Thanks for the prayers - we needed them

Okay, so my last blog left off with those pics of Ligy. The blog was Sat morning, but the pics were actually Friday night. Anyway, Saturday the rash was much worse. It seemed to have all "grown together" to form one MEGA rash. It pretty much looked like Elijah had a horrible sunburn with tiny little blotches of white throughout. He still acted like he was sick, but not horrible. So, Saturday around 1pm I left him with Beau to go to HEB (my retreat!) :) On the way I was talking to my mom. We went over everything the Pediatrician's nurse said Friday on the phone - the nurse didn't seem worried at all. I was telling mom the thing that worries me it the rash seems to be getting worse when it should be staying the same or getting better. She told me I should call the Nurse Access line thru the Pediatrician's office (had some experience with that when Elijah was 13 weeks old) and see if they think it warrants a trip to the ER to have a doc look at it. I hung up with mom and called the nurse line as I pulled into HEB. I stayed on hold for about 10 mins then had a receptionist come on the line, she told me all the nurses were on calls and I could give her my name and number and they should call me back within an hour. So I went into HEB and started shopping.

When I got to the chip isle (almost finished shopping) my cell rang. It was the nurse. I hudled down so I could hear her and I started from the beginning - the mosquito bite and ear infection and told her everything up to the time I left the house. She seemed very worried and told me it is not normal and should rush Elijah to the nearest ER. Okay, so I freaked a little. This is my first time as a mom and its a Learn - As - You - Go process. No one has ever told me I should rush my first born - the pride of my life - to the nearest ER. I called Beau, told him to meet me at the ER (since I was already close to it). I went with my cart full of groceries and found a manager. I told her I had to go to the ER would they do something with my stuff and maybe I'll be back later.

I ran out and drove to the ER. Beau met me there about 20 mins later with a very red and clingy Elijah.

We were triaged and were put in a room. We waited there about 10 mins for a nurse. She asked all the appropriate questions and left. We waited about another 45 mins for the doc. Let me just interject that this is smack dab in the middle of Elijah's nap time and he didn't sleep much the night before. We're in a room with nothing for him to do and he's miserable. The doc came in - and when I say came in I mean stood close to the door, didn't come close to Elijah said its a normal Amoxicillin rash and said he was sending us home. I was dumbstruck, but he sounded so confident that it was so normal and they see it "all the time" so whatever. I was being a mom and not a nurse so I wasn't thinking "why didn't he run blood tests, why didn't he look in his ears/throat/nose?"

He came back in about 10 mins later and said he decided he would give Elijah a Decadron (steriod) shot for the "nonspecific rash". So we got the shot and 30 mins later we were out the door. Beau took him home to bed and I went back to HEB.

HEB had all my groceries and had even kept the cold things cold for me. I love HEB (that will be another blog sometime). Anyway, I finish shopping, go out to my car. Another car is parked too close to mine to get my cart thru and the woman in that car is sitting in there with the window down. So I carry my purse, put it in the fron seat, go get an arm full of groceries to put in that back seat....door is locked....go to the front door hit unlock....go to back door...still locked...go to front door...now its locked with both sets of keys and my cell in the front seat. A bag boy walks by, lets me use his cell to call the cops (he has them on speed dial b/c he always locks his keys in the car and knows they'll unlock it for free - had to be no more than 16). I ask him if he pays for his cell by the minute so I can repay him. He laughs and says no...he doesn't even pay for it. Of course. Anyway, finally get home.

We have dinner and give Elijah a bath. He stays up a little late b/c of his late nap so I put him down at 8:40. He whines himself to sleep somewhere around 9. I go to bed shortly after. I'm awakened by his screams somewhere close to 10 or 10:30. I get up and Beau is with him. He is trying to comfort him, but Elijah is screaming like he's in pain. We change diaper...give bottle...nothing. Beau sits in the chair and reads him books for an hour. Elijah seems tired and so Beau says "want to go night night" Elijah walks into his room, Beau puts him in bed and Elijah starts crying. He cried for about 30 to 45 mins till he fell asleep around midnight. We go to bed.

I am awakened by Elijah's blood curdling screams around 1am. I run into his room. I grab him out of his crib and he is fighting me to get away and screaming. I put him down and he is running out his room and around the livingroom screaming. These screams are something akin to what you hear in movies. He looks terrified. Beau runs in and trys to comfort him with no success. I am now terrified. he won't let us touch him, he is running around screaming. I call my mom around 2 am. The only thing we can think of to calm him down is Veggie Tales. I turn it on and he sits in his chair and quits screaming. I hang up with my mom and call the ER. I happen to know the number from working at the hospital and I talk to a nurse. I ask if this could be a reaction to the decadron. I hear the doc say "definately not, decadron makes you feel good and full of energy" I say "he seems jittery" and tell them he seems like he's having night terrors where they won't go away even after he wakes up. He says no, its probably from the Benadryl and Tylenol. WHAT!! This was happening before that stuff. I hang up. I sit with Elijah on the couch while he watched VT. I doze off...wake up to him crying...see its a commercial and start a new VT. After an hour and a half he is falling asleep. I ask if he want to to to bed. He gets down goes towards his room...I follow. When he crosses his threshold he starts crying. I put him to bed and he cries himself to sleep around 4am. I don't know what else to do because he won't sleep with us or on the couch. He wakes up around 5:30 again and Beau gets up with him. I stay home from church. Elijah never goes back to sleep. He sleeps for an hour Sun afternoon and wakes up screaming. He clings to me all day.

Monday morning I make a dr appt for the afternoon. When we get there we tell him everything. He is so mad at the ER. He says of course the decadron was causing the night terrors, Decadron causes psychosis in babies!!! He goes of on a tangent about ER docs not able to appropriately treat babies. He is mad that they gave him the steriod because it also just made the rash go away so now he can't see it to see what it may be. I show him the previous blog's pics and he takes me to a poster of baby rashes. It looks just like measles. But I tell him that the rash changed on Saturday (I was so frazzled sat that I didn't take pics of the new rash) and by looking at that poster it looks like Fifths Disease (a virus in babies). Anyway he draws blood that confirms a virus and again in infuriated that the ER never drew blood. He looks at his ears and they are clear. He tells us it will take 24 to 48 hours for the decadron to wear off, but things should get better. Next time we'll drive down town to Children's ER if we ever have to go after hours.

Monday night was a little better, he still woke up a lot (he seemed to be having "teething" pain), but no more screaming and he easily fell back asleep. Tuesday morning Beau said Elijah slept till almost 9am! I'm sure he was tired.

Last night he finally slept thru the night again and seems to be getting back on schedule (napping right now). It seems the worst is over and we're all healing.

Our little family is pretty new, but it was definately the worst few days of our lives together and I would say it was the worst night of my life Sat night and believe Beau would say the same. It is heart breaking to hear your child scream like that and not be able to comfort him. It brings me to tears when I think back on it.

I'm sorry this was so long, but everyone keeps asking what all happened and this is easier than rehashing it over and over. I hope you other moms can learn one thing from this: if you need to take your baby to the ER and can get to a pedi ER do it.

Thank you all for your prayers and phone calls. We appreciate the support. Love you all.