Monday, November 29, 2010

Poor baby

For approximately ten days Owen had light congestion.  His appetite slowly decreased and nothing could make him happy.  I assumed perhaps he had his first ear infection or something of that nature.  The kids already had flu shots scheduled for this past Wednesday morning so I called ahead to be sure the doctor could examine him.  Dr F listened to him, peeked in his ears/mouth/nose and said that he looked fine but that the congestion could be related to a viral infection such as RSV.  I always cringe when I hear the word "viral" as a possible diagnosis because it basically means that there is nothing to treat and that the illness must run its course.  His breathing sounded fine and she said that he was moving air well so she didn't seem too concerned.  He got his flu shot and we were out the door.


 He seemed worse on Thanksgiving day.  His appetite had become almost non exsistent.  He had a low grade fever and was extra cranky.  We alternated Tylenol and Ibufrofen but neither seemed to do anything at all.  He just wanted to be held but couldn't get comfortable.  He was so sad to miss another one of daddy's playoff games.  For the next couple of days his fever remained high but his congestion never seemed to worsen.


On Saturday I finally decided to have him seen again.  I took him to the pedi clinic and I'm so glad I did!  After the initial examination Dr. B suggested he could have roseola or pneumonia.  He thought he sounded and looked okay but the high fever, lethargic state and no appetite really concerned him.  He wanted to have x rays done.  This was certainly no easy task with a sick 13 month old.  I had to hold him still with his arms held over his head in two different angles.  Owen was not happy about that.  It is a bit overwhelming to see your child's body in an x ray.  The tech kindly pointed out his perfect ribs and sweet heart.  Dr. B even studied the photo on the screen in front of me and walked me through his perspective.  He said that it looked like he had fluid in both lungs, especially in a certain cloudy spot on his right one.  Evidently this was the second baby of the day diagnosed with pneumonia :(  Owen's oxygen level was at 100% which meant that he did not have to be admitted to the hospital.  He ordered a Rocephin shot and then an oral antibiotic.  Within a couple of hours of the shot he was feeling/acting so much better!  Dr B also recommended offering him Pediasure and Active yogurt for a few days.  We took him in for a follow up appointment on Sunday morning and the dr was pleased with his progress.  We are happy to report that he is definitely on the road to recovery :)



After Emma's bout with pneumonia in Feb and now poor Owen, we hope to stay free from pneumonia for a long, long time!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment