Christmas this year was night and day compared
to last, and I thank God so much for it. Our family hosted multiple Christmas parties
at our house to accommodate family and provide comfort and security for
Annabelle to be in her own home and nap when she wants, take her feeds without
having to use a backpack and just run around like a crazy kiddo if she wishes.
She did wonderful. The holiday has completely exhausted both girls but it was
worth it.
Santa brought Annabelle a pink puppy and train
table for Christmas. Santa brought her sister a dollhouse. What happened Christmas
morning? Annabelle played with the dollhouse and Madelynne played with the
train table. Figures. Both girls enjoyed their Christmas, albeit a small one
with just 5-6 gifts each (which is MORE than plenty considering family spoils
them), but it was perfect for us.
Shortly after Christmas, Annabelle began
feeling cruddy again. I started keeping a close eye on her the day after
Christmas because something wasn’t right. Bedtime and nights are getting worse
by the day. She’s miserable at night. She pleads to not have to sleep alone.
She coughs her little head over and gasps for air. She retches with so much
force, that I fear she’s going to further injure her nissen. I just wish I knew
what to do to comfort my little girl.
Friday night I didn’t want her sleeping alone,
at least I didn’t want her to fall asleep alone as her cough was sounding
horrible. We kept her in our bed and around 1a AK woke me up in a panic.
Annabelle was absolutely roasting hot with a fever, her limbs were like ice. I
asked AK to grab some meds and a cup of juice or water while I tried to wake
Annabelle. She immediately started crying and hitting her head and pulling her
hair, I imagine she may have had a headache, she then began pulling at her
shirt / jammies so I took them off to cool her down. Once I got her to settle
down and into my arms in the bed, she then began retching to try to vomit. My
heart started to race! I wrapped Annabelle in my arms and ran to the bathroom
where we weren’t only carpet / bed and if she needed to vomit, at least it
would be on a hard floor. AK finally came back to the bedroom and I yelled for
him to get me an extension and large syringe asap so she wouldn’t further
injure her nissen from vomiting. Seconds felt like hours. I hooked her up and
her stomach was able to release the built up pressure. Annabelle was so weak.
She couldn’t lift her head, she couldn’t lift her arms. She wanted to drink her
juice but couldn’t even mumble the words to have some. After feeding her a few
sips and flushing her tubing with meds and water, we made our way back to bed.
She asked to see Mickey Mouse Christmas for the 2304612938510 time this week.
AK and I watched our fighting baby girl together as the moon faded into the
sun. Her fever didn’t take long to go away and by the next morning all she had
remaining was a simple cough. Our minds were in a daze, but we weren’t shocked.
Crazy things like this is just life with Annabelle. She keeps us on our toes
and guessing, she’s always throwing curve balls into an ordinarily calm day.
The rest of our time off work / out of school
and home with just our little family was wonderful. We spent a GREAT deal of
time in our jammies and sweatshirts. We avoided leaving the house at all costs
and we watched plenty movies and played too many games to count. Our nights
were spent playing Uno with Mady after Annabelle went to bed, and sometimes our
days were spent with mommy and daddy taking a nap while the girls played their
handheld game systems with headphones on. (Parenting win!) It was a wonderful
time home with just the four of us. I enjoying spending all the one on one with
each person and it was just what we needed.
The cough persisted however. It’s becoming worse
and less manageable. My initial fear was the flu, but she doesn’t have anymore
of the ‘cold’ symptoms, plus, she just ended the Tamiflu. I feared an ear
infection or sinus infection based on how congested she sounds. Finally, last
night I hit the wall. Her cough was so terrible that she’s physically exhausted
from head to toe. She wants to sleep all the time, lay around and will not walk
when we go somewhere. We ate dinner out last night and she wanted to lay in my
lap. When we got back to the car I asked AK to take Madelynne home while I take
Annabelle to be seen. I just wanted to ensure we weren’t missing something that
requires an antiobiotic or prescription. Annabelle was miserable and I just
knew the night was be equally difficult as it has been lately.
KidMed was great, Annabelle was exhausted but
in good spirits. I prayed she would have an ear infection but she didn’t. The
doctor thinks it was the flu but even if she tests positive, there is nothing
we would be able to do bc she is well out of the window for Tamiflu to help. While
we were there, in the middle of talking with doctors, I could feel her body
getting hotter and hotter as she laid in my arms. Literally within a handful of
minutes her fever had returned. I wanted so badly to roll my eyes at my crazy
kid but I looked at the sweet doctor in confusion as she scratched her head.
Pneumonia?
We did a chest Xray and Annabelle smiled
perfect for her pictures.
Fortunately, there weren’t any signs of
pneumonia. The doctor gave me a walking prescription that if I choose to fill
the antibiotic, I could. I just don’t know what to think. Fortunately, there weren’t
any obvious signs that needed attention, but were left with an exhausted kiddo
with a nasty cough.
We got home last night just in time to tuck
Mady into bed and give Annabelle her meds. I spent the next hour racking my
brain as to what could be going on…
My biggest fear is that these are signs her
body is relaping from the food trails we are on right now. In three weeks
today, Annabelle will undergo her 7th endoscopy and we will biopsy
her GI system once again. She’s been eating chicken, wheat and a little rice.
If she’s relapsing, that would explain why her little body is in so much
distress and why she continues to spike random fevers, why she’s hitting
herself and mostly, it would explain the terrible choking cough. Gosh, I pray
with everything I have that this isn’t a sign of a relapse. I am praying so
hard. Please pray with me.
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