This was what happened 2 weeks ago. Most of you may have already read about it via my twitter, instagram and facebook feed.
This post is just so that I have it written down some where and also so that I can come back and read about it in the future.
On Tuesday, I sent M to the Doctors because the Lil' Tiger was not feeling well. When he got to the GP, he was told by the Doctor to go straight to the Children's Hospital (PMH). On his way there, he called me to let me know what was going on and I made a mad dash to PMH. Thank goodness work was near by.
We waited for 30 minutes to see one of the Doctors at PMH to only be told to go home and what the Lil' Tiger has was just the normal Flu virus. We should go home and just continue to give her panadol and make sure she is hydrated.
That whole night, M and I did not sleep at all. The Lil' Tiger was drifting in and out of sleep and when she is awake, she was screaming in pain. I have never seen her being that sick before. I was lost, scared and stressed out. I didn't know what to do but cuddled her to sleep. M and I did not go to work the next day. We took turns taking care of her.
Thursday, she was still not feeling any better. I called M from work a couple of times to check up on him and he said she was not moving from the bed and also not walking at all, figuring that something was wrong, I told him to go to the GP again and again they told us to go to PMH straight away. This time her feet, arms and knees were swelling up. M said that she did not even drink much during the day as well. Again, I made a mad dash to PMH. This time, she was at the emergency area where they assess you immediately.
They were doing all sorts of things to her. I know the Lil' Tiger was so scared because as soon as she saw me, she clung on to me like a little baby Koala. We were in that area for a good 4 hours . I told the doctor that I was not going home until they found out what was happening to her and in the end, we were told that she was going to be admitted for the night. I then made a mad dash home, showered and packed everything and anything that I could think of for our night stay at the hospital.
My poor baby had needles poked and prodded. She had blood taken from her and antibiotics pumped into her. I did not sleep at all that night. It was a scary place. Apart from being in the hospital for the Lil' Tiger's birth, I never had to stay in the hospital before. My heart was beating like a humming bird beating it's wings (I think there is a song about this somewhere). All night, I could hear kids crying and parents trying to calm them down. I was doing the same thing as well. The Lil' Tiger was so disoriented that it took her a while to settle down. In the end, the only way that she would sleep is on top of me on the bed.
The next day, a team of doctors came in to have their assessment. And by team, I mean 5 of them. They started throwing medical terms and I was slowly trying my hardest not to cry and trying to digest what ever they were saying. Everything was jibberish to me. Why can't they talk in layman's term. They were saying they needed to get the Rheumatology department involved as well and throwing terms like Juvenile Arthritis at me. I was praying hard that that was not the case. Before they left, they said "See you tomorrow". Great another day in the hospital but it's ok. As long as they are taking care of my baby, I am fine.
Next day came, the Lil' Tiger's fever has gone down. She only had one spike of fever and she was still not walking. Doctors came, Rheumatologist came, more blood being taken, my baby crying because she was confused, I was trying the hardest not to break down and bawl my eyes out. Again the doctors said "See you tomorrow" and I was told, they do not discharge patients on Sunday. Fine. I had to find things to keep the Lil' Tiger entertained. I had great family members though. They came and visited and also came with food. Kept me company and took care of the Lil' Tiger for a bit while I took a little break from it all.
Monday came and the Lil' Tiger was feeling so much better. She started smiling and laughing and talking more. Her appetite was slowly coming back. They were still worried that her fluid intake was not up and said that if she continues to be that way, they will have to put her on drips again. I tried to encourage the her to drink as much water and to eat friuts with high water content just to get her fluids up. It worked in the end. She was eating and drinking a little bit more. I was still worried because she was still not walking much though. Everytime she tried to walk she would complained that it was painful.
The medical team did come and visit us in the afternoon and they were happy with her progress. There was talk that we could go home the next day. When the Lil' Tiger heard the word HOME, her little face lighted up and she insisted that I put her shoes on. Alas, we could only go home the next day after the Rheumatologist has taken a last look.
The next day came and the Rheumatologist came for a visit. She had one last look and told me "I do not think that it is Juvenile Arthritis. It maybe a case of a very bad viral infection that infected her joints. Keep trying to encourage her to walk and also stay away from public places and daycare if you can help it for at least 2 weeks. You should be ok to go home today.
YES! And so we did.
I would like to thank everyone who wished us well and crossed all their fingers and toes. We are truly blessed to have people that we know personally and through the wonders of internet praying for us.
