It's been a roller coaster ride since we got home from Chicago....but isn't it always during expansion. So...last week, we finished Zac's first fill. A very good one too...80cc in the front tissue expander; 90cc in the back expander. I put Zac into bed ending a great day. He was happy, ate well, seemed very normal. At about 10:30, he woke up crying and I went in to comfort him. I always get a little freaked out when he cries at night or expresses any discomfort during expansion. I rocked him back to sleep, checking him for signs of a fever....nothing. At 3:30 I woke up to the sound of Zac crying and calling for me, this time when I went in to get him he was very warm. His temp registered 102 degrees so I gave him some Tylenol and tried to comfort him. He was very, very uncomfortable and a little hard to console. I already knew what the outcome of this fever would be because we've been in the hospital with each round of expansion. I was mentally packing my bag for the hospital. The next day, two horrible signs...no requests for Elmo...or cars...uh oh... All he wanted to do was lay on his tummy with his little feet tucked up underneath him.
We went to visit our pediatrician who did a blood draw and a throat swab because his throat looked irritated. Strep throat...positive....white blood cell count high...hospital stay...positive. So we checked in at John C. Lincoln that afternoon and expected to stay the night. What we didn't expect...to stay THREE NIGHTS!!! Jeesh! We don't even stay in the hospital that long with our surgeries!
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| Day 1 - First sign of feeling better...surrounded by cars in the JCL playroom |
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| Day 2 - Get me outta here or Elmo gets it! |
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| Day 3 - What bed hair looks like after 3 nights in a hospital bed |
Night one - Zac's fever just wouldn't budge. Night two - another fever and a spiked temp in the afternoon. I got a little freaked out then...I mean, I expected one night, but three. On the second day, they changed Zac from an IV antibiotic to an oral one because his IV would get kinked if he moved in the slightest. The nurse and/or aide would have to stand and hold his arm for 30 minutes while the IV finished up. Night three - finally, no fever! After three nights, we were itching to go...3 nights of plastic beds & pillows, constant streaming light through the door and nightly interruptions from nurses and aides. This hospital doesn't serve food to parents and I didn't want to leave Zac's side for a second because I didn't want to give him any additional stress. Thank goodness to good friends who came to my rescue (as Bruce was now home sick...) and brought me food and coffee and even some goodies for Zac including a handwritten book with pictures by Angelina, my friend Lisa's daughter - so adorable!!
On the last morning at the hospital, I was able to take Zac outside and we sat and watched cars for a bit..."bye bye truck"..."bye bye car" he would say. My little guy is getting so big. Things change in the blink of an eye... On Saturday, it was in the mid-70's; On Sunday, 40 degrees! Pea-sized hail fell hard in our backyard, turning our patio furniture an arctic white. As the hail was falling, Zoie and I stood at the window and watched. I looked at her and jokingly said, "You want to go out and make snow cones?" Enthusiastically, she said, "Yes!!" I laughed and told her I was joking and that although it would be fun, it wasn't a good idea for us to run out into the hail like we do the rain, because the little icy pieces would really hurt as they pelted us. Funny thing is...she still wanted to do it. Guess sometimes the pain is worth the joy :)
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