PNEUMONIA + PREEMIES = TROUBLE

Keira's croup I wrote about in my last post turned to wheezing just a day later. I took her to the doctor and he confirmed the wheezing and even suspected pneumonia so we began nebulizer treatments every six hours. It didn't take long to realize the nebulizer treatments weren't really making a difference and as the wheezing continued, more symptoms of respiratory distress started showing in Keira (belly breathing, red face, fast heartrate). After another trip to the pediatrician and then a visit to our local emergency room, we finally ended up at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's emergency room where they determined Keira to be 'critical' and admitted us immediately. When hooked up to a pulse ox, her sats read a very low 87-89 and they did an hour long nebulizer treatment on her and hooked her up to oxygen.

I can't tell you how heartbreaking it was to see a nasal cannula back in Keira's nose. My little girl had come so far from the days of being tethered to an oxygen tank, and now here we were, just a month away from her second birthday, with her back to square one. I felt literally sick with worry, but sweet Keira didn't seem phased at all. Her mood stayed upbeat...full of happy smiles and positive energy despite her condition. If we didn't have monitors and highly esteemed doctors warning us just how very sick she was, you would never ever know. Keira spent the next two nights at CHOP. I roomed in with Keira and Steve slept at home with Claire, but traveled back and forth for visits when he wasn't working. It was tough having our family separated and really tough keeping my very active, enthusiastic, curious Keira contained to her hospital crib while being attached to all kinds of wires and tubes.

To pass the time, Keira watched Elmo and Baby Einstein videos on my laptop...

Relaxed...

Hid from the nurses who came in every two hours around the clock for vitals and treatments...

Accessorized (Keira wears these Mardi Gras beads everywhere these days)...

Played 'Doctor' with the nurses (who just LOVED her, by the way!) Notice Keira's pink stethoscope...

Got spoiled with a pretty balloon from her cousin Nancy Carol. (This balloon actually occupied her for a LONG time. I was so thankful!)...

Emailed her peeps on her Barbie laptop about her latest preemie adventures...

By midnight on night two of being a CHOP patient, Keira pulled the cannula out of her nose, threw it out of the crib and announced "ALL DONE!". The nurses decided to see if she was right and continued the monitoring without oxygen. And.....Keira was right! She WAS all done. After an entire night of no O2, her sats were.....

We spent the next day weaning her treatments down to every four hours vs. every two. Her sats still stayed in the high 90's and we were given the OK for discharge. We've been home two days now and Keira continues to do well. She's on a ten day course of antibiotics, two inhalers (one of which is now permanent) and is unable to escape her nervous mommy's constant scrutiny, but so far so good. (Typed while knocking on wood).

As always, thank you for all of your support, prayers, and good thoughts.