



I am very pleased to report that Brianna is HOME! She is so glad to be here! Right after getting home, she tearfully told her sisters her tales of woe from the hospital. (Being on an IV, getting poked multiple times, the spinal, blood draws, tests and proceedures, Mom being gone, and not being allowed to see her sisters...it was quite the story!)
The bad news in all this is that she is still sick! They have rehydrated her, given her antiviral meds, monitored her vitals and monitored her for more siezure activity...everything has looked just fine...except that she is still spiking a fever now and then. We were told that everything we did prior to going into the hospital was perfect, and to keep doing that now that we are going back home. We now know that she DOESN'T have swine flu, regular flu, spinal menengitis, and a handful of other really bad things...she just has a virus, that happens to have hit her really hard...
Thank you all for your prayers. It has been a very long couple of days. I am hoping to get a little more sleep tonight than I have the last several, but it isn't looking good with Brianna still feeling sick! She is 101.3 right now with meds...the ER said to come back if she gets worse again. We are REALLY pushing the fluids on her...hoping and praying she doesn't get dehydrated again.
The pictures today are of Justice and Callie as we first got to the hospital (we all had to put on masks), and Brianna now sleeping in the living room, right behind me on our couch. She actually looks happy and peaceful! What an awesome praise!
I wanted to also give a special thanks to Uncle Stephen, who so bravely took my baby, with no diaper bag, no milk for him, and no way to actually give him back! Thank you so much! And Aunt Susan, who was so thoughtful to stay with me and Brianna at the hospital, and who was thinking clearly enough to ask some really great questions about WHAT the drs were doing and thinking! (And who really helped me just being there, especially during the spinal tap - I wasn't sure I was going to make it through that one! I even felt a little light headed and weak as I was leaning into Brianna talking her through it...)
We would appriciate continued prayers for Brianna to actually get better, for this not to spread through the rest of the family, but especially for Justice to not get it due to age, and for Callie to not get it because of surgery next week.
As for the questions, and comments from the last post...my milk supply could be better, lack of keeping myself hydrated, taking the time to eat and stress have NOT helped it in the least, but we are working through it!
And for the record, it has nothign to do with insurance that prevented us taking Brianna in sooner. We would just prefer to treat her at home. And we did, until it becamse too much for us. A fever of 105, while really high, and something you wouldn't want to have continue too long, is not likely to cause brain damage by itself as per the ER dr. I have learned a very valuable lesson in all of this about how much fluid to push on my sick children! Also, we deal with high fevers anytime anyone gets sick around here...it is genetic (according to my ped), and he is well aware of what my girls do, so when I call, to get dosing into for alternating tylenol and ibueprofin, he is good with it. Brianna is my only one though that has fibril seizures, and I am not sure I will EVER truly get used to that! Fortunately, she gets sick very rarely! (Leave it to my little actress to do it thoroughly when she does though!)
With my 8th load of laundry ready to go into the dryer, my 4th dishwasher load of dishes ready to be loaded and run, and my dining room ready to be swept, I am going to go finish my chores so I can try to get some more sleep...it really is amazing how quickly things back up around here!