Another Bump In the Road

I jinxed us.  I will be refraining from phrases such as "we should have a pretty low key few weeks" for now on.  Over the weekend, Daniel started to get some slight congestion.  It was hardly noticeable at all, but we started taking precautions just in case.  On Monday night into Tuesday morning, the congestion became evident and things started progressing quickly.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night.  I noticed on Tuesday around 3am that Daniel's breathing was starting to pick up.  I closely monitored/snuggled him and noticed around 4:30am that I was starting to hear some wheezing.  Because we were told we might see a relapse of symptoms from the RSV as it died down, we decided to treat him as we had been instructed when we left the hospital.  But nothing seemed to maintain his symptoms and they continued to worsen.  

I began tracking his breathing and that's when I knew we were in trouble.  Daniel's breathing was at 73-84 breaths per minute.  Normal is below 60.  I called his pediatrician's office and was able to get an after hours appointment.  It didn't take long before they were calling Cook Children's again and letting them know we were in transport.  Cook's didn't like Daniel's vitals and required ambulance transport, but we had already left (phew).  But, this meant that as we got to the ER, we were brought right back to the triage room and they even had an ER room waiting for us.  After another long night in the ER, more tests and pokes, and a visit from his cardiologist, Daniel was admitted to the hospital.  His x-rays showed two areas of mass, which was believed to be one of three things- a virus, pneumonia, or his body manifesting further heart failure. He would need to be monitored while we awaited test results.  We got settled in our room around 1am and were all very tired (our amazing neighbor came over again so Mark could bring us a few things and visit Daniel).  By this point, Daniel had been on fluids, given antibiotics, and received an extra dose of his heart medicine.  He was already starting to turn a corner- in the right direction!  Yay.

Within the next 24 hours, we learned that Daniel had rhinovirus (basically, the common cold) and it put his body into further heart failure.  They also found early pneumonia.  So, he basically had a little of all three scenarios.  We stayed in the hospital Tuesday through Thursday and he was closely monitored before we were sent home.  Unfortunately, because his lungs were so compromised again, his surgery date has been pushed back to April 18.  His cardiologist told us it's just a vicious cycle at this point- he needs to be healthy to have the surgery, but he needs the surgery to stay healthy.  We're sad to have to wait even longer to fix his heart, but we are grateful for knowledgeable medical personnel who can help him and find the balance that his body needs.  We will continue to keep Daniel in isolation (he and I don't leave the house except for doctor appointments) and pray that he can continue to be healthy as he prepares for his surgery.  

With all that this little guy had gone through, he was still blowing raspberries and smiling for nurses.  His strength and attitude amaze and inspire me!

And, on a happy note: he's still growing!!  This should really help him to have a better recovery and be stronger for both surgery and the recovery.  Thank you again for your love and prayers!