Back to himself after a strange episode

This morning I had brought Lila to a potential Mermaid School Class which she couldn't end up doing because of a recent staff infection not completely healed. We were both so very sad and headed home when Mike called with some concern about Ian.

He was doing his seated bouncing up and down on the couch, as he so often does while watching Thomas, but he mentioned he was shivering. He was a little concerned. I was heading home so we agreed I'd look at him when I arrived. Then he called back and asked how far we were from home as he was becoming more concerned as it was getting worse.

I rushed the last couple streets and by the time I ran in to check him out he was curled up in a ball shaking as if he was freezing. His feet were very cold and bluish but his forehead was warm. I took his temp and it was 101.9. I asked Mike to get some Ibuprofen but Ian was not having it, even in applesauce. It had looked bad but when he's refusing applesauce, we know it's really bad.

We agreed I'd take him to the ER. I felt he should stay with Lila since she was concerned and that I'd just take him to UCLA. I'd only made it a block and he seemed to be passing out, very lethargic and I realized I couldn't do it. I dialed 911 on my cell and turned around and drove back home.

In the ambulance, he felt even hotter and began vomiting. At this point I was very scared. We were wheeled straight into a room. Ironically, the same one we were in last time there for the horrible hypoglycemic incident. The temp now showed 105.1 but they were able to get him acetometiphen rectally. For the duration of this experience, he was clinging to me. Opening his eyes once in a while to view the chaos around him.

Before we even got into a room I made my case for getting a NICU nurse to get the IV. They agreed to check but said it might take a bit. But by now, his eyes were fluttering and rolling around strangely as if he was beginning to have a seizure. And I began freaking out even more telling them to please have anyone do the IV at this point. Remarkably, the nurse got it on the first try. The did 2 boluses of Vancomycin and pumped him with fluid. We put cold packs on his head as well. His fluttering eyes stopped pretty quickly, thank goodness!

Mike, who had driven my car to the hospital, had arrived as it all was happening. They did a chest X-ray to rule out the Staff Infection from his sister entering his lungs, which I guess would present with these symptoms. By now he was able to hold an iPad. Not very animated but could hold and watch. I realized I had to use the restroom and I hadn't eaten anything yet that day so since he was somewhat stable and Mike (and the iPad) was there I snuck out for a few minutes.

When I returned from the cafeteria with food and drinks for us all, he was fast asleep with the paused iPad in his hands. The various docs came in to talk with us. Thus far, none of the bloodwork was showing anything nor did the X-ray. They wanted to rule out the shunt by doing a CT. We took a bit of time discussing doing an MRI instead to gather more info and we needed to do one anyway. Eventually we ruled it out, for various reasons, and decided to stick with CT.

Before they were to do a CT they had to do a Shunt Series of X-rays. As they were hooking him up to the potable monitor, he woke up. We rolled into radiology and he perked up. He still had the iPad and was as happy as could be. While we were going through the motions for the 3 scans, he had almost come back to his old self, with the help of the good-old stand-by Barney Animal ABC's!

Coming back to the room, everyone was quite happy to see what an animated and sweet boy he is. With his extensive history, it's tricky for the health care providers in these situations to imagine what his baseline personality is. And when they experience it they it all becomes clear why we are so concerned when he's not himself.

We were told that the protocol was to admit him for observation, which is how we come to all of these pics. He was pretty angry to have to go to sleep with his usual book reading instead of special iPad time. But he is resting beautifully now, with Thomas and Seahorse by his side, thanks to his very special daddy and sister!

Hope it was just a fluke and we will be out of here tomorrow.

luckily they took him off his drip to let him have freedom

daddy bought him this to do while here. I did most but got him to help with a few of the last pieces. 

thank goodness for iPads!

after he was stable I tried to prep him for the very non-preferred task of the blood pressure cuff

this is what he typed the next time they put it on him ;)