The longest year EVER!

Happy HOLY COW 2007! It’s been a super-duper long year already, and I’ve really wanted to write about some of the things that have been going on. But every time I go to start, I realize how much ground I need to cover!

We got called to pick up a sick baby on 1/3. Caleb had a pretty good fever, which gives him a direct ticket out of school. So I made arrangements to take Thursday off work so I could take him to the doc. At said doc, not only were his ears infected and he had pinkeye, but his pulse/ox levels were dangerously low, and his chest was all congested. So he was put on a nebulizer ~ and guess who got to be the bad guy?! ME!

He screamed, wailed, kicked, punched, and basically fought in any way a fifteen month old can to get that mask off of his face. It took thirty minutes for the steroid to be fully nebulized, and by the end of that time, both of us looked like we’d been in a sauna for about six days.

Do you know what they said to me? “Oh, his color is certainly getting better!”

Anyway, since the doc said we needed to come back the next morning for another nebulizer treatment, we knew he wasn’t going back to school. So Grandma Becky offered to come to stay with him so I didn’t miss any more work. However, the fourth big blizzard hit, and she was only able to make it about halfway before it became evident that she needed to just go home for safety’s sake.

At that appointment, not only did we do another nebulizer treatment, but they sent me home with one and told me to do it every three hours. Around the clock. And more importantly, they suggested that it was RSV that had caused the bronchitis/bronchialitis. So he wasn’t allowed to be around kids or crowds for ten days.

At this point, we had two antibiotics, eye drops, two oral steroids, and a nebulized steroid. We used that combination for three days, going to the doctor each day, until they were concerned that his oxygen levels were dropping off too quickly after the nebulization, so they put him on oxygen as well. Seriously – we have a tank the size of a giant missile just sitting in our living room.

Finally, his levels seemed to come into line, but after everything we went through, I had to bring up allergies again. So we were referred to a pediatric specialist, where they did the scratch tests on my little bug. He was such a CHAMP! I held him facing me while they did all the pokes, and he just played with my hair and never made a peep! Then they told me that he could run around the office while they waited for the results. So here’s my little angel running around shirtless with a grid and bumps on his back, talking to the people in the waiting room, the nurses, everyone. It was an absolute riot!

What was NOT a riot was the results of the tests. In addition to everything that had been wrong with him, the doctor diagnosed him with severe asthma and allergies to peanuts, cats and dogs.

For those of you who are gasping that a peanut allergy is a huge thing, please go back and read that sentence more clearly. Peanuts, cats and DOGS. The kid can live without a Snickers bar. But his mom’s heart broke to realize that our sweetest Auggie and Nonny were part of the problem, and had to be removed from the home.

Jonathan took the day off work to take the puppies away, because I had a little bit of a breakdown. Seriously. I left a message on my phone that I couldn’t talk to anyone, then holed up in my house for several days. I didn’t shower ~ ewww! ~ and basically didn’t do anything but snuggle Caleb and cry.

And he HATES it when I cry! He tries to comfort me, but then when I keep going, he starts to cry, too. He is such a precious. He really is my greatest gift.

Anyway, the puppies ended up being adopted by two people that we know will love and care for them well. (Nonny went with Alisa’s sweet Mr. Chris, so we’ll probably see her again. Which I don’t know how I feel about.) Anyway, I’m still grieving, but Jonathan is pretty much on cloud nine that Caleb will get to be a “reptile” kid!

Every day we find new ways that not having puppies is better for us. So I have a feeling that when my grief subsides, I’ll be able to completely acknowledge that our life is much better. Even though right now my heart is denying that fact.

At the allergist, they gave us more stuff to nebulize, nose spray, and more steroids. And the next day, we had to take him to get an x-ray of his sinuses, where it was revealed that he had an infection there as well! Criminy grits! The kid took in more medication than food for a week!

When it was all said and done, I missed a week and a half of work, countless hours of sleep, and my puppies. But life is FINALLY getting back to normal. Caleb is mostly healthy, the oxygen tank should be leaving shortly, and we’re getting used to having no little furry friends around.

And now Caleb’s molars are growing in. Guess how fun that is?!

 Terra replied...

I am so sorry for all that you've had to go through in the last 3 weeks. Dean had bronchitis over Christmas and we had to do the nebulizers at home too. No fun. After awhile I made Kyle do them because I was just plain worn out afterwards. These little buggers are worth it though aren't they? Sorry to hear about losing your dogs. I'm praying for you.