Amelia is in the hospital...
An update on the Seuferer Household.
Amelia is in the Hospital, and has been there since the 10th.
Amelia got sick on Super-bowl Sunday--the 5th--we were supposed to go to Dave and Mary's party, but around noon she spiked a fever of 101 and said her throat hurt, so we stayed home. By three o'clock, she was vomiting, but didn't say she was having any 'pain'--she just felt sick. The kids have been passing around gastro stuff at school, so we didn't think much of it, aside from just trying to help her be comfortable and stuff.
Tuesday morning, she was still running a fever, still wouldn't eat anything, though she had stopped vomiting, but now her ear hurt really bad and was draining yellow gunk. We went to our usual family doctor, who didn't want to cause her nasuea/vomiting to get worse/return, so they gave her a shot of Rocephin for the ear infection and said if she wasn't drinking fluids by 8 p.m. that night, I needed to take her to the ER for fluids and evaluate and stuff.
Well, by Tuesday evening, she felt a lot better and started drinking gatoraide and had chicken soup for supper--small amount. This kept up through Wednesday and most of Thursday. Late in the evening on Thursday--about 11 at night--she started vomiting again. She still never complained of *pain*, just severe nausea. I sat up with her during the night--she only vomited a couple of times, but kept saying like she felt like she needed to vomit. By around 3 a.m., she fell asleep, and David took her to the doctor first thing Friday morning, (the 10th) while I slept after being up with her through the night.
Our family doctor sent her straight to Ames to see the Pediatrician. The Pediatrician started an IV and gave her fluids and sent her straight to the hospital to evaluate for Pneumonia or Appendix--still she never had *pain* with this, just the nausea/vomiting. The CT scan showed the inflammed appendix, and they had to do an 'open' surgery rather than laprascopic. I was able to request my *favourite* surgeon there, and am so very glad I *work* with all these people, because that has helped a lot. Her surgery was the 10th at 7:00 in the evening.
Anyway, the surgeon thinks the appendix had been the primary problem the whole time--all the way since Sunday. The Rocephin on Tuesday probably cooled it off enough to mask the symptoms. It was also 'retroceacal' (spelling?) which basically means it was behind part of the intestine rather than laying near the top like it usually does, which is why she never had any of the 'typical' appendix sort of pain.
The appendix had a 'small hole', that he initially thought was 'walled off', and he did not leave a drain in place because he did not want that potential route for infection if possible to avoid it. He said right after surgery, "That might not have been the best choice, only time will tell, but I like to avoid drains if possible."
The path report and cultures of the peritoneal fluid showed that the appendix *was* ruptured and had leaked considerably. She also developed a small post-op illeus (bowel obstruction) though that is resolving because her mean-nurse-mom makes her walk every two hours during the day and stuff.
Still, as of today, Sunday the 19th, she has not had anything substantial to eat since Sunday the 5th--and most of that she didn't 'keep down'. Friday the 17th, they put in a PICC line--Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter--which goes in the crook of her arm and threads up to the superior venacava, through which they are now giving her TPN--Total Parenteral Nutrition--since our surgeon is still very concerned about the possibilty of abcess and doesn't want to push starting the oral fluids. Amelia has no appetite at all, which he likes to use as a guage as to whether or not it is truly 'time' to start oral intake. We will have a CT scan on Monday to check for absess.
Saturday was the first 24 hour period she has gone without a fever, and also the first day her white blood cell count came down much. She started with the 'good' bowel sounds/gas and even a small bm on Thursday, so those are all good signs as well.
David and I are taking turns staying with her, and my parents came here from TN to help us out. We are really *hoping* she will get to come home sometime late this week, but right now there is just no telling, as she still isn't eating and whatnot.
However, the TPN perked her up almost immediately! She did very well right after surgery, and then by Tuesday she started appearing worse again--being too tired to walk well, her legs were trembling and shaking and stuff, and she just seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. Not even a full 24 hours after starting the TPN, and she was way more awake, her colour was better, and she *smiled* for the first time in *days*! Yesterday she was even laughing and giggling with her friends who came to visit her. I can't even tell you how much of an improvement that was!
Anyway, that is the long and short of our last two weeks. She was a very, very sick little girl, but definitely getting better now. I wish I'd asked for the TPN sooner, or that dumb nurse-mom would have realised how very sick she was sooner than *friday* for Pete's sake, but she's where she needs to be now, and she's on the mend.
I am very, very blessed to have such terrific doctors taking care of her. I've never been on *this* side of any sort of severe illness before--kidneystones, gallbladder, having kids, David's few times in the hospital with his back, those sorts of things--but we're looking at probably a full two-weeks of hospital stay, possibly longer, and it really makes me appreciate more the patient/family side of things!
So... That's been our life recently. :)
Prayers for her continued and speedy recovery are welcome.
Amelia is in the Hospital, and has been there since the 10th.
Amelia got sick on Super-bowl Sunday--the 5th--we were supposed to go to Dave and Mary's party, but around noon she spiked a fever of 101 and said her throat hurt, so we stayed home. By three o'clock, she was vomiting, but didn't say she was having any 'pain'--she just felt sick. The kids have been passing around gastro stuff at school, so we didn't think much of it, aside from just trying to help her be comfortable and stuff.
Tuesday morning, she was still running a fever, still wouldn't eat anything, though she had stopped vomiting, but now her ear hurt really bad and was draining yellow gunk. We went to our usual family doctor, who didn't want to cause her nasuea/vomiting to get worse/return, so they gave her a shot of Rocephin for the ear infection and said if she wasn't drinking fluids by 8 p.m. that night, I needed to take her to the ER for fluids and evaluate and stuff.
Well, by Tuesday evening, she felt a lot better and started drinking gatoraide and had chicken soup for supper--small amount. This kept up through Wednesday and most of Thursday. Late in the evening on Thursday--about 11 at night--she started vomiting again. She still never complained of *pain*, just severe nausea. I sat up with her during the night--she only vomited a couple of times, but kept saying like she felt like she needed to vomit. By around 3 a.m., she fell asleep, and David took her to the doctor first thing Friday morning, (the 10th) while I slept after being up with her through the night.
Our family doctor sent her straight to Ames to see the Pediatrician. The Pediatrician started an IV and gave her fluids and sent her straight to the hospital to evaluate for Pneumonia or Appendix--still she never had *pain* with this, just the nausea/vomiting. The CT scan showed the inflammed appendix, and they had to do an 'open' surgery rather than laprascopic. I was able to request my *favourite* surgeon there, and am so very glad I *work* with all these people, because that has helped a lot. Her surgery was the 10th at 7:00 in the evening.
Anyway, the surgeon thinks the appendix had been the primary problem the whole time--all the way since Sunday. The Rocephin on Tuesday probably cooled it off enough to mask the symptoms. It was also 'retroceacal' (spelling?) which basically means it was behind part of the intestine rather than laying near the top like it usually does, which is why she never had any of the 'typical' appendix sort of pain.
The appendix had a 'small hole', that he initially thought was 'walled off', and he did not leave a drain in place because he did not want that potential route for infection if possible to avoid it. He said right after surgery, "That might not have been the best choice, only time will tell, but I like to avoid drains if possible."
The path report and cultures of the peritoneal fluid showed that the appendix *was* ruptured and had leaked considerably. She also developed a small post-op illeus (bowel obstruction) though that is resolving because her mean-nurse-mom makes her walk every two hours during the day and stuff.
Still, as of today, Sunday the 19th, she has not had anything substantial to eat since Sunday the 5th--and most of that she didn't 'keep down'. Friday the 17th, they put in a PICC line--Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter--which goes in the crook of her arm and threads up to the superior venacava, through which they are now giving her TPN--Total Parenteral Nutrition--since our surgeon is still very concerned about the possibilty of abcess and doesn't want to push starting the oral fluids. Amelia has no appetite at all, which he likes to use as a guage as to whether or not it is truly 'time' to start oral intake. We will have a CT scan on Monday to check for absess.
Saturday was the first 24 hour period she has gone without a fever, and also the first day her white blood cell count came down much. She started with the 'good' bowel sounds/gas and even a small bm on Thursday, so those are all good signs as well.
David and I are taking turns staying with her, and my parents came here from TN to help us out. We are really *hoping* she will get to come home sometime late this week, but right now there is just no telling, as she still isn't eating and whatnot.
However, the TPN perked her up almost immediately! She did very well right after surgery, and then by Tuesday she started appearing worse again--being too tired to walk well, her legs were trembling and shaking and stuff, and she just seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. Not even a full 24 hours after starting the TPN, and she was way more awake, her colour was better, and she *smiled* for the first time in *days*! Yesterday she was even laughing and giggling with her friends who came to visit her. I can't even tell you how much of an improvement that was!
Anyway, that is the long and short of our last two weeks. She was a very, very sick little girl, but definitely getting better now. I wish I'd asked for the TPN sooner, or that dumb nurse-mom would have realised how very sick she was sooner than *friday* for Pete's sake, but she's where she needs to be now, and she's on the mend.
I am very, very blessed to have such terrific doctors taking care of her. I've never been on *this* side of any sort of severe illness before--kidneystones, gallbladder, having kids, David's few times in the hospital with his back, those sorts of things--but we're looking at probably a full two-weeks of hospital stay, possibly longer, and it really makes me appreciate more the patient/family side of things!
So... That's been our life recently. :)
Prayers for her continued and speedy recovery are welcome.