Owen, How can it be? A year and a half since we first met. You have changed my world. I love you, kiddo. More than all the stars in the sky, bigger than the universe. Love, Mom
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
More Appointments
I wanted to give everyone a quick and brief update on Owen's appointments this week. Saturday I took Owen back to Dr. Brady. His respiratory infection was causing him absolute misery. Late Friday night his ears started draining and I knew it was starting to settle and he needed meds. Dr. Brady is so good about reading my cues, and she prescribed him Amoxicillin. Let me tell you, in less than 24 hours, our little guy was feeling SO much better.
Monday, Owen had 2 return visits at Vanderbilt. His first was with ENT for an ear tube check. The doctor said they were both still in place and she saw no sign of any infection. Strange, considering other doctors said they were not in place. I've come to find that the more doctors we visit, the more opinions we get. Hmm, sometimes MOMMY knows best.
His second appointment was with Pulmonary (lungs/asthma). Dr. Moore said he sounded great, and wants Owen to complete 3 more months of his inhaler and we would go from there.
Tuesday, I took Owen to his feeding therapy evaluation. I do not even know how to explain, except that she watched him eat/not eat. He was grumpy and not cooperative. She said he had "poor muscle tone" when chewing. Have we heard that before? At this point I just nod and go along with what they say. The therapist gives us weekly food assignments and we meet weekly to evaluate his progress. This week we are working on meats and veggies.
Owen meets weekly with 3 different therapists. Here is our schedule:
Tuesday: TEIS-Kids Putnam at 3:45 pm. Owen works on social skills with other children as well as fine motor skills and following directions.
Wednesday: Feeding Therapy- Wee Talk at 4:30 pm. Owen will work on accepting a variety of foods and the amount he takes in.
Thursday: Physical Therapy- Theraplay at 4:15 pm. Owen will meet with the physical therapist to work on building muscle tone, and of course...WALKING!
Our weekly schedules are packed. These 3 therapist meetings, plus countless doctors appointments, not to mention momma gotta work!?! WOW.... THANK GOODNESS for FRIDAYS!
Here is a picture of our little "red-headed" "blue-eyed" boy.
Monday, Owen had 2 return visits at Vanderbilt. His first was with ENT for an ear tube check. The doctor said they were both still in place and she saw no sign of any infection. Strange, considering other doctors said they were not in place. I've come to find that the more doctors we visit, the more opinions we get. Hmm, sometimes MOMMY knows best.
His second appointment was with Pulmonary (lungs/asthma). Dr. Moore said he sounded great, and wants Owen to complete 3 more months of his inhaler and we would go from there.
Tuesday, I took Owen to his feeding therapy evaluation. I do not even know how to explain, except that she watched him eat/not eat. He was grumpy and not cooperative. She said he had "poor muscle tone" when chewing. Have we heard that before? At this point I just nod and go along with what they say. The therapist gives us weekly food assignments and we meet weekly to evaluate his progress. This week we are working on meats and veggies.
Owen meets weekly with 3 different therapists. Here is our schedule:
Tuesday: TEIS-Kids Putnam at 3:45 pm. Owen works on social skills with other children as well as fine motor skills and following directions.
Wednesday: Feeding Therapy- Wee Talk at 4:30 pm. Owen will work on accepting a variety of foods and the amount he takes in.
Thursday: Physical Therapy- Theraplay at 4:15 pm. Owen will meet with the physical therapist to work on building muscle tone, and of course...WALKING!
Our weekly schedules are packed. These 3 therapist meetings, plus countless doctors appointments, not to mention momma gotta work!?! WOW.... THANK GOODNESS for FRIDAYS!
Here is a picture of our little "red-headed" "blue-eyed" boy.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Calling All Prayer Warriors
For those of you keeping tabs on our little guy, I wanted to type a quick update. Owen has been under the weather this week. We took him to Vanderbilt ER on Sunday night for a fever of 104. His fever came down and they sent us home, calling it a respiratory infection. He is still very snotty, congested, and coughing. Hopefully it won't stay around too long. We kept him home from school this week as a precaution.
He had is Physical Therapy evaluation yesterday evening. We went to Theraplay here in Cookeville and met with Christine Taylor. She worked with Owen for about an hour. She said he had some "quirks" that were not typical for a kiddo his age. For instance, his fontanelle (soft spots) have closed prematurely. They typically close anywhere from 2-3 years old. This is probably why he has Metopic Synostosis (ridge on his forehead). After doing research, this is can often cause developmental delays. Which as most of you know, we are battling with right now.
He also had what she called "poor muscle tone". However, she said his joints were tight, while most children his age with poor muscle tone are more "floppy". Not really sure what that means. Regardless, she recommended he has PT once a week. He starts next Thursday.
I have yet to talk about Owen's MRI results on the blog. Honestly, I have struggled with what to say. The results came back as showing "delayed myelination". If you are anything like me, you have never heard of that in your entire life.
The definition of delayed myelination is: A wide variety of abnormalities. The causes of delayed myelination include congenital malformations, chromosomal, metabolic and degenerative disorders.
In terms of delayed myelination, this is often a diagnosis seen in babies that are born prematurely. The myelin sheath is a covering that wraps around nerves in the brain. The myelin sheath allows for the signal traveling down the nerve to not decrease in speed. It is similar to the rubber covering electrical wiring. MRIs of the brain can look at specific parts of the brain and assess whether the amount of myelin covering the nerves is a normal amount or if there is a decreased amount of myelin visible. Unfortunately at this time, doctors do not know the long term significance of this finding. Some patients who are found to have delayed myelination eventually go on to develop normal amounts of myelin, while other patients continue to have a diminished supply. At this time, it is
also unclear what types of long term symptoms patients like Owen may or may not develop.
We pray that Owen is one of the patients who go on to develop normal myelin and live a typical life. However, there is no way to know or change the outcome. Only God knows the plans he has for our sweet boy. Doctors have said he is "abnormal", "atypical", "sensitive", "quirky", and just plain "different". I may or may not agree with what they say about my son, but I do know one thing, he is very special. In an out-of-this-world way. He has a calling on his life to do great things. He may not be MVP on the high school football team, or Valedictorian of his graduating class, but he is the center of my universe. I want him to know one thing, no matter what happens in this life, or what diagnosis he gets, I will love him regardless. He will always be the most perfect little baby that I held in my arms for the first time almost a year and a half ago. I am nothing short of BLESSED that I am his mommy. I thank God for him everyday.
So where do we go from here? We have an appointment with Dr. Reimschisel at Vanderbilt in March to work on a "game plan". He is a doctor specializing in child development, biochemical genetics, and neurogenetics. I know he will not have all the answers but hopefully we will have a better understanding. We are so lucky to have such a fabulous children's hospital so close by with specialists for Owen. God has answered so many of our prayers.
What I am asking is for you to continue to pray. We need prayer warriors lifting up Owen's name. Brandon and I have such a strong support system in our wonderful friends and family.Whether you listen to my frustrated, helpless, and occasionally emotional phone calls, offer an encouraging word, or simply pray for this sweet boy, we want to say thank you, thank you thank you! And to those that have never met Owen, and still pray, thank you too. We appreciate it so much. We love you guys.
He had is Physical Therapy evaluation yesterday evening. We went to Theraplay here in Cookeville and met with Christine Taylor. She worked with Owen for about an hour. She said he had some "quirks" that were not typical for a kiddo his age. For instance, his fontanelle (soft spots) have closed prematurely. They typically close anywhere from 2-3 years old. This is probably why he has Metopic Synostosis (ridge on his forehead). After doing research, this is can often cause developmental delays. Which as most of you know, we are battling with right now.
He also had what she called "poor muscle tone". However, she said his joints were tight, while most children his age with poor muscle tone are more "floppy". Not really sure what that means. Regardless, she recommended he has PT once a week. He starts next Thursday.
I have yet to talk about Owen's MRI results on the blog. Honestly, I have struggled with what to say. The results came back as showing "delayed myelination". If you are anything like me, you have never heard of that in your entire life.
The definition of delayed myelination is: A wide variety of abnormalities. The causes of delayed myelination include congenital malformations, chromosomal, metabolic and degenerative disorders.
In terms of delayed myelination, this is often a diagnosis seen in babies that are born prematurely. The myelin sheath is a covering that wraps around nerves in the brain. The myelin sheath allows for the signal traveling down the nerve to not decrease in speed. It is similar to the rubber covering electrical wiring. MRIs of the brain can look at specific parts of the brain and assess whether the amount of myelin covering the nerves is a normal amount or if there is a decreased amount of myelin visible. Unfortunately at this time, doctors do not know the long term significance of this finding. Some patients who are found to have delayed myelination eventually go on to develop normal amounts of myelin, while other patients continue to have a diminished supply. At this time, it is
also unclear what types of long term symptoms patients like Owen may or may not develop.
We pray that Owen is one of the patients who go on to develop normal myelin and live a typical life. However, there is no way to know or change the outcome. Only God knows the plans he has for our sweet boy. Doctors have said he is "abnormal", "atypical", "sensitive", "quirky", and just plain "different". I may or may not agree with what they say about my son, but I do know one thing, he is very special. In an out-of-this-world way. He has a calling on his life to do great things. He may not be MVP on the high school football team, or Valedictorian of his graduating class, but he is the center of my universe. I want him to know one thing, no matter what happens in this life, or what diagnosis he gets, I will love him regardless. He will always be the most perfect little baby that I held in my arms for the first time almost a year and a half ago. I am nothing short of BLESSED that I am his mommy. I thank God for him everyday.
So where do we go from here? We have an appointment with Dr. Reimschisel at Vanderbilt in March to work on a "game plan". He is a doctor specializing in child development, biochemical genetics, and neurogenetics. I know he will not have all the answers but hopefully we will have a better understanding. We are so lucky to have such a fabulous children's hospital so close by with specialists for Owen. God has answered so many of our prayers.
What I am asking is for you to continue to pray. We need prayer warriors lifting up Owen's name. Brandon and I have such a strong support system in our wonderful friends and family.Whether you listen to my frustrated, helpless, and occasionally emotional phone calls, offer an encouraging word, or simply pray for this sweet boy, we want to say thank you, thank you thank you! And to those that have never met Owen, and still pray, thank you too. We appreciate it so much. We love you guys.
Until next time!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Hey good lookin'!
Hey good lookin'! Whatcha got cookin'?
Owen is doing great. He is such a creature of habit. He is absolutely perfect as long as I stick to his routine. This kiddo has to be in bed by 6/6:30 if I don't want a war to ensue. He eats dinner at 5pm on the dot. If it is earlier or later he won't eat as well. Speaking of eating, he has really developed an appetite lately. He only eats a handful of variety, but he can put some food away! He loves pancakes and sausage for breakfast, a peanut-butter/nutella sandwich for lunch, and chicken fries for dinner. He snacks on animal crackers, puffs, teddy grahams, and goldfish in between. He also LOVES drinking from juice boxes. Mr. Independent. I am not sure what he is tipping the scales at presently, but I know it is over 20 pounds! WooHoo!
(picture complimentary of Aunt Mimi)
Recent events: we celebrated Aunt Beth's 50th birthday on Tuesday. We were attempting to throw a surprise party, but I think we all knew she would find out one way or another. Regardless, we had a good time chowing down on Crawdaddy's food and spending time with each other. We will celebrate Uncle Mike's birthday on Friday! P~A~R~T~Y!!
And for your enjoyment...here is my little monkey playing, jumping, and laughing.
My favorite thing to watch in the ENTIRE world.
Happy Thursday Y'all!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Happy New Year! .2013.
Happy New Year friends! I have a good feeling 2013 is going to be a good one! We started it off right. We went to the mountains with Grandpa (aka- Pa according to Owen) and Grandma. It was a short and sweet trip, but fun nonetheless. We went to the aquarium for starters. I really thought Owen would be super excited to see the fish. Well, i didn't take into account that they might frighten him. While he didn't cry, he clung on to his daddy like the sharks were going to come through the glass and take him. It was actually pretty cute. Here are some photos to recap the trip under the sea.
This face says it all.
I took this picture on New Years day. Owen woke up in a great mood.
He was sporting his new shades. "2013 is looking bright!"
And lastly, my new year resolution is to grow my hair back out. I made the mistake of having nearly 8 inches cut off. I don't know why I do it, I regret it every time. Maybe one day I'll learn. Here is the before and after. I now look like a 9 year old. Oh well, live and learn???
*Note: my eyes are not pink from crying (even though I felt like it).
I have some weird sinus infection that is making my eyes do crazy things.
Happy 2013!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
17 months old
It has been
a while since I did a monthly update. I believe the last one was at 14 months.
Well A LOT can change in 3 months! Here is a little about Owen at 17 months.
Motor
Skills: Recap-At 11 months old, Owen started crawling. Actually more hopping like a bunny than
crawling, but it got him where he wanted to go. There were times we were
slightly concerned with the way he chose to transport himself, but all is well!
Little man started TRULY crawling like a “real baby” on his hands and knees not
long after and began to get where he wanted to go (a.k.a. trouble) very
quickly. Furniture cruising began at 11 months as well.
On December
18th, at 16 months, Owen took his first “real” steps unassisted. He
has yet to gain enough balance to get going really well. His current record is
about 10 steps. We continue to practice and encourage him everyday. We know he
is delayed in this. Honestly, it is still bothering me. I am reminded though
that he IS making progress. Everyday he gets a little better. This last stint
in the hospital threw him for a loop, but he is working hard to make up for
lost time. He definitely WANTS to walk, not crawl.
Teeth: Owen
has an entire mouth FULL of teeth now (including incisors, molars, you name it)
and BOY OH BOY can he take a chunk out of you if you try to count them. He brushes them every night, and does a
pretty good job at it by himself!
Bottles: Owen
is still taking a 6-8 oz. bottle at this moment bedtime. Sippy cups accompany
him the rest of the day. Weaning from the bottle is recommended at 15 months,
but I think he is doing a pretty good job! He started holding his own bottle at
10 months. I can’t even remember the last time I held his bottle for him.
Sleep: I am
going to take a moment and brag on our boy. He may be delayed in some things,
but I could NOT ask for a better sleeper. Starting at 6 weeks he has slept in
his own crib in his own room. Starting at 7 months he began sleeping through
the night (10-12 hours). Now, at 17 months, he goes down for the night at 6pm
and wakes at 6:30 am. I have to wake him for school at 6:30, however, since we
have been on break, he sleeps from 6pm-8 am!
Owen’s “Monday-Friday”
Schedule:
6:30 am-
Wake-up (I sing his “Good Morning To You” song and he pops up out of that crib
like a hot potato!)
7:00- Leave
for School
8:00-
Breakfast
8:30-10:30-
Playtime, etc.
10:30- Lunch
11:00-2:00
Nap
2:00- Snack
2:30-3:30- Playtime
3:30- Time
to go home
3:30-4:30-
Elmo time, Mommy time
5:00-
Dinner, Daddy time
5:30- Bath
6:00 pm-
Bottle, Lullaby, Bed
Food: Our
babe is a skinny boy and was switched to toddler formula at 16 months. After
several nights of vomiting (whether formula related or not) his daddy and I got
spooked and have taken him off all formula. He drinks Silk Almond Milk and
water during the day. Since taking him off of formula, he has been eating up a
storm! He is working on his fork/spoon skills, but sometimes the best way to get that food is to use our hands. (I'm right there with you, Owen)
Owen’s
Sample Menu:
Breakfast-
favorites: jelly biscuit, fruit pouch, Almond Milk
Lunch-
Nutella/peanut butter sandwich, fruit pouch, water
Dinner-
chicken fries, cookie, Almond Milk
Snack- teddy
grahams, Gerber puffs, goldfish
This changes
daily***He’s nothing if not unpredictable!
Habits: Now
onto our beloved paci…there really isn’t much to say except that he loves it. He
is addicted, and we are fine with it. I suppose we will cross that dreaded
bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm not worried. It has gotten him through
some pretty tough times. We. Love. That. Paci.
Speech: He
says: Momma, Dada, Ball, Dog, and Baa (which means Bottle/Sippy cup). Daddy and
I understand what he is saying. He has his own way of saying these words, but
we get it. We also have lots of constant babbling.
Owen
understands many phrases we say and performs commands as well. Some favorites:
give me five, waves hi and bye (A LOT), Where is??? (He can point to the object
or person we say), pet the dog, love on____ (he hugs and pats what/who we tell
him to), show me your teeth, close the door, push the button… really the list
goes ON and ON. He is very smart.
He also can
point to various body parts (head, ears, nose, eyes) and make animal noises
(cow, horse). Speaking of animal noises,
Owens new obsession is farm animals. He loves his little caw, duck, horse, pig,
and goat figurines. He can point to the animal we say and loves to listen to
his See-N-Say that makes animal noises.
Personality:
the BEST! We have a sweet, funny, sensitive, sneaky, loving little boy on our
hands. He is extremely social, and definitely makes his mommy and daddy happier
and laugh harder than they every thought possible. It is TRUE how much better
my days are just to come home to his smiley, playful face. It is so hard to
imagine what in the world life was like before him! I can tell you this, I
don’t miss it… 99% of the time at least ;)
Loves: Elmo,
dogs, looking out windows and waving, his grandparents, farm animals (fake-NOT
real), pulling everything out of it’s container/basket/cabinet/drawer,
“talking” on cell phones, drinking from a straw, letter magnets on the fridge,
bath time, throwing things –especially while sitting in his high chair, riding
in the car, music (of any kind), playing “Where’s Owen?”, being tickled, and
dancing with mommy.
Dislikes:
getting dressed, diaper changes, his inhaler, wearing socks and shoes.
17 months
stats:
Height: 31
inches (10-25%)
Weight: 21
pounds (below 5%)
He is still
our tiny tater tot!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Capital C-R-A-Z-Y!!!
We have a lot to catch up on. If you are in fact caught up on our past week, by all means skip this post. WARNING: LONG AND DETAILED!
Wednesday, December 19- Owen is totally normal. He throws up after his night time bottle (for the second night in a row) He seems ok, no fever, so I put him down for the night.
Thursday December 20- We have a big day ahead. Grandmother, Owen, and I leave at 6am for Vanderbilt. Owen has an EEG and an MRI scheduled.
11:30- EEG. Owen is sleep deprived. He is hooked up to what seem like hundreds of wires, stuck to his head. (Grandmother said they looked like dreadlocks- she was right) He has to stare at a strobe light for 10 minutes and then go to sleep for 20 minutes. Seems easy, right? Not so. After a melt down, he does drift off to sleep. Just to wake up again. It wore everyone out.
2pm- We go to the MRI appointment. We are taken back quickly to a "holding room". Where we wait on borrowed time considering Owen had not eaten or had anything to drink since 6:30 am! We wait and wait and wait.
4 pm- They take Owen back for sedation and the procedure.
5:30 pm- I received a call that Owen was awake in recovery. We rush back to see him. He is fussy. More than I remembered in recovery after his ear tubes. We try to get him to eat or drink. Neither one interests him. We leave for home. Owen sleeps on and off in the car on the way back, he is very quiet. Apparently sedation can make you dizzy and disoriented.
7 pm- We get back to Cookeville, where Daddy meets us at the door. Owen still won't eat anything so I offer him a bottle of formula. He drinks the whole thing. He is alert and what seems like normal, considering. I take him upstairs to his room where I begin to put his to bed. As I am holding him, he starts to shiver ever so slightly. I thought he was cold, so I covered him up with a blanket. I lay him down, he continues to shiver and feels warm so we go back downstairs where I inform his daddy and I take his temp. 99 degrees. I call Vanderbilt, long story short they will "Have someone to call me back." Owen's shivering continues. I take his temp again, 100. I offer him Motrin. The second it reaches his mouth he vomits, everywhere. All over himself, me, the couch, the floor, the stairs, up to his room. I undress him on a blanket in his bedroom floor. By this point he is shaking so violently that I swear he is having a seizure. He is alert the whole time, but very pale. I call Vanderbilt again, nothing but rude people. I call Old Harding Pediatrics nurse line where they take your message and return your call. I take his temp again, 101. We load up in the car and begin to drive to Cookeville Hospital ER. As we pull in the Old Harding doctor calls. He says to "take him home, get him up and moving. Sedation can cause your body to become lazy and can cause fevers." Um...OK?!
8:00 pm- We return home, Grandmother is there waiting. While driving back Owen threw up again in the car. I go upstairs to change out of my vomit covered clothes. When I return downstairs Owen looks like a rag doll. He is floppy and not responsive to us. I take his temp. 104.4 We load back up in the car and fly to Cookeville hospital. I had no time for doctors and phone tag at this point!
9:00 pm- We arrive at CRMC ER and they take Owen's temp. 105.7!!! (Tylenol suppository is given) They rush him to an ER room where they proceed to begin inserting an IV.
T-R-A-U-M-A-T-I-C!!! 4 maybe 5? sticks later an IV was inserted. His temp starts to come down.
12 am- Chest X-Ray shows cloudiness in Owen's right lung. ER doctor says he thinks Owen aspirated during the MRI and that is why his fever spiked. He wants us to stay a night for observation.
1 am- Owen received his first round of antibiotics. He starts to sit up and play, although he is a little fussy. Can you blame him?
3:00 am- We are taken to a room. The pediatric floor is full so we are on the adult wing. Owen eats crackers and has some juice. He goes to sleep. Grandmother leaves, and Brandon and I try to get some rest.
Friday, December 21- We wait and wait and wait. Owen is happy and eating well, but has developed diarrhea.
3 pm- (Yes, that's right) We see a doctor for the first time. This doctor says that she disagrees with ER doctor. She thinks it is a virus. Owen is tested for RODA, Flu, RSV, Strep, all negative. She wants us to stay another night for observation.
Saturday, December 22- We are STILL sitting in room 546.
10:00 am- Another doctor comes in. She disagrees with both previous doctors. She believes Owen had an allergic reaction to the gas he was sedated with. She orders a chest X-Ray. It comes back clean.
1:00 pm - We are informed we will have to stay another night for Owen to complete is 3rd round of antibiotics intravenously. We are so bummed.
6:00 pm- i complain to the day nurse that Owen's IV insertion spot looks bad. It is red and his arm is very swollen. She says it looks fine and he will need it for antibiotics later on.
9:00 pm- I show the IV to the night nurse. He says in needs to be removed immediately. But Owen may need a new one for his meds. I am so stressed.
1:00 am- Night nurse has good news. Owen can receive a muscle shot instead of a new IV. Bless his heart, it looked like it really hurt. They had to insert the needle so hard! He falls asleep soon after.
Sunday, December 23- Are we STILL HERE?!?!
10 am- Doctor comes an and says we will get to go home and the nurse will be around to discharge us shortly.
12:00 pm- We leave CRMC!!!
We still do not know 100% what caused Owen's fever to spike so quickly or get so high. We saw 3 different doctors in 3 days, all with 3 different opinions. (3-3-3!) Whether is was aspiration, or a virus, or a reaction to the anesthesia, we are just happy that our baby boy is home. He is happy and healthy and totally back to his good ol' self. Praise the Lord for fast healing.
Owen's second Christmas was a success. We call him "Present-zilla" because he can flat destroy a package in seconds! We received presents galore, ate yummy food, and spent time with our loved ones. While it involved some traveling and we are all pretty tired, it was absolutely worth it. Here are some pictures and videos to recap the past few days. Enjoy!
Love, Caitlin
Owen being crazy on Christmas eve.
He ripped off every bow and name tag he could get his hands on!
Wednesday, December 19- Owen is totally normal. He throws up after his night time bottle (for the second night in a row) He seems ok, no fever, so I put him down for the night.
Thursday December 20- We have a big day ahead. Grandmother, Owen, and I leave at 6am for Vanderbilt. Owen has an EEG and an MRI scheduled.
11:30- EEG. Owen is sleep deprived. He is hooked up to what seem like hundreds of wires, stuck to his head. (Grandmother said they looked like dreadlocks- she was right) He has to stare at a strobe light for 10 minutes and then go to sleep for 20 minutes. Seems easy, right? Not so. After a melt down, he does drift off to sleep. Just to wake up again. It wore everyone out.
2pm- We go to the MRI appointment. We are taken back quickly to a "holding room". Where we wait on borrowed time considering Owen had not eaten or had anything to drink since 6:30 am! We wait and wait and wait.
4 pm- They take Owen back for sedation and the procedure.
5:30 pm- I received a call that Owen was awake in recovery. We rush back to see him. He is fussy. More than I remembered in recovery after his ear tubes. We try to get him to eat or drink. Neither one interests him. We leave for home. Owen sleeps on and off in the car on the way back, he is very quiet. Apparently sedation can make you dizzy and disoriented.
7 pm- We get back to Cookeville, where Daddy meets us at the door. Owen still won't eat anything so I offer him a bottle of formula. He drinks the whole thing. He is alert and what seems like normal, considering. I take him upstairs to his room where I begin to put his to bed. As I am holding him, he starts to shiver ever so slightly. I thought he was cold, so I covered him up with a blanket. I lay him down, he continues to shiver and feels warm so we go back downstairs where I inform his daddy and I take his temp. 99 degrees. I call Vanderbilt, long story short they will "Have someone to call me back." Owen's shivering continues. I take his temp again, 100. I offer him Motrin. The second it reaches his mouth he vomits, everywhere. All over himself, me, the couch, the floor, the stairs, up to his room. I undress him on a blanket in his bedroom floor. By this point he is shaking so violently that I swear he is having a seizure. He is alert the whole time, but very pale. I call Vanderbilt again, nothing but rude people. I call Old Harding Pediatrics nurse line where they take your message and return your call. I take his temp again, 101. We load up in the car and begin to drive to Cookeville Hospital ER. As we pull in the Old Harding doctor calls. He says to "take him home, get him up and moving. Sedation can cause your body to become lazy and can cause fevers." Um...OK?!
8:00 pm- We return home, Grandmother is there waiting. While driving back Owen threw up again in the car. I go upstairs to change out of my vomit covered clothes. When I return downstairs Owen looks like a rag doll. He is floppy and not responsive to us. I take his temp. 104.4 We load back up in the car and fly to Cookeville hospital. I had no time for doctors and phone tag at this point!
9:00 pm- We arrive at CRMC ER and they take Owen's temp. 105.7!!! (Tylenol suppository is given) They rush him to an ER room where they proceed to begin inserting an IV.
T-R-A-U-M-A-T-I-C!!! 4 maybe 5? sticks later an IV was inserted. His temp starts to come down.
12 am- Chest X-Ray shows cloudiness in Owen's right lung. ER doctor says he thinks Owen aspirated during the MRI and that is why his fever spiked. He wants us to stay a night for observation.
1 am- Owen received his first round of antibiotics. He starts to sit up and play, although he is a little fussy. Can you blame him?
3:00 am- We are taken to a room. The pediatric floor is full so we are on the adult wing. Owen eats crackers and has some juice. He goes to sleep. Grandmother leaves, and Brandon and I try to get some rest.
Friday, December 21- We wait and wait and wait. Owen is happy and eating well, but has developed diarrhea.
3 pm- (Yes, that's right) We see a doctor for the first time. This doctor says that she disagrees with ER doctor. She thinks it is a virus. Owen is tested for RODA, Flu, RSV, Strep, all negative. She wants us to stay another night for observation.
Saturday, December 22- We are STILL sitting in room 546.
10:00 am- Another doctor comes in. She disagrees with both previous doctors. She believes Owen had an allergic reaction to the gas he was sedated with. She orders a chest X-Ray. It comes back clean.
1:00 pm - We are informed we will have to stay another night for Owen to complete is 3rd round of antibiotics intravenously. We are so bummed.
6:00 pm- i complain to the day nurse that Owen's IV insertion spot looks bad. It is red and his arm is very swollen. She says it looks fine and he will need it for antibiotics later on.
9:00 pm- I show the IV to the night nurse. He says in needs to be removed immediately. But Owen may need a new one for his meds. I am so stressed.
1:00 am- Night nurse has good news. Owen can receive a muscle shot instead of a new IV. Bless his heart, it looked like it really hurt. They had to insert the needle so hard! He falls asleep soon after.
Sunday, December 23- Are we STILL HERE?!?!
10 am- Doctor comes an and says we will get to go home and the nurse will be around to discharge us shortly.
12:00 pm- We leave CRMC!!!
We still do not know 100% what caused Owen's fever to spike so quickly or get so high. We saw 3 different doctors in 3 days, all with 3 different opinions. (3-3-3!) Whether is was aspiration, or a virus, or a reaction to the anesthesia, we are just happy that our baby boy is home. He is happy and healthy and totally back to his good ol' self. Praise the Lord for fast healing.
Owen's second Christmas was a success. We call him "Present-zilla" because he can flat destroy a package in seconds! We received presents galore, ate yummy food, and spent time with our loved ones. While it involved some traveling and we are all pretty tired, it was absolutely worth it. Here are some pictures and videos to recap the past few days. Enjoy!
Love, Caitlin
Owen practicing taking steps. He is getting better!
Video 1 of 2.
Owen laughing and being silly while in Cookeville hospital.
Video 2 of 2.
Owen sure was happy despite his surroundings.
He is the best little boy!
Owen in the "Holding" room waiting for his MRI.
Hungry, but happy.
Owen and Grandpa reading a story on Christmas eve.
He ripped off every bow and name tag he could get his hands on!
Brandon and I on Christmas day.
It looks like we hadn't slept in days...Oh wait!
If you made it through this entire post, I want to say thank you for taking the time. It was no small feat! Also, please excuse the misspelled words, grammatical errors, etc. I typed it once, and then lost it all. I have typed it a second time while feeding Owen chicken fries and almond milk. Talk to you all soon!
If you made it through this entire post, I want to say thank you for taking the time. It was no small feat! Also, please excuse the misspelled words, grammatical errors, etc. I typed it once, and then lost it all. I have typed it a second time while feeding Owen chicken fries and almond milk. Talk to you all soon!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Check this out!
This video is not the best quality and it's sideways, but this ladies and gentlemen are Owen's first real steps caught on video. The girls at his daycare were so excited to show me. I'll admit, I cried. Enjoy!
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