In the Hospital

Last week Georgia got sick. Fever, cough, runny nose. We weren't worried, it's happened before. But then we started to notice that Lola was coughing. We waited a few days and then decided we couldn't wait anymore and called the doctor. Her coughing and mucusy nose were enough to convince the doctor she needed further testing and he told us she needed to be admitted to the hospital.

This was a blow to us. We were both afraid that would be the next step. The grave seriousness of our normally lively doctor alarmed us. After packing a bag and leaving Georgia in capable hands, we brought Lola to the hospital where they immediately took a few chest x-rays and settled us into a room.

Shortly after, she had an IV put in, which was very emotional for me. There is just something that pains a mother's heart to watch her child hurt. Though she handled the IV relatively well, she screamed while enduring three nose swabs; but who wouldn't?

Next she was hooked up to a monitor to watch her heart rate, breathing and oxygen level. After a few hours they decided that her oxygen level was too low and so she is currently on oxygen. The doctor came in to visit in the evening and report that Lola does, in fact, have RSV, a respitory virus. This was heartbreaking, though not surprising, news to us.

They've given her a couple of different antibiotics to prevent infection and she's had two breathing treatments to make her more comfortable. She has to have her nose cleaned out frequently so that she can breathe easily enough to be nursed. Thankfully I am still able to do that, though at this point, she'd rather sleep than eat.

Andy keeps me company during the day at the hospital and goes home to spend the evening and night with Georgia. We don't know yet how long we'll be here; still waiting to get test results back for influenza and pertussis (whooping cough). We really covet your prayers that she wouldn't have either of these and that she'd recover quickly from the RSV.