Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Quick Update
Hana was just on the verge of a complete return to health when I got her stomach bug. I have only one thing to say: What a brave and strong little girl I have. This flu was so bad, it's the worst I've ever had. She must have been completely and totally miserable. Three days later, Pete is exhausted from taking care of her from morning till night and I am able to eat a few grains of rice and some crackers. Pete deserves a medal.
Hana is back to her normal Tasmanian devil self. She is like the Energizer bunny on speed. Because she's been on and off sick for the last month, I kind of forgot what she's like when she's feeling well!
Two new things: 1) A new tooth! Bottom right. It's her first new tooth since about 7 months old. 2) Weaning. I was so sick I couldn't nurse her. So she inadvertently got weaned. I still have milk, and I could go back to nursing her, but it seems cruel (to both of us) to start it up and then to have to cut it off again. I always thought I would need to wean her cold turkey as she's an all or nothing kind of gal. I never would have done it though, for fear of getting plugged ducts or mastitis, so that's about the only good thing that came out of this flu. I'm sad I didn't get to take some special time with her toward the end to savor the last moments of nursing. On to the next phase...
Hana is back to her normal Tasmanian devil self. She is like the Energizer bunny on speed. Because she's been on and off sick for the last month, I kind of forgot what she's like when she's feeling well!
Two new things: 1) A new tooth! Bottom right. It's her first new tooth since about 7 months old. 2) Weaning. I was so sick I couldn't nurse her. So she inadvertently got weaned. I still have milk, and I could go back to nursing her, but it seems cruel (to both of us) to start it up and then to have to cut it off again. I always thought I would need to wean her cold turkey as she's an all or nothing kind of gal. I never would have done it though, for fear of getting plugged ducts or mastitis, so that's about the only good thing that came out of this flu. I'm sad I didn't get to take some special time with her toward the end to savor the last moments of nursing. On to the next phase...
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Conflict
There comes a time in every parent's life when what's best for your child and what's best for you are in stark opposition. I suppose this conflict will happen over and over again, but tonight I had to make a really hard decision: Do I go on my trip that I've been really looking forward to? Or do I stay home with my sick baby girl?
My parallel self is driving to the airport right now. The real me is sitting on the sofa feeling sorely disappointed.
After doing so much better yesterday after 4 days of the stomach flu, Hana took a turn for the worse this morning. She woke up after a good night's sleep, had a good nursing, was OK for a bit but then got clingy and cranky, and 30 minutes later threw up all over me while in the ergo. After that, she perked up and even nursed some more and ate some applesauce. But then she fell asleep again on Pete. Woke up for a few minutes then fell asleep. I went off to work around 11 am and she stayed with Pete but basically slept for the next 5 hours with only brief wakings. I started to worry because she seemed to be worse than yesterday, although she still did not have a fever. I came home from work early and she had woken up and was all over the place, playing and having fun, but still very whiny and clingy. And VERY ambivalent about food. Begging for it one minute then throwing it on the floor when we finally gave it to her. She did have a few nibbles here and there and drank some formula. But mostly, she's just been wanting to nurse.
My dilemma: Should I leave her for 36 hours when nursing seems to be the main thing she wants to do? I ultimately decided that the answer was no. She's barely eaten anything in 5 days, and she's never gone that long without nursing. Would she be OK without me? Yes. Would she be unhappy without me? Yes. Would I feel horribly guilty for leaving? Yes. Would I have any fun knowing she was home sick, probably intermittently miserable? No. Would I worry the entire trip that she got really sick or dehydrated and had to go to the hospital? Yes. *Sigh.* I know it's the best thing for her for me to stay. But I was sooooo looking forward to this trip. It would have been my first time away from her overnight.
Just for kicks, I'm going to tell the story of my trip as if it happened.
Got to Vegas and settled into my hotel around 11 pm. Then Mike and I headed out to walk the strip! I've never been to Vegas. The lights are blinding. We stopped in a couple of casinos. For fun I spent $5 in the slot machine. I did not hit the jackpot. By 1 am, we were both tired and went back to the hotel.
Tuesday morning we got an early start. Mike picked up the rental car and we gathered up our maps and headed for Bryce Canyon. A beautiful 3-hour drive through desert and forest, with intermittent thunder and lightning and rain. We arrived and decided to do a 3-mile loop hike. So pretty. We were decked out in our rain slickers and the trail was a bit muddy, but it was still fun. We had powerbars for lunch and then hopped in the car to hit Zion. Two national parks in one day. Zion was great too. We did a strenuous hike to the top of a hill with great views. By the time we got done we were ravenous. We stopped for burgers, fries, and shakes on the way back to Vegas. Arrived back at the hotel around 10 pm. We hung out at the hotel bar for a bit, just taking in all the weird people and sights. Exhausted, I fell asleep by midnight. Got up early the next day, and flew home to see Pete and Hana!
It would have been so nice...
Mike may get out to the Bay Area this fall, in which case maybe we can do a local day trip. In the meantime, I have a $350 credit with Southwest. I'm sure I can find a good use for it.
My parallel self is driving to the airport right now. The real me is sitting on the sofa feeling sorely disappointed.
After doing so much better yesterday after 4 days of the stomach flu, Hana took a turn for the worse this morning. She woke up after a good night's sleep, had a good nursing, was OK for a bit but then got clingy and cranky, and 30 minutes later threw up all over me while in the ergo. After that, she perked up and even nursed some more and ate some applesauce. But then she fell asleep again on Pete. Woke up for a few minutes then fell asleep. I went off to work around 11 am and she stayed with Pete but basically slept for the next 5 hours with only brief wakings. I started to worry because she seemed to be worse than yesterday, although she still did not have a fever. I came home from work early and she had woken up and was all over the place, playing and having fun, but still very whiny and clingy. And VERY ambivalent about food. Begging for it one minute then throwing it on the floor when we finally gave it to her. She did have a few nibbles here and there and drank some formula. But mostly, she's just been wanting to nurse.
My dilemma: Should I leave her for 36 hours when nursing seems to be the main thing she wants to do? I ultimately decided that the answer was no. She's barely eaten anything in 5 days, and she's never gone that long without nursing. Would she be OK without me? Yes. Would she be unhappy without me? Yes. Would I feel horribly guilty for leaving? Yes. Would I have any fun knowing she was home sick, probably intermittently miserable? No. Would I worry the entire trip that she got really sick or dehydrated and had to go to the hospital? Yes. *Sigh.* I know it's the best thing for her for me to stay. But I was sooooo looking forward to this trip. It would have been my first time away from her overnight.
Just for kicks, I'm going to tell the story of my trip as if it happened.
Got to Vegas and settled into my hotel around 11 pm. Then Mike and I headed out to walk the strip! I've never been to Vegas. The lights are blinding. We stopped in a couple of casinos. For fun I spent $5 in the slot machine. I did not hit the jackpot. By 1 am, we were both tired and went back to the hotel.
Tuesday morning we got an early start. Mike picked up the rental car and we gathered up our maps and headed for Bryce Canyon. A beautiful 3-hour drive through desert and forest, with intermittent thunder and lightning and rain. We arrived and decided to do a 3-mile loop hike. So pretty. We were decked out in our rain slickers and the trail was a bit muddy, but it was still fun. We had powerbars for lunch and then hopped in the car to hit Zion. Two national parks in one day. Zion was great too. We did a strenuous hike to the top of a hill with great views. By the time we got done we were ravenous. We stopped for burgers, fries, and shakes on the way back to Vegas. Arrived back at the hotel around 10 pm. We hung out at the hotel bar for a bit, just taking in all the weird people and sights. Exhausted, I fell asleep by midnight. Got up early the next day, and flew home to see Pete and Hana!
It would have been so nice...
Mike may get out to the Bay Area this fall, in which case maybe we can do a local day trip. In the meantime, I have a $350 credit with Southwest. I'm sure I can find a good use for it.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Latest News
Poor Hana has been sick most of the week. She started getting a bad diaper rash early in the week and started having stomach flu symptoms on Thursday. By Friday she had a fever and was sick enough to go see the doc. We did a "wait and see" for the afternoon, but ended up taking her to the ER in the late afternoon to get a urine sample. Her fever had gone up to 102 and since it was so soon after she finished her antibiotic from her UTI, the doc was worried she might have another. Poor baby girl had to get a catheter. It was very unpleasant but as usual, she was a trooper. Fortunately, she does not have a UTI. Just a stomach bug and an awful fungal diaper rash. She is now doing much better, and started eating again today, which is good because...
Tomorrow I am spending my first night away from her! I am going to Vegas to meet up with a friend from Philly. We are going to go to the national parks in Utah on Tuesday, and I'm flying home Wednesday morning. Hana will be in the able hands of her dad for two night and one day. She probably won't even notice I'm gone. I will miss her a lot. I will NOT miss her biting me though. :)
One of these days, I'll get the latest photos uploaded. She has lost a little weight with this stomach virus and looks like skin and bones to me, but she's still a bigger-than-average baby. We saw a 1-year-old in the park today and Hana looked like she could crush her.
Sadly, we missed our trip to Tahoe to visit Grandma and Grandpa this weekend because Hana has been sick. But they came down for the day today and had fun playing with her. The funniest thing she did was lie down on the floor. It's hard to explain, but this child does not stop moving. Ever. So that's what made this so unusual. She had this sort of funny awkward fall on the living room floor where she ended up on her back. She enjoyed it so much, she kept trying to get back down in the same position. Then she would just lay there and grin at us. It was hilarious.
Tomorrow I am spending my first night away from her! I am going to Vegas to meet up with a friend from Philly. We are going to go to the national parks in Utah on Tuesday, and I'm flying home Wednesday morning. Hana will be in the able hands of her dad for two night and one day. She probably won't even notice I'm gone. I will miss her a lot. I will NOT miss her biting me though. :)
One of these days, I'll get the latest photos uploaded. She has lost a little weight with this stomach virus and looks like skin and bones to me, but she's still a bigger-than-average baby. We saw a 1-year-old in the park today and Hana looked like she could crush her.
Sadly, we missed our trip to Tahoe to visit Grandma and Grandpa this weekend because Hana has been sick. But they came down for the day today and had fun playing with her. The funniest thing she did was lie down on the floor. It's hard to explain, but this child does not stop moving. Ever. So that's what made this so unusual. She had this sort of funny awkward fall on the living room floor where she ended up on her back. She enjoyed it so much, she kept trying to get back down in the same position. Then she would just lay there and grin at us. It was hilarious.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Medicine Time!
In my last post I forgot to tell the part about how we give Hana her antibiotic, and how we gave her Motrin and Tylenol for the first few days after the ER visit. She does NOT like medicine. She screams and cries, smacks the dropper right out of your hand, and turns her head sharply when you get the dropper anywhere near her face. The second time we had to dose her, I thought we should do it while all the company was watching to provide a little distraction - she loves to watch people. When she took her first squirt, before she could start the screaming routing, all my aunts and uncles and may parents and great grandma yelled "Yay!" and clapped heartily. Hana found this mildly amusing. By the second squirt she was smiling tentatively as the room clapped for her, and pretty soon, even though she wasn't really enjoying it, she was at least tolerating it. We continued this for the rest of the trip, and Pete and I still do it here at home, and it really helps the medicine go down. We haven't yet had to resort to "a spoonful of sugar."
The Story...Continued
On Thursday morning, Hana woke up with a fever. She wasn't acting herself - she was cranky and out of sorts, like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I gave her some Motrin and took her temp 2 hours later. It had gone up from 101.8 to over 102. I called the advice nurse at the pediatrician's office, who suggested switching to Tylenol, but was concerned that her fever had gone up after the Motrin. She said to take her to the doctor if her fever was still over 102 in the afternoon. I waited a couple more hours and gave her some Tylenol. Her fever continued to rise.
So we went to urgent care in DeKalb and saw Dr. Patel, who was very nice. She examined her and found no evidence of ear infection. Hana did have some cold symptoms, so Dr. Patel thought she had a virus and we just needed to let it run its course. She said to take her to the ER if it got to be 104.
By 5 pm, Hana's fever was at 104. My mom, Hana, and I got in the car and followed my aunt to the Kishwaukee Hospital ER. Hana was really not doing well at this point. She was very unhappy, hot all over, and really out of it. All she wanted to do was nurse, for comfort, which was a good thing. We waited in the waiting room for about 10 or 15 minutes and then a nurse called us back and took her temp. It was 105 and she was obviously feeling horribly. I started to be really scared at this point. The nurse then did a nasal swab to check for flu and RSV and a throat swab to test for strep. Hana hated both of these tests, and I felt so terrible that she had to endure such invasive procedures when she was feeling so sick. Then she got a big dose of Motrin. There were no rooms, so we were sent back to the waiting room with a cold pack for her neck. Hana laid on me, nursing, with the cold pack on the back of her neck for an hour. It was a terrifying hour. Her eyes were closed and she was very listless. We kept checking to see if she could be roused. She would move when we really tried to get her to, and she kept on nursing, but she was clearly not OK.
Finally a room opened up. We had to rouse her to go back to the room. By the time we got back there, she had perked up quite a bit and was talking and pointing and smiling. The nurse took her temp again and it was down to 103. The nurse said that was quite a drastic drop for such a short time after receiving the Motrin, and that it was a good sign. At some point, they told us that all her tests up to this point had come back negative.
The doctor came in shortly. It was still a mystery what was going on, and he let us know we should try to find the cause. So she had to get a urine sample to test for a urinary tract infection, a chest xray to check for pneumonia, and a blood draw to check her white count and other indicators. The first test was the easiest. They just taped a little bag on her and hung it outside her diaper until she peed - which she did, and this was a good thing, because if she hadn't, they would have had to insert a catheter. The other tests were scary for her because she had to be held down, and of course, the blood draw hurt. And at some point she got more Tylenol but hated it so much she gagged and threw some of it up. All in all, she was quite a brave little soldier. It must have been very scary and unpleasant to be poked and prodded like that. I was nervous about the chest xray and related risks, so I called her pediatrician's office, who said that the amount of radiation she would get is the same she would get from going through the metal detector at the airport. That put my mind at ease, and it seemed prudent to try to rule out pneumonia even though she didn't really have any symptoms of it.
A few hours later, her fever was gone and we learned that Hana had a urinary tract infection. That meant two shots of antibiotic - one in each leg - which meant holding her down again. It was so sad, you could just see the fear on her face. But it was quick, and as with all the the tests she endured, I nursed her afterward for comfort. I made a comment, something about "getting the boob" after each trauma, and one of the techs said the world would be better off if we all got that. :) At this point, we were just waiting for discharge papers and instructions. It was close to 10 pm, way past her bedtime, giving us the Miss Cranky Pants act, and she hadn't had any dinner. The cafeteria was closed so one of the nurses gave us some saltines. Hana ate three of them. We got a prescription for antibiotics for her to start the next day. She fell asleep in the car on the way back to my aunt and uncle's house and slept peacefully until 5:30 the next morning.
Poor Pete! He was home, having gone back to SF from St. Louis. Between my mom and I, we managed to keep him updated by phone as all of this transpired, but he felt helpless. We missed him a lot.
The next day I checked in with Hana's regular doctor who preferred her to take a different antibiotic, one less harsh for her little tummy, so we switched it out. Friday she felt much better - well enough to visit Great Grandma at her apartment. Saturday she was even better and had an absolute ball playing with all my aunts and uncles and cousins and their kids at Aunt Linda's house. On Sunday, her appetite returned and she ate and nursed and drank formula like she was making up for the past 3 days, which she was. That morning, we flew back home.
Monday we went to see her doctor for follow up. Her doc contacted the ER for the records. She wanted to see the urine culture results to make sure Hana was on the right antibiotic. Later that day, the doc called me, and she was MAD. The hospital didn't run a culture. They only tested to see if there was an infection, but not what type - so there was no way to tell which antibiotics the infection is susceptible to or if it is resistant to anything. She said it was not even a medical student type of mistake - it was a gross error on the part of the hospital. So we will have to watch Hana very carefully after she completes her antibiotic to make sure the infection does not flare up again, in case it is resistant to the Keflex she is on. The doc says not to worry too much, because she doesn't think she has ever seen any Keflex-resistant UTIs.
So that is the story. We survived her first real illness, with a trip to the ER, 2000 miles away from home. Special thanks to Aunt Linda and Uncle Herb for helping us out (and for waiting to eat pizza with us until 10:30 at night!), my cousin Sandy who is a nurse in Denver and gave us lots of phone advice, and my mom for hanging out with us in the ER for 4+ hours. And last but not least, a special shout out to Mork the cat for keeping Hana's spirits up through it all by letting her pull his tail and grab his fur.
So we went to urgent care in DeKalb and saw Dr. Patel, who was very nice. She examined her and found no evidence of ear infection. Hana did have some cold symptoms, so Dr. Patel thought she had a virus and we just needed to let it run its course. She said to take her to the ER if it got to be 104.
By 5 pm, Hana's fever was at 104. My mom, Hana, and I got in the car and followed my aunt to the Kishwaukee Hospital ER. Hana was really not doing well at this point. She was very unhappy, hot all over, and really out of it. All she wanted to do was nurse, for comfort, which was a good thing. We waited in the waiting room for about 10 or 15 minutes and then a nurse called us back and took her temp. It was 105 and she was obviously feeling horribly. I started to be really scared at this point. The nurse then did a nasal swab to check for flu and RSV and a throat swab to test for strep. Hana hated both of these tests, and I felt so terrible that she had to endure such invasive procedures when she was feeling so sick. Then she got a big dose of Motrin. There were no rooms, so we were sent back to the waiting room with a cold pack for her neck. Hana laid on me, nursing, with the cold pack on the back of her neck for an hour. It was a terrifying hour. Her eyes were closed and she was very listless. We kept checking to see if she could be roused. She would move when we really tried to get her to, and she kept on nursing, but she was clearly not OK.
Finally a room opened up. We had to rouse her to go back to the room. By the time we got back there, she had perked up quite a bit and was talking and pointing and smiling. The nurse took her temp again and it was down to 103. The nurse said that was quite a drastic drop for such a short time after receiving the Motrin, and that it was a good sign. At some point, they told us that all her tests up to this point had come back negative.
The doctor came in shortly. It was still a mystery what was going on, and he let us know we should try to find the cause. So she had to get a urine sample to test for a urinary tract infection, a chest xray to check for pneumonia, and a blood draw to check her white count and other indicators. The first test was the easiest. They just taped a little bag on her and hung it outside her diaper until she peed - which she did, and this was a good thing, because if she hadn't, they would have had to insert a catheter. The other tests were scary for her because she had to be held down, and of course, the blood draw hurt. And at some point she got more Tylenol but hated it so much she gagged and threw some of it up. All in all, she was quite a brave little soldier. It must have been very scary and unpleasant to be poked and prodded like that. I was nervous about the chest xray and related risks, so I called her pediatrician's office, who said that the amount of radiation she would get is the same she would get from going through the metal detector at the airport. That put my mind at ease, and it seemed prudent to try to rule out pneumonia even though she didn't really have any symptoms of it.
A few hours later, her fever was gone and we learned that Hana had a urinary tract infection. That meant two shots of antibiotic - one in each leg - which meant holding her down again. It was so sad, you could just see the fear on her face. But it was quick, and as with all the the tests she endured, I nursed her afterward for comfort. I made a comment, something about "getting the boob" after each trauma, and one of the techs said the world would be better off if we all got that. :) At this point, we were just waiting for discharge papers and instructions. It was close to 10 pm, way past her bedtime, giving us the Miss Cranky Pants act, and she hadn't had any dinner. The cafeteria was closed so one of the nurses gave us some saltines. Hana ate three of them. We got a prescription for antibiotics for her to start the next day. She fell asleep in the car on the way back to my aunt and uncle's house and slept peacefully until 5:30 the next morning.
Poor Pete! He was home, having gone back to SF from St. Louis. Between my mom and I, we managed to keep him updated by phone as all of this transpired, but he felt helpless. We missed him a lot.
The next day I checked in with Hana's regular doctor who preferred her to take a different antibiotic, one less harsh for her little tummy, so we switched it out. Friday she felt much better - well enough to visit Great Grandma at her apartment. Saturday she was even better and had an absolute ball playing with all my aunts and uncles and cousins and their kids at Aunt Linda's house. On Sunday, her appetite returned and she ate and nursed and drank formula like she was making up for the past 3 days, which she was. That morning, we flew back home.
Monday we went to see her doctor for follow up. Her doc contacted the ER for the records. She wanted to see the urine culture results to make sure Hana was on the right antibiotic. Later that day, the doc called me, and she was MAD. The hospital didn't run a culture. They only tested to see if there was an infection, but not what type - so there was no way to tell which antibiotics the infection is susceptible to or if it is resistant to anything. She said it was not even a medical student type of mistake - it was a gross error on the part of the hospital. So we will have to watch Hana very carefully after she completes her antibiotic to make sure the infection does not flare up again, in case it is resistant to the Keflex she is on. The doc says not to worry too much, because she doesn't think she has ever seen any Keflex-resistant UTIs.
So that is the story. We survived her first real illness, with a trip to the ER, 2000 miles away from home. Special thanks to Aunt Linda and Uncle Herb for helping us out (and for waiting to eat pizza with us until 10:30 at night!), my cousin Sandy who is a nurse in Denver and gave us lots of phone advice, and my mom for hanging out with us in the ER for 4+ hours. And last but not least, a special shout out to Mork the cat for keeping Hana's spirits up through it all by letting her pull his tail and grab his fur.
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