Nathan's Big Adventure

Once upon a Saturday....
Baby Nathan woke up and was not acting his normal, cheery self. He had been battling a little head cold, along with the rest of the family, but he had seemed fine other than some stuffiness and a small cough. But on Saturday morning he woke up extremely fussy and very sleepy. I decided to take him to the pediatricians office. They only have walk-ins on Saturday so I got there right when they opened thinking I might beat the crowd....WRONG!! So my four kids and I sit in the waiting room, probably picking up three additional bugs for the one we came with, and patiently wait for our turn. We couldn't see our doctor so had to settle for a different one. She looked him over, checked ears and throat and such. She ruled it to be a simple cold and sent us on our merry way.
By early afternoon I knew that something wasn't right. He had been sleeping all day and wasn't eating. Then came the fever and the real beginning of our adventure. I took him over to KidMed. For those of you who live in Richmond, I highly recommend this place if your child ever needs urgent care. It is SO much better than the ER and has mostly the same capabilities (ie. a lab, x-ray, etc). There are three doctors, all of them are from St. Mary's ER staff and they are EXCELLENT. Anyway, we head over there. By this point his fever is higher. They examine him, run tests, take a urine sample (via catheter...it was awful), do an x-ray and attempt to administer an IV. Need less to say, mom is starting to fall apart. After the third attempt to put in the IV I was truly sobbing. My poor little man was losing his voice from crying so much and everything from his temperature to my blood pressure was continuing to rise. When they came in the fourth time to attempt the IV I informed them that if they came within two feet of my son with another needle I would politely rip their arms out of their sockets, retrieve the needle and they could have it back when they preyed it from my cold, lifeless fingers. They got the doctor. :) The doctor and I talked and agreed to hold off on the IV as long as he would eat. And he did. Blessing!
After examining the x-ray and the blood work they determined that he may have the early stages of bacterial pneumonia, along with the virus that caused it. The virus was NOT the flu or RSV. Blessing!
Because he is so tiny they decided he needed to go to St.Mary's for observation and possible treatment. So we were taken by emergency transport. It was awful watching my baby be strapped to a gurney and being loaded up. The staff was so kind. They even put on a movie for him. I was not allowed to ride in the back with him so they would call up to the front and let me know how he was doing. A word about riding in an emergency transport...it's terrible. It feels a bit like riding in a plane that's crashing.
We get to the hospital and get into our room. It was a very humbling experience walking down the halls of the pediatric unit. I don't think I'll ever let a day pass without praying for the children and parents who endure serious illness. It was an eye opening experience.
After a long night of observation things were looking much better. He was active and happy, no fever, his lungs sounded clear. Sunday afternoon we were able to come home with antibiotics.
This morning he had an appointment with his doctor. She checked his white count and it was normal! BLESSING!! The bacteria is clearing and his lungs sound good. It looks like we dodged a bullet this time. Pneumonia in a new baby is no joke.
We are so thankful that Nathan is doing well. I truly felt guided to know what things to do for him and I am so thankful for that. As always, I am amazed by the beauty of medical technology. We had wonderful doctors and nurses. I am so thankful for that.
We are glad to be home and happy. BLESSINGS!!!!