kenningtons said...

SO SCARY!!! My sis ter-in-law has been keeping us updated and we've been praying for your little guy. I'm so sorry he (and you) had to go through all that. The picture of him after his fast almost pushed me over the edge. SO SAD!!!!! I'm so happy you guys are home and his was the lesser of the two evils.

Casey said...

I am in tears! I have had a hard time the past week coming up on the anniversary of being in the PICU with Calissa and to see what you have been through brought all those memories to the surface. Hope things are better for him and you! It took me a while to recover from her ordeal and still there are those nightmares. Call if there is anything you need! BTW Calissa is still terrified of Dr.'s, Nurses, or offices, it can be traumatic for these little ones. Speedy recovery for you all!

Adrian said...

Oh my goodness...look at his poor head!!! You weren't kidding! That's tough for baby and mommy!

So.... is sweet James better yet so we can hang out?? :)

Mindi said...

What a scary thing Kris!! So glad he was able to come home early. I hope he is doing better and that you have all gotten the rest needed! That picture of him after fasting just breaks my heart. I can't imagine being the mom! James is one lucky little boy to have such a strong, amazing mommy!!