Sick, Sick, Sick!

Well, we've been hit hard this week! Kallie has had a cough off and on since December but it hasn't been too bad so we haven't worried too much about it until Friday. She was coughing all day and then came down with a fever in the evening. It went up to about 104 before we finally got it to come down. Then she did the same thing the next day and her cough just kept getting worse. So, Sunday we decided she needed to be seen by a doctor. Her pediatrician works in a group so they offer weekend appointments as necessary but you have to see the physician on call. Well, I thought any doctor would be better than none, but I was mistaken! We went in and he came in for maybe five minutes and checked her, not very thoroughly, and said she has a bad ear infection and she needs antibiotic to clear it up. He didn't know any of Kallie's extensive medical history and didn't give me time to express all of my concerns. But of course, my passive husband and I decided to just take the prescription and go.
This is Kallie on the way to that doctor's appointment.

So, we went home and I stayed up all night with a coughing toddler who couldn't catch her breath! We then decided that Kallie should see her regular pediatrician on Monday. By that time Abbie and I were sick too but not as bad as Kallie. So Abbie and Kallie and I went to see Dr. Lee and we're so grateful for her. She confirmed that Kallie's ear tubes have fallen out and her ears are both infected. She also checked her oxygen saturation level and listened to her lungs. Her Oxygen was at 92% which is OK but she was wheezing when she was breathing. So, Dr. Lee gave her a breathing treatment at the office and then checked again. The treatment improved her breathing slightly. So, the verdict is that Kallie may have RSV which is a virus that we all can get. In healthy people it just manifests as any other cold and cough, but in people with somewhat repressed immune systems it can be much worse. There is a vaccine called Synagis that protects against RSV but it is very expensive and only recommended for preemies and baby's with heart and lung conditions and is generally only given for the first year or two. Kallie had these shots every month for the first two winters of her life and then we all (us and the doctors) decided that she was healthy enough and big enough not to need them this year. Apparently we were wrong! Luckily we have a nebulizer machine at home and we've been doing the breathing treatments and other medications this week. She is getting a lot better which is wonderful because the doctor said that if she didn't get better in a week then she may need to be checked for pneumonia. We'll just keep treating and praying that she gets past this. Here she is with Daddy giving her a breathing treatment. The doctor gave her a cute little dinosaur mask, but she still doesn't necessarily like the treatments.

While we were at the doctors office Abbie drew a cute picture of herself with a silly hat on. Dr. Lee asked if she could keep it to hang on her bulletin board and Abbie told her, "No! I need it so when my Mom gets mad at me I can show it to her and make her happy again." HAHAHAHAHA I thought I'd share it with you!

Well, then Abbie and I just kept getting sicker and sicker. Abbie stayed home from school for 3 days and went back today for her valentine's party! We had a lot of fun making valentines for her teachers and classmates. Here she is just resting which is a very rare sight!

We had a very hard day on Tuesday as I became very ill. My wonderful sister-in-law, Michele, and my parents-in-law brought us dinner that night. It was so appreciated! We love you guys!
Then, surprise of the month, my Mom hopped on a plane and came to our house to take care of us! Her boss offered her some time and some frequent flyer miles so she took them! We had no idea she was coming until she called at midnight and told Karlo to unlock the front door. We're so grateful to have her here. She's been doing all my chores and trying to keep up with Abbie and Kallie. That's a full time job in and of itself. She's also been working, her regular job, a little, thanks to the Internet! We love you Mom and thanks Dad for living without her for a few days! I'm sure we could have survived but she has sure made things a lot better!
For now we are just going to stay home and keep our germs to ourselves, but we hope to see you all as soon as we're feeling better.
Give a little Love this Valentine's Day!