Sick Charlie!

Little Charlie gave us a big scare a couple of weeks ago when he was diagnosed with RSV and spent 4 nights in the hospital! It started with an ear infection early in the week, and instead of getting lots better on the antibiotics, he seemed to be getting worse. I babysat for him on Friday night, and when he threw up after putting him to bed, I did something I'd never done before - I called Jenna and suggested they come home. He was congested, feverish, and his breathing was very rapid. I felt so bad leaving him laying on the floor wrapped in a blanket while I cleaned up the mess, but the smelly, yucky macaroni and cheese had to go!

He had a restless night, rallied a bit in the morning, and then crashed on the couch with Jenna's i-pad. By Saturday night, he still had no energy, but by the time Jenna got him to Urgent Care they were closed. When she took him back on Sunday, they did a chest x-ray, gave an early diagnosis of pneumonia, and sent him directly to Children's Hospital where he was assessed again and admitted. Poor little guy was one of 47 babies in the hospital with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)! Needless to say, Jenna camped out at the hospital for the whole length of Charlie's stay, and Andy went back and forth (Crosby, the dog, needed care, too).

I took Monday afternoon off to go to the hospital, and this is what I found when I got there. Charlie was on oxygen, and he was hooked up to to several machines which monitored his breathing rate and oxygen levels. He initially had an IV, too, but he pulled it out. They decided if he drank and ate enough, they wouldn't put it back in, much to Jenna's relief. We really pushed those fluids! He slept most of the afternoon,

and then rallied enough to play with the trucks and cars his day-care provider brought for him.

Scrambled eggs and french fries? Oh well... I left around 7:00 to get back to Cannon for a Community Choir rehearsal, but I went back the next afternoon after school. Jenna and Andy had tickets to Lion King (Jenna's Christmas present from Andy) so I was on watch-Charlie duty. He had had another listless day, and didn't even respond when Corey came to visit. They were very concerned about leaving him, but when a doctor stopped in to reassure them, they got dressed up and went on their way, leaving me in charge.

I spent the next 4 hours standing beside his bed, feeding him ice cream, holding his hand, and playing games with him on the i-pad. He was so sweet, but so unlike his usual rambunctious self.

I'm convinced that every child should be issued an i-pad upon admission to the hospital. What an invention! Charlie could watch his favorite movie, UP, play games, and basically stay somewhat entertained, even when a nurse came in and checked him over. It was amazing!

Poor baby couldn't even sit up, though! Jenna and Andy got back to the hospital around 10:30, and it was almost midnight by the time I got home. I wasn't too lively at school the next day! On Wednesday, they worked on reducing the amount of oxygen he was getting, and finally, on Thursday morning, he got to go home!

I went up to St. Paul Thursday afternoon so I could see that Charlie was really OK. What a difference a few days makes! I fed him supper while Jenna and Andy went to get groceries and run a few errands, and he had most of the sparkle back in his eyes, and most of his supper on his face!

He was a little wobbly on his feet after not walking for 4 days, but he was sure happy to get back to his own toys! Yeah, Charlie! Don't ever get that sick again!! :-)