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I headed out to CDH ER with Ben. He fell asleep on the way there. When checking in, he had a big smile for the receptionist. They got us back in to a triage room right away. The nurse took his temperature and it was still high. His Heart rate was in the high 140's and low 150's. When we finally got back to an actual triage room, the nurses had to start an IV line because he was so dehydrated. This was no easy task. Even with him being really sick, Ben fought them every step of the way. It took 2 nurses to hold him, plus me holding him in my lap, the nurse inserting the IV and the child life specialist trying to distract him. He does not like poking! They finally got that in him and started the fluids. The doctor came in and wanted to check him everywhere. Including his throat. Yeah, that was not the best thing for a child who was vomiting. He started throwing up as soon as she stuck the tongue depressor in his mouth.
After all the initial labs and tests, we settled in for a bit. Ben slept on and off. He was not allowed any food by mouth, but he did take a little bit of pedialyte. They came back around 7 and told me that he had tested positive for rotavirus. And also his labs were way off. All of his electrolytes were off, his bicarbonate levels were off and they wanted to admit him. I had no problem with the admission, since I could tell he was very dehydrated, but I did question the labs since his labs are always different due to the meds he is on. The ER doc called Lurie Children's to let them know what the labs said and the cardiology fellow on call confirmed what I had said, that his iron tends to run low, other levels tend to run low, his potassium is on the higher level of normal, etc, etc. They also confirmed what his usual heart rate is (which I had told them when we were in triage). The nurse seemed a bit surprised when I knew different ranges of different labs for Ben. Every time he has labs, I go over it when they come in, just to see where he is and how he is trending. :)
So, after all of the labs came back and the doctor talked to the cardiology fellow, it was decided we would be admitted. But there was some confusion on whether it would be at Lurie or at CDH. The doctor at CDH was saying that Lurie wanted him there so they could closely monitor him. And since he had an IV in, they would have to take him by ambulance. I was not happy with this. I wanted to stay at CDH because it is closer and there was nothing heart related about his condition. Except for the fact that his heart rate was higher due to the fever, he did not have anything heart related going on. I told the doctors and nurses this and the nurses agreed. The doctor said that cardiology did not feel comfortable with it because CDH does not have a transplant surgeon on staff. This seemed really ridiculous. There was nothing he would need surgery for. It was simple dehydration and rotavirus. Yes, I realize that nothing is ever simple in heart babies/transplant babies. But, the surgeon never visited Ben at Lurie either the last time he was in for dehydration. The cardiologist did, but not the surgeon. The doctor went back to talk to Lurie again and came back and said "they said you have to go to Lurie and we will transfer you by ambulance. The cardiologist feels it is best he is over at Lurie." At this point I said, "Fine, I am taking him home then. (I was holding back tears at this point because it was going to be virtually impossible if we had to go by ambulance. I would have to take Ben home on a train-which the thought of all those germs terrifies me- since I wouldn't have my car at Lurie.) There is NO reason for him to need to go to Lurie. He has rotavirus and dehydration. He is not a cardiac patient at this point. Yes, he has many meds that have to be monitored, yes he does have a heart transplant, but dehydration can be taken care of here too!" The doctor looked a bit shocked and said she would call them back.
The doctor must have told the cardiologist that I was going to take Ben home because the fellow on call apparently acquiesced and said it was ok for us to stay at CDH. They had us admitted to the PICU at CDH. Joe came with the girls and brought me some clothes and food. I had all Ben's meds with me at that point, so I was able to give them since CDH didn't have them on hand right at that moment. We stayed for 2 days. On Monday, Joe dropped both girls off at school (the school let Klara go even though she usually only goes Tue-Thur) and he stayed at the hospital with Ben and me for a while. He picked the girls up around 3:30 and came back to the hospital at about 4:30, hoping to let them visit. Well, he walked in the room with them and Abby promptly threw up all over the PICU floor. So, out they went in a hurry. Which was disappointing, not only because Abby felt sick and I wanted to be able to help both my sick children, but also because Ben was excited when they walked in.
The next day, Tuesday March 19, Ben was starting to feel a lot better. He was negative on Monday evening (this means he was putting out more fluids than he was taking in) But overnight he was drinking 4 oz of pedialyte every 2 hours or so. And they had his fluid on 50 ml an hour. So, when he woke up in the morning, he felt great. Or, as great as a baby with rotavirus can be. All the doctors were rounding and he was standing in his crib saying, "hi, hi. Nummy nummy? Bye bye, night night." His dr said "well, it looks like someone is feeling better. As long as all his labs come bac good, I see no reason you can't go home today." We were discharged around 1:30. I had Abby with me from 10:30-1:30, while Joe was in the room with Ben. I couldn't take her in his room since she had thrown up the day before.
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| Feeling better, watching cartoons on the iPad |
