Well, when it rains it pours and pours and pours…
Though we are three for three now, Marion says we are NOT going for six of six!!!
So, after determining Ethan had a 102 temp this morning and having the doctor say ‘bring him on in’, we got to the doctor’s office sometime around 10ish! I took Jonny with me for various reasons and overall he did GREAT! Especially considering we didn’t get home until after 1:00 p.m.! Yep…that is right…we were at the doctor’s office/hospital for over 2 hours and then had to go wait at the pharmacy for another ½ hour!
It was determined that Ethan’s oxygen levels were a little low and that combined with the raspy breathing and fever warranted more tests, so off we went to the hospital to get lab work and a chest x-ray! Jonny did great through all this, just watched and did what I told him to do! Once all that was done, we came to the hard part of waiting for the results to get back. Ethan pretty much slept after being poked, prodded, and observed for almost an hour, but Jonny needed more action, so we sang songs, colored on the table paper, played games, and even cuddled. Several times he said, “Jonny ready to go.” And he’d grab my hand and start pulling it, but when I explained we had to wait longer he usually calmed down and waited. Toward the end I did have to promise him a snack if he’d wait just a bit longer, but by then it was getting lunch time anyway so his snack was really lunch!
When all the tests were back, the doctor felt sure Ethan has viral bronchiolitis, which is actually a very common respiratory infection in children. Usually caused by a virus there isn’t really anything that can be done to treat it. Ethan was tested for RSV again but we won’t have that test back for a day or so…though RSV and bronchiolitis are often related. The biggest concern was his oxygen levels. Where infants Ethan’s age breathe solely (or almost solely) out of their noses, if they are congested with mucus it poses a big problem. The doctor didn’t feel that the amount of mucus in his lungs warranted a nebulizer at this time and thought instead that if we could keep his nasal passages clear with a suction device that the rest would clear up on its own….so we are renting a suction machine from the pharmacy (which is why we had to wait there so long, they had to calibrate the machine and show me how to use it).
I do have to admit that after suctioning his nose, Ethan does seem to be sleep better now than he has the last few days but then again he had a rather traumatic morning too! We will keep you posted if anything further develops, but we pray that this is the end of our eventful week!
