The boys are now officially 2 months old and as of today, have been out of the NICU for 6 full weeks. But, just as we were getting into a routine with the boys and adjusting to life outside of the hospital, we now find ourselves back in the hospial- although this time in the pediatric wing.
Tuesday night we checked into the ER with Hudson and by early Wednesday morning, he was admitted to the hospial. What started out as a cough and runny nose over the weekend for both boys, escallated into much more for Hudson as the week began. Both boys had been spitting up more than usual due to their coughs, but for Hudson, the spitting became full fledged throwing up by Monday morning. And his breathing also became an issue as his stuffy nose got worse and the congestion traveled to his lungs.
We worked hard to help Hudson keep his milk down, trying to keep him as upright as possible with his feedings and avoiding any unnecessary jostling, and kept him directly by a humidifier to help break up his congestion. By Tuesday however, anything he ate would almost immediately come back up and his breathing seemed to keep getting worse. After almost a full day of his inability to keep food down and, consequently, only one wet diaper in 24 hours, we knew it was serious. And his starting to look gray that night was the final straw that sent us straight to the ER.
When we checked in Tuesday night, they weighed Hudson (11 lbs 1 oz fully clothed) and took his O2 levels (97%). Their first order of business was to get an IV line run in order to get him hydrated right away. But, three nurses and 5 blown veins later, they gave up trying. Our poor guy looked like a pin cushion when we finally put our foot down. At this point, we truly were missing the amazing NICU staff at St Mary's.
Having been sitting in the ER for a couple hours by that point, Hudson had wet his diaper (second of the day) and was able to eat and keep down some of his bottle. So, we asked theme to not run an IV and see if we could hydrate him orally. They then ran a nasal swab to test for the flu and RSV (a respitory infection) and did a chest X-Ray to look at his lungs and determine if he had phenomena.
When the results came back in, we found out Hudson had RSV. RSV can present itself in adults as just a common cold, but when contracted by a baby, the symptoms are far more severe and can be life threatening. But since RSV is a viral infection, there really is nothing they can do to treat it other than treating the symptoms. They suspect Colton has it as well, but as his case is nowhere near as severe, they aren't concerned. So, with that diagnosis, Hudson was admitted to the hospial.
The biggest turn around for him came when they hooked him up to a continual O2 monitor and, based on what they saw, decided to put him on oxygen. Although he had high O2 numbers when we were admitted, his numbers were in constant flux as he labored to breathe around all of the congestion. As soon as his O2 was up and consistent, he began eating more, keeping everything down, and his lovely soiled and wet diapers returned.
It's now been just over 24 hours since being admitted and Hudson is really doing great. Gone is his throwing up, he is fully hydrated, and his cough and congestion are at a minimum. We are hoping and praying when we talk with the Dr this morning, he will discharge us today. Beyond the oxygen support and watching his O2 levels, there really is nothing else that warrants his being here. Landon and I are doing absolutely everything for both him and Colton (he was not admitted, but he's here with us)- the staff here just checks in now and again to run vitals and see if we need anything. At most, we would just need to take oxygen home with us. And that is something we know we can handle.
We found it odd- they only have a patient bed for Hudson (no crib) and encouraged us to sleep in the bed next to him.
They gave us a bassinet for Colton to sleep in- he barely fits.
