We’ve had a rough go the last 12 days. Lydie woke up early one morning with a slight fever. This isn’t a rare occurance and we weren’t too worried. The rest of the day she seemed completely herself and didn’t have a fever anymore. The next morning, the same thing – early wake up with a mild fever. But this day was different. Lydie definitely didn’t seem well. We tried to do some school in her room so she could relax but I could still be close to her. By the afternoon, I called things off though.
Lydie was in and out of sleep and had a bad cough. While she was sleeping in the afternoon, her breathing seemed really labored and so I checked her oxygen and it was really bad. I panicked and texted Mark asking him what to do. I ended up getting her up (which she didn’t like and was not easy) and her oxygen improved but it still wasn’t great. And thus began our around the clock watch with Lydie.
The next day, things had not improved. Her oxygen levels were better, but still not great. Her fever was a lot worse, she was really lethargic, and she was throwing up. So I called up her pediatrician and scheduled an appointment to take her down later that morning.
Of course, Lydie was the happiest little thing the whole time we were at the doctors. In fact, I was feeling a little foolish about bringing her in with how happy she seemed to be.
But the doctor and nurses were not happy with her oxygen and after an examination, they took her down to get a chest x-ray which confirmed that she had pneumonia. This was what I had suspected it was. What I didn’t expect was that they had swabbed her for viral infections as well when we came in, and that came back positive for RSV. What a double dose of misery!
I dropped Lydie off at home and got her settled (and under Sarah’s watchful care) and then ran down to the pharmacy to get her antibiotics. The problem was, Lydie was throwing up almost as soon as anything got into her. Normally, she reacts really well and quickly to medication, but I was worried about whether her body would let it stay in her long enough to work its magic.
That first day was really hard. The meds were not going well and she was just in and out of wakefulness. One of us was with Lydia, always. I could tell she was so tired, not just sick tired, but a deeper kind of tired. It had only been about six weeks since we all got over Influenza A (which just wiped out our family for a solid 10 days for Christmas and New Years), and I think she was just tired. There were a whole lot of prayers and I believe in their power.
Finally, a couple days later, we saw the turnaround. It’s been an exhausting couple of days, but we are feeling so grateful. I am so grateful Lydie was able to be home, where I know she feels safe and comfortable and loved. I am so grateful we have learned over the years how to manage things. I am so grateful Lydie’s body continues to fight yet I wish it didn’t have to fight so much. We are thankful for all of the prayers that were said for her and I know she felt them 🤍
