Saturday, March 27, 2010

RSV

Madison came down with a fever Thurs night & got worse on Friday. I took her to the Dr (since I don't trust her) and she tested positive for RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus, which causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages and is a major cause of respiratory illness in young children). RSV is highly contagious, so we are spending the weekend at home. The antibiotic that she has been on does not prevent or help the RSV since it's a virus - it just has to run it's course. The Dr says her lungs sound fine & she should be better by Sun/Mon. Our main concern is that RSV can cause bronchiolitis or pneumonia, both of which she has had several times. For now we keep her fever under control with Motrin, continue breathing treatments & try to keep her comfortable. She was up every 1-2 hours last night coughing & throwing up. She still has a fever today, but I'm hopefully we'll have a better day today.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Yo Gabba Gabba

Madison seems to be doing better on the 6-week antibiotic, Zyrtec & Nasonex. She still gets congested a day or so after playing outside. But like Willie says, "she can't live in a bubble"! We went to see Yo Gabba Gabba this weekend @ The Fox Theater & Madison really enjoyed it! Madison & Daddy feeding the ducks in our front yard.
Getting ready for Yo Gabba Gabba to start.

Covered in balloons that fell from the ceiling.



She was shy & quiet the entire time (I don't think she liked all the people & noise). But she watched like this the whole time.







Sunday, March 7, 2010

Ready for summer!











Wednesday, March 3, 2010

CT Scan cancelled

We discussed options with the Dr today & decided to try the 6-week antibiotic before we do a CT Scan. She'll take the antibiotic twice a day for 6 weeks & that will HOPEFULLY kick the sinus infection that she's been dealing with for a few months now. If that doesn't work, we'll try a CT Scan. In the meantime, we got an air purifier for her room, she's taking the Nasonex & Zyrtec daily and we'll continue to keep her room super clean. We also have a follow up appt with the allergist on March 15th. At least she won't be sick for 6 weeks :)

P.S. My goal for this weekend is to take some new pictures of Madison...stay tuned...

Monday, March 1, 2010

Madison update

We've been so busy taking Madison to the Dr. lately that I haven't had time to take new pictures or update the blog!

Our pediatrician recommended that we see an Allergist because Madison has been so sick with respiratory illness lately (she's averaging a sinus infection at least once a month & had had pneumonia five times). The allergist did a prick-test and took seven vials of blood to run some advanced tests on her immune system, blood cell counts and more allergies that they test by blood. The prick-test was 24 needle pricks on her back, each with a specific allergy (dust mites, cat hair, etc.) After the pricks were done, we had to wait 20 minutes to see if the skin would swell around each site. Madison is allergic to most of the tests: cat hair, dust mites, several types of grass and trees, hay, feathers used in feather pillows & down comforters, cockroaches (apparently these are common in older school-type buildings).

The allergist recommended that we try Nasonex nose spray & Zyrtec antihistamine daily. We also covered her pillow & mattress, got rid of unnecessary stuffed animals & blankets & are working on getting an air purifier for her room. Pulling the carpet out of her room is probably next on Willie's to-do list. We've been giving her those medications for a week & she still managed to get sick again. Her nose is constantly draining & she's so congested that she coughs all night. Before I could call the Allergist this morning to schedule another appointment (our follow-up wasn't scheduled until Mar 15th), they called me with her blood test results from last week. Her immune system & allergy tests were fine, but her white blood cell count is elevated which means she has an infection. SO...the CT Scan of her sinuses has been moved up. Since there is no way that Madison will stay still for the CT Scan, we're taking her to Children's Hospital where they will sedate her for the Scan. I'm waiting to hear back from the anesthesiologist to see if they can sedate her with these respiratory problems. They called earlier today to get her history & are supposed to call me back. It scares me that they think it's risky, but I'm glad they are being thorough. I'm sure they won't do it if poses any harm to Madison.