Emma's Hospital Experience

Last Sunday, February 27, we took Emma to Phoenix Children’s Urgent Care and was then transferred to Cardon Children’s Hospital. The day before, on Saturday, she was sneezing and coughing. Later on that day, she ended up getting a high fever. She hardly slept that night and at 5 am, she had a 102.5 fever, which is very high for a 2 month old. If she was 3 months or older, it'd be no big deal. I called her pediatrician and he instructed me to take her Phoenix Children's Urgent Care. We spent about an hour waiting and then were finally seen. They starting running lots of tests.

First, they try to stick a cathedar in, in order to get a urine sample to see if she could possibly have a urinary tract infection. It took 7 different attempts to insert that cathedar. It was so hard as a mother to see my baby lying there, screaming, knowing that I could not pick her up or hold her. Forty-five minutes later, they were finally able to get it in and extract a sample of urine. Then they had to start an IV and take her blood. By that point, I was already super emotional and could not stand hearing my baby cry anymore. So I left the room while Jacob stayed with her. They started an IV and took her blood from her foot but the IV didn't take....poor girl! Then they searched around for another vein and finally got an IV started in her wrist. After that, they gave her fluids and antibiotics. The doctor told us that she thought Emma might have Meningitis and would need to have a lumbar puncture (aka Spinal Tap). What?! I was almost positive that Emma had RSV, not meningitis!

They sent Emma by ambulence to Cardon Children's Hospital to have the "lumbar puncture" done. Once we got in a room, the doctor there came in to examine Emma and told us that he thought she had RSV, not meningitis and that he was not going to do the lumbar puncture. Thank goodness! So they did an RSV test where they shoot fluid up one side of her nose and suck out all the junk through the opposite side of her nose. They also took chest X-Rays and gave her more fluids through her IV. At last, the tests were done and the doctor concluded that Emmas had RSV and bronchiolitis. Luckily, we did not have to stay the night. We were sent home at around 9 pm. She still had 102 fever but the doctor felt like the antibiotics were enough and she could now recover from home. Phew! That was a long story!

Ready to go home!!