Annaliese vs. RSV

On St. Patrick's Day morning, our pediatrician instructed us to take Annaliese to the ER due to a 100 degree fever and cold-like symptoms. We were expecting them to tell us she had a cold, but instead they diagnosed her with RSV. RSV is something all kids get and it can lead to pneumonia or bronchitis. In children under two, it can cause breathing problems and in newborns and premies it is very serious. The ER doc didn't seem overly concerned. He told us to make a follow-up visit with her pediatrician and go home and monitor her breathing.

As the day progressed, Liese's breathing became more labored. I was worried that it would get really bad in the night and Chris and I would sleep through it out of sheer exhaustion. At 6 pm, I called the doctor and an after-hours nurse from St. Louis Univ. called me back. She asked me to hold the phone up to Liese so she could hear her breathe. The nurse told me to call 911 and get an ambulance and oxygen assist for the baby. The hospital is less than 10 minutes away, so we drove her to the ER ourselves.

Thankfully, the second ER doctor was much more competent and concerned with Liese's health. After a thorough examination, he noticed that she was turning blue around her lips in an effort to breathe. We were admitted right away.

They started Annaliese on oxygen and she was doing better. Then around 3 am, she spiked a 103.5 degree temperature. She was totally listless. They started an IV and her pediatrician came up to do a spinal tap to rule out a serious infection in addition to the RSV. She was so out of it by then that she didn't even cry for the spinal tap. They don't give babies any kind of pain relief for this procedure, so our only comfort there is maybe she didn't feel it. By now, she was really struggling to breathe even with oxygen. She was retracting and grunting -- it was pitiful.

Chris and I were so scared. All we could do was wait for the test results and for her fever to break and hope she started to respond to the breathing treatments. Thankfully, we had a wonderful night nurse and our doctor was great. They prepared us for the possibility of Liese needing to be transported to the childrens' hospital in Springfield.

Four long hours later, her fever dropped to 101 and she was interested in nursing again. By the end of the day Friday, she was doing much better.

From there, Liese got stronger and breathed easier every day. All told, she was in the hospital one week.

We're home now and laying low. Cora won't be going to her babysitter, playgroups or her other activities, and I've postponed my return to work date. We've got to be extra careful to not expose Annaliese to sick people because even a minor cold is likely to cause her to wheeze and develop breathing problems, which could lead to another hospital stay.

Chris and I can't thank our family and friends enough for praying for Annaliese and calling, emailing and texting their support. We are so grateful that she is well and that her RSV wasn't more severe. God is good ... all the time.