Code Yellow

Susanne was unable to get ahold of the pediatrician yesterday, but she knew she needed to try again today because Paxton was up all night vomiting. Susanne was thankful that Scott had been there to give her an extra hand. Susanne had decided to give him a dose of Tylenol after the third time he woke up crying, gagging, and vomiting. He just seemed uncomfortable and he couldn't get settled. It seemed to have worked well the night before. He wasn't febrile so she knew she wasn't masking that symptom. She had been encouraged to give him a pain reliever as needed after being discharged from the hospital last month. Both she and Scott did not think that it would hurt anything with giving it another shot. Thankfully, it worked.

Scott and Susanne were both working off of about four hours of sleep. They had to get up relatively early because they still needed to pack the car. It was important to try to get this done in a timely manner because Scott and Poppy had a six hour drive ahead of them. No big breakfast this morning just something quick and easy. Poppy had left over cold pizza which they all agreed was an awesome choice. Poppy then held Paxton while Scott and Susanne shuffled through which clothes and books to bring down to NC with him. Paxton was a lethargic lump in his arms. He sat with Paxton for a little over an hour and the expression on his face never changed. It wasn't like him to not engage with people. He usually would laugh or smile without the person having to work for it.

Susanne finally got in touch with the pediatrician once the gang had left. She thought that it would be best if Susanne took Paxton to the emergency room for an evaluation instead of waiting until tomorrow. Her main concern was the bulging fontanelle, swelling around both eyes, and increased respiration rate. The things she wanted to rule out were primarily meningitis or a complication from the recent surgery. The other things she considered were a blood clot, tumor, and upper respiratory infection. Susanne took care of the animals and gathered a few items before heading out the door.

Susanne called Moppy and Colleen to see if they could meet her over at the hospital for support. She also thought it would be nice to have a second set of ears to pick up on things that she might miss if she became distracted by the situation. Colleen accepted the invitation and thought that she could be there in no time at all. Susanne arrived at the ER and knew exactly where to park because a couple of months prior Paxton was taken to the ER for coughing up blood. Just like always, Susanne had her arms full of stuff she would need for Paxton while they waited. She had his diaper bag, his feeding bag, the medication bag, the bag with his evening feeding, her purse, the car seat and the baby. She was fully loaded and Paxton had never felt as heavy. As she started walking toward the hospital, she saw the shuttle that took patients and their families from the parking lot to the front door of the emergency room within a few feet of her. She was so thankful for a service like this....that was until it pulled away and left her in the dust. Susanne was beyond mad. Despite being angry, she had to push on. She carried Paxton and all of his belongings along the long path that eventually lead her to the ER. By the time that she got there, she thought that she would need to be seen by the doctor as well for overexertion and fatigue.

The ER was hopping for a Sunday night. Thankfully, they did not have to wait too long because he was an infant. Colleen made it just in time to walk back with them to an exam room. Susanne was relieved to have her there. The doctor came in to take a look at Paxton pretty quickly. The nice thing was that the doctor actually knew them from when Paxton was in the hospital the first two months of his life. This made things a lot easier that she was already familiar with Paxton's medical history. Susanne had spent some time over the last week typing out a medical timeline of Paxton's history that included the hospitals he had been to, what services he had received, the duration of his stay, diagnostic tests that were done, and surgeries that had been performed. She also typed out the medications he was on, how much he was getting and how often he was getting them. She had no idea how handy it ended up being in a situation like this. It was definitely time well spent. Now the doctor could spend less time getting a history and focus on figuring out what was wrong with her sweet baby.

They started with a bunch of different tests. Over the course of a few hours, Paxton had nasal swabs taken, blood drawn, a urine sample collected, x-rays of his chest, and a CT scan of his brain. Unfortunately, Paxton was not happy about any of the above and it didn't help that they had difficulty collecting all of the samples. They collected nasal swabs to rule out the potential for RSV or influenza. They didn't get great samples because his nasal passages were dry. They tried to collect urine by placing a urinary catheter, but his bladder was completely empty. This was definitely a first for Paxton. They ended up placing a sterile bag to collect a sample as soon as he urinated the next time. Paxton had radiographs taken which also weren't pleasant for the little guy. He had seemed painful over the last few days in the neck and shoulder region. He got upset and cried when Susanne had to position his arms above his head for the x-ray. He recovered quickly once Susanne was able to pick him up and comfort him. The worst test by far was the blood collection. Susanne warned the nurses that he had awful veins and that most hospitals had to recruit their most skilled phlebotomist. The nurse tried for what felt like hours. She was unsuccessful with the first two attempts, but finally got it after using a Wee Sight Transilluminator. This was a special light that helped to locate the tiny veins in his arms and assist with the insertion and placement of the needle. Susanne had to hold an oxygen mask over Paxton's face while they attempted to draw blood because his oxygen levels kept dropping into the sixties and seventies from him being so mad. Colleen had to help restrain his legs so that he would be as still as possible. They were all relieved when that was over. Finally, they got a CT scan of his brain. Paxton had to be strapped down so that he would not move while the machine was collecting data. Paxton screamed bloody murder the whole time. He was not thrilled with having to lie still. The only positive thing that came from it was that he finally urinated out of anger so they got their sample.

For the next few hours, Colleen and Susanne waited to hear any news about the test results. During that time, Colleen entertained Paxton and tried to get him to forget about the torture he had just endured. Susanne spent this time snacking on some of the goodies that Colleen had brought for them. She was always so prepared and thoughtful. She had packed chips, strawberries, granola bars, water, and magazines...all of which were within the confines of Susanne's strict diet. This saved Susanne's life because she had not had a chance to eat dinner before she had left for the hospital. What would she do without Aunt Leenie? There was no one quite like her in the world.

Eventually, Colleen had to leave because she had to work early in the morning. By the time she left, the doctor had still not returned with any test results. Right before midnight, Susanne found out that Paxton would be staying the night for observation. She also learned that all of the tests that had come back so far looked good. They were still having difficulty finding a reason for his clinical signs. She was hoping to have more answers by tomorrow.