Weekend in the hospital

Noon update: Taylor tested positive for Influenza A, which is not in season. This could be H1N1/swine flu which caused the pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. In any case, any flu symptoms have been mild, and she’s over the worst of it.

Original post: Taylor is in the hospital with breathing problems. Latest update right now is positive: While we still don’t (and may never) know what this is, she is responding well to frequent breathing treatments and antibiotics.

From the beginning: Thursday morning Taylor woke up with a bit of a cough. Chalking it up to typical seasonal allergies, we gave her an extra puff from her inhaler and sent her off to school. Complaining of tigtness in her chest, she went to see the school nurse and got her inhaler a bit early. The tightness returned an hour later.

I picked her up from school and took her to her pediatrician. He diagnosed asthmatic bronchitis and sent us home with albuterol treatments plus antibiotics and steroids. The treatments helped some, but the effects started lasting less time, and a high fever joined the party. We got through the night.

Friday morning, back to the doctor with the situation deteriorating more. Two early albuterol treatments failed to last an hour, and after another visit to the doctor, he sent us to the ER, with another fever and extremely low oxygen levels.

Oxygen treatments stabilized the situation and made Taylor much more comfortable while we awaited test results. The ER made the decision to treat this as pneumonia as our best option. Taylor was admitted, and we got moved out of the basement and into a room Friday evening.

Painful coughing fits made the night a tough night. These coughs however are productive, showing some part of the treatment regimen is working.

So here we are, Saturday afternoon, watching and waiting. Her needed levels of oxygen are decreasing. We’re just waiting for the results of additional flu tests and such, while continuing treatments and holding the course.

So that’s where we are. Taylor is stable, so Elizabeth and I are doing shifts in the hospital now. She will be playing at church tomorrow, and sleeping in a real bed. She’s working the afternoon shift while I squeeze in some football. We thank everyone who has been praying for her, and for the emails and notes of encouragment to us.

One final note about Children’s Hospital: these guys are good. Beyond the medical care — which has been spectacular, the ninja-silent nighttime nurses, the steady supply of movies, playing cards, stuffed animals, coloringbooks, stickers, and so forth are the little things that make bearable what could be a much more traumatic experience for children and their parents.