We have all been sick! Most everyone probably knows this already, but I still want to record it for posterity. It was, after all, Max's first serious illness.
I started feeling achy and flu like last Tuesday evening right as we were getting into bed. I was worried about how I would feel the next morning and how I would be able to care for Max all day if I really was sick. I felt OK in the morning, but I was pretty tired all day. About 2:00 I laid down with Max, gave him a bottle and settled into nap after he fell asleep next to me. At about 2:30 he woke up vomiting all over me and proceeded to vomit about 12 more time throughout the afternoon and evening. We called our pediatricians office and they recommended trying to get some Pedialyte in him before bed. Well that all came right back up as well. He went to be with an empty tummy and woke up about 2:00 am hungry. Stupidly we gave him some formula (only 3 oz, but still...) and that all came back up shortly after it went down. After changing the sheet on our bed, again, we slept some more until about 7 am when we tried some more small spoonfuls of Pedialyte. It came right back up. At 8:00 we called the pediatrician again and took him in shortly after.
Max's dr checked his electrolyte levels and sent us home to wait for results and to try to get some fluids in him. I spoon fed Max watery apple juice throughout the day, and he was tolerating it well. The lab results showed mild dehydration, but we were warned that if he vomited any more that day then our dr would want to admit him to the hospital and run IV fluids. Thankfully that did not happen! I was not prepared to sit and watch my baby be stuck with needles and tube and not be able to hold and comfort him.
On Friday morning I was trying to get Max to take a bottle and he gagged and threw up again. So... off to the dr we went again. All of this occured while Curtis was in Temple (30 minutes away) getting the fuel pump replaced in our car. My friend Stephanie risked life and limb to come and take Max and I to the dr since I was still weak and achy. This time his labs were good and we were told to offer clear fluids, but not to force anything that day. He didn't take anything for the rest of the day and went to bed with an empty tummy, again! When he woke up in the night hungry we gave him gatorade and water and kept it down.
Saturday was sort of the worst day because that was when Curtis was hit with the bug too. He spent the day either in bed or in the bathroom and wasn't too helpful with Max. But Stephanie came to the rescue again and came over to help me out in the morning. Max and I had been getting along until about 7:30 pm when I was giving him a bottle and Curtis announced that he needed to go to the ER. Ack! I went to call my Mom and see if there was ANYTHING else we could try ti keep him from that course of action when Max threw up again... all over me again! Grrr... so off to the bathtub and another phone call to get our friend Wade to take Curtis to the dr. We found a clinic in Hewitt (the Scott and White next to La Fiesta, they were great!) that was open until 9:00 and they got Curtis fixed up while Stephanie and Ross came to help me with Max. Again, Max went to bed on an empty tummy.
Sunday was much, much better. Both Curtis and Max held down everything they ate, they just didn't want a lot of anything. Who can blame them?
Max still is not into solids, but I keep trying some yogurt to help his digestive system regulate a little. Curtis went to work today to catch up on some lab work, but is still fatigued easily. It will probably take a couple more days for all of us to get back to normal, but I think we are over the worst of it. Thanks to all for calling and praying for us. This was a very difficult time for me as new Mom facing Max's first illness while being sick myself. I often felt helpless and alone, but was not thanks to our great friends who were here and those who offered to help in other ways. Thank you all, it meant a lot to us!
Bye bye ECHOvirus. Hope we don't see you ever again, or at least for a very long time.
