RSV

RSV has hit my family. It started with poor Emily. I took in to the doctor last friday to find out she had strep, a respiratory virus and a double ear infection. We gave her the antibiotics over the weekend and she got much worse. I brought her back on Monday and they gave her 2 antibiotic shots. I've had those and they hurt so much, I could barely walk out of the doctors office. Poor girl hobbled around all afternoon. While we were in the doctors office Alli started coughing-and I said I think I will be bringing someone else back this week. Well guess what-we got up on Tuesday and Alli was really sick so we went back to doctor. He suspected she might have RSV and prescribed lots of suctioning and breathing treatments. Well Tuesday night was really bad. Her breathing was very labored and extremely quick. I debated for 3 hours if I should take her to ER, but she eventually calmed down so I opted for another doctors visit on Wednesday. When I brought her in the doctor pretty much determined that she did have RSV (due to her wheezing) as did Emily, but it affects a 2 year old much differently than a newborn. He gave her a steroid shot and sent us home. Again we had a bad night and when I woke up Thursday morning and could hear her wheezing from across the room I knew this was bad. I called the doctor and went about 300 miles an hour down the freeway trying to get her there quickly. Once the doctor listened to her she determined that Alli needed to be admitted because she had no clear airways. That means all of her bronchi were inflammed and filled with mucus. So she spent all day Friday and most of today in the hospital. She had a few episodes of low oxygen, but she always recovered on her own, so they never had to put her on oxygen therapy. She received breathing treatments every 2 hours, steroids, and cpt (where they bang on your ribs to loosen the mucus-it doesn't sound good but she loves it). Amazingly she responded so well today they gave us the option of bringing her home tonight and I took it. She and I are both exhausted. We would only get about 45-50 of sleep at time because respiratory would come in and do their thing, then someone would come in and take vitals, and then her nurse would come check her out. She is not out of the woods yet. Guess where we get to go on Monday-yes, the doctor again. That makes it 6 days in a row, can you believe it? We're continuing breathing treatments at home, steroids, and CPT. Keep praying that her body can maintain the enormous amount of secretions and that her lungs continue to clear out. The only upside to this whole experience was I got to focus on Alli 100% and spend some alone time with her. She is such a good baby, she is easily soothed and when you hold her and talk to her she just lights up and starts smiling.