Sorry for the loooong hiatus. Time has flown by so quickly. It's crazy to believe that Eli has now been home with us for two months! He has changed so much, it is hard to believe he was once that teeny baby in the NICU. Here is what's been happening with us.
After our pulmonolgy appointment last month, the doctor decided we needed to try Eli off of oxygen completely. Prior to this, Eli had been on the lowest setting of oxygen for a few weeks and we'd been taking the oxygen off during the day for a few hours. It was definitely time to see what he could do! The doctor said if he made it for two weeks without oxygen, he would be in the clear. We were pretty nervous that first night, but Eli was still wearing his monitor so we knew it would beep if anything were to go wrong. Those first few days we were nervous, but excited that he was getting strong enough to not need any support. And it was also great to not have to carry all of the equipment around the house. We felt free.
About a week and a half later Eli was acting a little lethargic. I didn't think too much of it because it was still the morning and I thought he might perk up more in the afternoon. Throughout the day he wasn't very hungry and was still sleeping a lot. I took his temperature and it was normal so I thought everything was fine and he just needed to sleep more that day. I told myself I would call the doctor if he was still lethargic the next day. That evening, Jason and I went out to dinner and Jason's parents watched Eli for us. I put the monitor on him since he had been acting a little off just in case. While we were gone, Eli had a few apnea episodes–not severe, but enough to make all of us concerned. Jason and I came home and when I picked up Eli he felt hotter than normal. We took his temperature and it was 102ยบ! He had a few more apnea episodes and we then we really started to worry. We put Eli's oxygen back on and called the pediatrician's office. Since it was after hours we talked to the on call nurse. She spoke with the doctor and then told us to head to the ER. Before we left Jason and Cliff gave Eli a blessing. We went knowing we made the right decision and the doctors would know how to help Eli.
After our pulmonolgy appointment last month, the doctor decided we needed to try Eli off of oxygen completely. Prior to this, Eli had been on the lowest setting of oxygen for a few weeks and we'd been taking the oxygen off during the day for a few hours. It was definitely time to see what he could do! The doctor said if he made it for two weeks without oxygen, he would be in the clear. We were pretty nervous that first night, but Eli was still wearing his monitor so we knew it would beep if anything were to go wrong. Those first few days we were nervous, but excited that he was getting strong enough to not need any support. And it was also great to not have to carry all of the equipment around the house. We felt free.
About a week and a half later Eli was acting a little lethargic. I didn't think too much of it because it was still the morning and I thought he might perk up more in the afternoon. Throughout the day he wasn't very hungry and was still sleeping a lot. I took his temperature and it was normal so I thought everything was fine and he just needed to sleep more that day. I told myself I would call the doctor if he was still lethargic the next day. That evening, Jason and I went out to dinner and Jason's parents watched Eli for us. I put the monitor on him since he had been acting a little off just in case. While we were gone, Eli had a few apnea episodes–not severe, but enough to make all of us concerned. Jason and I came home and when I picked up Eli he felt hotter than normal. We took his temperature and it was 102ยบ! He had a few more apnea episodes and we then we really started to worry. We put Eli's oxygen back on and called the pediatrician's office. Since it was after hours we talked to the on call nurse. She spoke with the doctor and then told us to head to the ER. Before we left Jason and Cliff gave Eli a blessing. We went knowing we made the right decision and the doctors would know how to help Eli.
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| The nurse had us strip him down once we got to the ER since he was so hot. |
We got Eli to the ER and all checked in and waited to see the doctor. At this point, I was starting to feel sick. I wasn't sure if I was feeling nauseated because I was nervous for Eli or if I was really starting to get something. Either way, I physically wasn't able to take care of Eli. Jason and I decided I would go home and get some rest (it was 1am at this point) so I could take care of Eli the next day. Poor Jason didn't get any sleep since hospital staff kept coming in and out to do tests on Eli to figure out what was wrong. A few hours later, the doctor diagnosed Eli with bronchiolitis, which is a common illness of the respiratory tract that is caused by an infection (in Eli's case a virus) that affects the bronchioles. As the airways become inflamed, they swell and fill with mucus which leads to breathing difficulty. The doctor said the virus takes about two weeks to run its course and the only thing to do is wait it out. Luckily, the worst days of the virus are 3-5 and she assumed Eli must be right in the middle of that period.
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| That's an IV on his arm, not a cast. |
The next morning, Eli was doing much better and so was I. He had pulled his oxygen off at some point during the night and was able to maintain his oxygen saturations. His fever had also broken on its own. With his condition much improved, the doctor said we would be able to go home that night. Our little ER experience wasn't too bad, but we sure don't want to end up there again!
The next few nights we had to put Eli on oxygen while he slept because he started to get more congested and had a hard time breathing. Eventually his congestion cleared and it's now been over a week since we have had to give him oxygen. We're hoping at our next pulmonology appointment that we will officially be done with the oxygen!
Eli is such a sweet-tempered, easy baby. He doesn't cry much and is so patient. When he wakes up, he will be quiet in his crib for a little bit and then make these cooing noises until we come get him. He's the best! He is a pretty serious baby, but we manage to get a few smiles out of him.
