Out of the blue on Saturday morning, our healthy kid, Emme, got a fever. It went from 102 to almost 104 within an hour. What did I do? Called the pediatrician. Just over 24 hours later, we would find ourselves in another ER. This time with, Emme, our strong as a horse almost two year old. To say we were unprepared to see our sweet girl laying in a hospital bed with a gown on and an IV in her arm would be an understatement. It was in no way a life threatening situation but after everything we have been through with Will, it was hard to see Emme so sick too.
I can't quite wrap my head around all the curveballs life continues to throw our way. We could really use a break and some normalcy around here. I have to admit it is hard to keep a positive attitude when it seems like such random things keep happening. I find myself focusing on the hard stuff, like waiting for the phone to ring with results from Will's genetic testing. I don't even want to think about that!
BUT, I can't let myself focus on all that stuff. We have to keep moving forward. Keep our heads down and chins up. We'll get through all of this, one day at a time. In the meantime, I am going to be thankful. Thankful that we have all these 'problems'. We have two beautiful kids. Two miracles. We will survive all this and come out on the other side stronger...and maybe we will have a permanent suite in the ER with our names on it!! ;)
Hoping Emme feels better soon and that Will is shielded from catching anything contagious. The doctors think Emme may have had a tick bite but we will likely never know for sure. She's on an antibiotic and we are hoping she will be back to her spunky self soon.
Ahhh, never a dull moment around here!!! Time to head back to the doc in a little while! Wish us luck!!
I have to tell you I'm very concerned about your little one, Emme. I have been fighting symptoms of Lyme disease and other TBD's (oops, sorry! Tick-Born Diseases) since I was 19 years old--I'm 37. If Emme did get bit by a tick, I feel a duty to just let you know that it is incredibly important to find out the truth behind what may be going on with her. To dismiss the idea of a tick bite with a "but you'll probably never know" seems sorta shallow (not you, but the ER), and to not educate you that Lyme truly IS prevalent in the South is a travesty. I live in GA, btw, and have almost my entire life, having rarely traveled outside of GA, SC, or TN...
ReplyDeleteIf I can be so bold, I'd like to offer you a few statistics that may help you to decide whether or not you want to look more into this. Less than 45% of all Lyme positive (this is KNOWN patients, mind you) patients have EVER seen a tick on them, and about the same %-age have ever seen the "classic" EM/bullseye rash. However, the reason most people don't see a tick is that they rarely know what one looks like, and/or the tick is smaller than the head of a sewing-type of pin, literally smaller than a pinhead. Also, many will get different rashes that are attributed to what's called "idiopathic allergic reactions," but often, they're given steroids or other medications that don't work, and sometimes make the patient more ill inadvertently.
In addition to that, this statistic will blow your mind. It certainly did mine! The CDC clearly and plainly admits that they believe cases of Lyme are under-reported in all states by about 10-12 TIMES; in other words, Lyme is most likely 10-12 TIMES more prevalent in the US than reported. Meaning also that if you look at Lyme vs. HIV/AIDS statistics, Lyme is FAR more prevalent than is HIV/AIDS. Bet ya didn't see that one coming--when I heard it, I thought I was hearing incorrectly. But I checked, and it was correct.
I didn't mention yet (other than a quick "TBD's" above) that there are other concerns besides Lyme if you get bitten by a tick. Things you may have heard of in passing, like Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, Bartonellosis, etc. These should be considered, as some of them can cause the high spikes in fever, even moreso than Lyme can...
Here are a few sites I can recommend you check out, and then make your decision as to what you want to do. I can personally tell you that what I've spent the last 18 years dealing with, and all the misdiagnoses on top of the pain, I wouldn't wish on a little 2-year-old like Emme. She looks so adorable. I hope you'll at least look into these things. And please accept my apologies for just "butting in" where your daughter's health is concerned. I simply hate to see something happen when I might be able to help!
http://www.ilads.org/
http://www.lymedisease.org/
http://www.canlyme.org/
http://www.lymedisease.org/news/lymepolicywonk/368.html
http://www.georgialymedisease.org/
http://thehumansideoflyme.net/index.php
http://www.lymeinfo.net/
Again, I offer only what I can to help you and Emme, not to butt in or be a pain. I hope you'll take this as an offer of help, and not as someone who just thinks they know a lot and want to be a bother with an "I know more than the docs" type of thing!
Hugs and wishes for a quick recovery for Emme!
Jen Surdam
P.S. If you'd like to speak more to me in person, I'd be glad to send you a private message--I see there is a "contact me" button above, so just let me know in a reply message to the comment! :)