Plugging Along

I'm on a little break from the hospital while nana Noma gets some Jordan snuggles. After a couple of pretty bad, somewhat scary days on Saturday, Sunday & Monday, by Monday night she was starting to snap out of it. She finally got some food in her tummy on Monday afternoon, and, like magic, she had so much energy she was finally able to cough and get some of her own mucous out (instead of only being suctioned -- like bailing out a sinking boat with a straw, basically).

She's still on a little bit of oxygen, and we've been taking it off as possible (about 1 hour at a time). She's not going home until she's totally off the oxygen, clears away alot of the mucous, and gets some strength back. It will probably be a few more days.

On top of all this RSV stuff, we're killing two birds with one stone & getting her 48-hour EEG out of the way. Can you say "too many cords." Ugh, it makes it pretty hard to pick her up and hold her, but at least we're not going to have to go back later for another stay.

On arrival at the ER, before becoming a human pin cushion again.

Getting mommy kisses while getting an IV (3 hours, ~12 pokes).

Finally, some peace & quiet while we wait for our room upstairs. Check out the fancy blanket the ER nurse gave Jordan (yes, that's a scratchy hand towel). Good thing we were all too tired to argue about it.

Feeling great with all that extra oxygen. Well, great is a relative term, I suppose.

Snuggles with daddy in our fancy corner room.

The view from our corner room (the Freemont Bridge & Forest Park in the background).

Super snot!
How many cords could she possibly have? Don't feed the animals

We'll take the corner suite, please....

That would be the corner room (3633) at Hotel Emanuel...Jordan checked in for the 'Urban Retreat' package, which consists of accupuncture (it took them about 10 tries to get an IV in), a full body massage (more like three nurses holding her legs and arms to keep her still), and aromatherapy (oxygen and epinephrine to get her breathing).

Yesterday Jordan's breathing and general behaviour got worse in the late afternoon, and by 10:30 pm we were on our way to the ER. Thankfully, Nana Noma was able to come over to stay with Avery (thanks!) while the three of us headed in. Her oxygen level was down in the 80's (%), and she has some gunk on her lungs that is a potential pneumonia concern (being treated with antibiotics). So maybe she'll just stay there until her EEG tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed that this is a quick visit! It's almost noon on Sunday, and so far no change, but we'll keep you posted.

Misery & Mending

Poor Jordan, she's in bad shape. I'm about to go check us into the "Hotel Emanuel" (aka hospital). I was up most of the night listening to her cough & wheeze. I talked to a hospital nurse at ~4:00am, and she suggested we go ahead & start the steroids (she listened to her breath on the phone for a couple minutes). We tried to get in to see the doc today, but I couldn't get anyone at the office to answer the phone, so we've been on our own all day.

Prednisolone, the steroid, is supposed to make her irritable (like all steroids). But it seems to have just made her unbelievably sleepy. The same thing happened when she was on ACTH -- at first. . . . Hopefully we'll be done with these in 3 to 5 days, like the bottle says.

She really has been pathetic today. She hardly has the strength to cough, but when she does, it sounds painful. I suspect I won't be sleeping again tonight, as I'll be up all night listening to her breath.

Avery, on the other hand, is just about well again. She still has occassional coughing fits, and seems a little bit more tired than usual, but she & Devon were gone for 2 hours today playing at the playground (cold, but clear & sunny) & hanging out at the library. When she got home she & I were supposed to build our new Marbleworks track for today, but she was much more interested in just putting all the straight ones together to make an 8 foot long "stick" instead. Finally we got it all put together, then spent at least a half-hour racing our marbles down different tracks. After dinner she & Devon built Mr. Potato Heads for awhile. I love those, too, but I had to make room for Devon to get some playing in today, too I suppose. She was doing great until~8:00pm, and then it was clearly time for bed.

RSV: Really Sick with a Virus

It's official! We're sick. Devon, nana Noma, & I have been fighting it off, but the girls both have RSV bronchiolitis (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). I loaded them up and headed down to the pediatrician today, after a week of coughing. Avery is dealing with it, and is on the mend, but Jordan is in miserable agony. They tested her for RSV and it came back positive. While waiting for the test results they gave her a breathing treatment (nebulizer & albuterol) to see if it helped her breathing - but it didn't do a thing for her. So, we filled a prescription for some steroids (just in case), and are planning for a long weekend. The on-call doctor is prepared to hear from us if her breathing becomes too labored. So, we're crossing our fingers, hoping that the worst is over (her fever seems to be breaking up), and that we won't have to crack the steroids (side effects: irritability -- we don't want to add that to the mix if we don't need to).

And, to add insult to injury, Jordan has the worst diaper rash of her life. It's so red & angry that I'm trying to leave her commando as much as I can. The combo of pedialyte (mixed with her formula) and the Miralax we started on Wednesday has caused a dramatic swing in the pendulum -- from constipation to border-line diarrhea. I didn't even give her Miralax today, and won't until this gets under control.

Hopefully we'll be able to avoid a hospital stay until Monday/Tuesday, when she's scheduled to be there for her (10th) 24-hour EEG. Although I'm often relieved by the time Jordan's admitted to the hospital (she's so sick I'm glad to be relieved of the stress of trying to make her better; that's what the nurses and doctors are for, right?). However, these are like being in solitary confinement for me; she's not sick, doesn't need nursing, and I can't leave the room or sleep because I have to watch her all the time and mark her odd movements (possible seizures).

On the bright side -- there's no better time than now to be building super industrial Marbleworks tracks. I bought another set off eBay & they arrived today -- awesome. I even let Avery & Devon play with it sometimes. But I hate how quickly the marbles get lost all over the house -- drives me a little crazy (so far 3 of the 20 are MIA). Avery, on the other hand, could care less where the marbles end up, and even likes to stop the mid-track, which I just find annoying.

And on the even brighter side, we're expecting clear skies and dry weather through the weekend, so hopefully Avery will be feeling up to going outside again soon. I know I'm ready to move out onto the deck again and shake this winter cabin fever.

Is It Really Worth It?

If anyone out there is reading this and is in medical billing, I'd love to know how much this would have cost to process. I know that two copies were mailed, so right off the bat that's $0.79. Now add the paper, envelope, ink, and of course, the man-hours from the insurance company & the doctor's staff -- I'm guessing it wasn't really worth it. You decide:

I can't seem to make it any bigger, so if you can't read it, it's a bill from the insurance company to one of the genetic gurus of North America for $0.23.

Sooooo Sick

If you were brave enough to come in you'd see our home converted to a house of snot. Runny noses, brutal, painful, mucousy coughs, fevers abound. It's a sick fest here. Avery seems to be on the mend, but poor Jordan, is miserable. She's barking like a seal, and it sounds so painful it's breaking my heart. Its going to be a long night, again.

Showing Her Stripes

So, this is what you get when you let a 3-year-old dress herself. Yikes! Oh well, she was happy (and we didn't leave the house yesterday).

It's been kinda crazy around here -- I guess you could call it a snot festival. What more can I say. Avery's runs out her nose, Jordan coughs hers up (along with a large proportion of her food & medicine), and the only saving grace is Benadryl at night, so we can all get at least some sleep. It's brutal, and Avery was in full pathetic mode today, lying around watching movies, not eating, and burning up with fever (while wrapped up in layers of blankets, until I pried her out of them, which really did help).

Just when we thought it was over with Jordan & her mucous coughing -- now it's back, stronger than ever. We're taking her to an allergist next week to see if she is possibly allergic to anything in her formula (e.g. cow milk). She comes from a long history of allergies -- environmental from Devon & his family, and food from me & my family. I'm desperate to get to the bottom of the mucous over-production. It's sad to hear her hacking away all day (& night) and loosing her food and medicine, but it's even sadder when she's coughing so much & so constantly you stop noticing it.

Snuggly sick sissies

Wednesdays are our busy doctor & therapy days. Today we skipped our PRIDE (early intervention) baby group therapy due to the snot factor & rescheduled PT with Julie for Friday. But we did make it to the gastroentereologist for a Miralax prescription. Her constipation issues are directly correlated to her switch to formula, so we should now have that problem solved.

On a lighter note, Mr. Sunshine has been our friend for the last couple of days. It's been gorgeous, and not very cold! Too bad Avery & Jordan are too sick to go out and enjoy it (believe me, I tried to get Avery outside today, but no go).

She did make it outside for a few minutes on Monday -- in her pajama pants. Oh, I can't wait for spring and summer and all the energy she'll burn outside again.

The Girl Behind The Stats

Jordan Emily Rowe (30 December 2005)

1 January 2006 (2 days old)

18 January 2006 (20 days old)

13 February 2006 (6 weeks)

25 February 2006 (2 months old)

10 March 2006 (2.5 months old)

18 March 2006 (2.5 months old)

11 April 2006 (3.5 months old)

15 May 2006 (4.5 months old)

16 May 2006 (4.5 months old)
25 May 2006 (5 months old)
5 June 2006 (5 months old)
10 June 2006 (5.5 months old)
19 June 2006 (with Avery & Devon on Father's Day at the Portland Rose Garden)
2 July 2006 (with Avery [2.5 years old], Devon, & Leslie)
2 July 2006 (with Leslie)

1 August 2006 (7 months old)1 August 2006 (with Avery [2.5 years old])
6 September 2006 (8 months old)
17 September 2006 (8.5 months old)
12 October 2006 (9.5 months old)

12 October 2006 (with Leslie)
25 November 2006 (11 months old)
2 December 2006 (11 months old)
3 December 2006 (11 months old)
3 December 2006 (with Avery, almost 3)
3 December 2006 (With Devon, Leslie, & Avery)
30 December 2006 -- ONE YEAR OLD
3 January 2007 (1 year old)

2 January 2007 (with Devon & Avery)