Tag: Sick

Sick Little Sister

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Well “the crud”, as we have so fondly named it, has finally caught up to everyone. Ellie is now down with it and couldn’t be more miserable. Poor little monkey. Ellie has always been known to have high fevers and this is no exception. I guess its time to wait it out and hopefully get past all of the yucks. 
For now I will be opening all of the windows in the house, cleaning and spraying everything down that I can to keep away the cruds. Shaun is down with a milder version of what the girls have. However, he looks worse than it is because his eyes were hit hard. Yeah, hes gone in to work and been sent home based solely on the watery and swollen masses that his eyes have become. He wouldn’t let me take a picture and post it. Hmmmm, I wonder why? I keep praying I stay away from this one. Very much over being sick.

Down For the Count

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I usually don’t like to post about our kids being ill but this was one of those moments where I couldn’t help it. After watching Ellie suffer through Whooping Cough at only 4 weeks old, seeing your kiddos really sick makes your experience completely different.
Abby started off with what seemed to be allergies. Quickly she developed a fever and her eyes watered and look as though they might swell shut. After three days of a fever that we couldn’t control or lower with medication (ie; Tylenol and Motrin) we made our way to the doctors office just to make sure there wasnt something bigger that might be going on.  Her doctor seemed a tad concerned but before putting Abby through the ringer, she had us wait until Sunday before coming back in and addressing the problem further.
Sunday came around and nothing had changed. Abby was still unable to fight her fever on her own, which remained constant and over 102.7, and her doctor was concerned based on a grouping of symptoms that Abby might have Kawasaki’s Disease. So we were whisked off to Seattle Children’s Hospital to run tests and be very sure that this was just a virus and not something bigger.
Poor peanut was not doing well at all!
  After a cool shower to try and bring her fever down. A little more light in those eyes but still so sick!
Being a trooper with lamby, some snacks and of course her favorite doggy, Rosebud!

Before I continue I want to say that in the end, Abby did not have Kawasaki’s. She tested negative and instead had a very aggressive form of an Adenovirus, which effects the sinuses. This was what was creating the crazy issue with her eyes and such a high fever.  She was given a good dose of Tylenol and after a few hours, she finally started to respond. They took blood work, hooked her up to an IV to get fluids running through her and all the while Abby was a brave little soldier.

We were blessed to have Auntie Kelli and Keith help us out. They met us over at Seattle Children’s and hung out with Ellie, who was quite concerned about her sister. Luckily, a trip to Starbucks for some treats brightened her spirits. Thanks to the both of you for helping on such short notice!

I cannot say enough about the staff (nurses, doctors and even the admissions staff). They were fantastic with Abby! They spoke to her like a person, explaining everything that was happening in terms that she could understand. They did their best to make her comfortable, happy and as fear free as they possibly could. Her IV went in like a breeze and aside from the occasional discomfort when she moved her hand, she barely knew it was there. (We covered her hand with Lamby… out of sight out of mind). She received her own pair of hospital socks, which Abby thought were very cool, and they gave her some of her favorite snacks since her appetite was starting to pick up again. Despite feeling bad, she was having a lot of fun and even got to watch some cool movies too!

Now we are back home, resting comfortably and hoping that she can improve enough to attend her preschool graduation. Fingers crossed!

Two Sickies and One Big Sicko!

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The month of April was a bit of a bummer. Our activities were pretty limited which is why there aren’t too many posts for you to enjoy. That is all, due in part, to most of us being sick. Shaun has managed to escape it all but the girls and I weren’t so lucky. 
It all started with my sinus infection and conjunctivitis that reared its ugly head on Easter. That left me on 10 days of antibiotics, steroids and eye drops. Within those ten days, both Abby and Ellie ended up with pink eye as well. Abby even missed a week of school because it was so aggressive.
Two weeks after my Easter ER trip, I landed there again. This time my throat was so sore I couldn’t even swallow without horrible pain and each time it left me in tears. The odd thing was that my throat wasn’t horribly red or swollen and my tonsils were only slightly inflamed. The ER doc told me it was just irritation from post nasal drip, but I was skeptical. As an allergy sufferer I have nasal drip often and never have a felt like this. So I made an appointment with my ENT and discovered that I had viral tonsillitis. See, sometimes your gut is right.
During that time, Ellie ended up sick again. This time with a cough and a very high fever, around 104. She was down about three to four days before returning to her normal, happy go lucky self. Nothing is worse then seeing your little ones sick. Ellie’s cough sounded so horrible and I knew it hurt her, but after several more visits to Dr. Calig, we found that it was just a cough and it needed to run its course. It did, but it was hard, especially since I was even close to being my best.
My poor little monkey waiting for Dr. Calig to diagnose her pink eye.
My little monkey at her worst. This was around the highest point of her fever. For those who know Ellie,  just laying there and watching movies is a sure sign shes sick. When healthy I can barely get her to sit still for more then 20 minutes at a time. 
Her fever was high, close to 105. She slept on the air matress next to mommy’s side of the bed so that I could watch over her. She finally fell asleep and was restful that night. Her fever broke too!
Finally up and feeling better. Still a bit feverish but nothing like the few days before. So happy our little monkey is on the mend!

Both Abby and Ellie are healthy now and mommy is trying her best to be the same. Just as my tonsillitis had run its course, I ended up with a cough. Within a week, maybe less, it had progressed into something nasty. After yet another trip to see my ENT, I discovered it was a bad case of bronchitis. So now I am on a seven day treatment of antibiotics, more steroids and an inhaler. While the cough is still there I am now sleeping through the night again and starting to feel better. Thank goodness!

Through all of this Shaun has been amazing. He took care of the girls, tried his best to keep up with the house and made sure all of the daily routines stayed the same. I truly have an amazing and patient husband and I am so thankful he was here to watch over us. My hope is that he stays healthy after all of this too! Thank you Shaun for all of your love and support. You are amazing and I love you so much!

This Should Be…

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So this should be the post where I share our wonderful trip to San Francisco for a week of fun and relaxation, but that trip never happened. THANK YOU STUPID STOMACH FLU!

Yes the Wharton house was plagued with the stomach flu, which started with our poor little girl. On Christmas day in the evening, after acting a little under the weather Abby began to throw up. Unfortunately the first round was all over Grandma Zoe.

As a mom I felt horrible because there isnt much I can do for our sick little girl and she still cant tell me what hurts and how she feels. It rips your heart out, but then you also have to keep on going and do what you know to make her feel comfortable. Not more then a day and a half later, Shaun is down with the same thing. Now I am taking care of not one but two sickies. At this point we bumped our trip by a day as he seemed to get better as time went on and so did Abby. But that was futile as well. Just as Shaun’s fever broke, I began what I now can say was the most miserable 24 hours EVER! And I labored for 23 hours with Abby before having a C-Section. My getting sick sealed our fate and at this point we knew our little vacation would not happen.

Luckily, with my doctors help, I was feeling better withing 48 hours and on the road to recovery. It took all of us at least a week to get back to feeling 100%, but I am glad its behind us. What a way to start 2010!

Sick and snuggled up in Mommy and Daddy’s bed.

Finally feeling better and playing with her toys from Christmas!
Our little AbbyClaus feeling better and getting into the Christmas spirit!