Hailee and I are finally home from the hospital. Praise God! I cannot remember when last I felt so physically and emotionally exhausted as I am right now. Goodness gracious. I am worn out. But, I know that this too shall pass.
Hailee is doing a little better. Still not great, but better than she has been this week. She is still dealing with the fevers and horrible lethargy, is eating morsels of food and drinking tiny amounts. But we are so praying that things are improving.
As far as what happened to Hailee, well, we still really don’t know for sure. We are still waiting on the results of many tests which were run–some which will take several days to get back. But as a piggy-back of what Anthony reported on, we do have more results that rule out certain conditions. So in addition to Anthony reported here, we also know that Hailee does NOT have:
Kawasaki’s Disease
Crohn’s Disease
Any immune deficiency diseases
Three weeks ago she contracted some virus–it could be herpes or maybe not–really badly. Her little mouth was literally covered in blisters and ulcers. We were told that the virus had to run its course and there was nothing that could be done to make her feel better. That, together with high fevers, left Hailee absolutely depleted. Being as tiny as she is, she had no ability to fight the virus and as a result her body got so terribly worn out. For a couple of days she seemed to be improving, but then declined rapidly again which was when we ended up in the ER last Sunday. It was there that she tested positive for strep and was given a penicillin shot which we were told would give her a rapid recovery within 24 hours. As you all know, she didn’t improve. In fact, she spiralled downward super fast. By Tuesday morning we could not wake her up at all (very scary) and her fever was sky high. So we ended up back in the ER. Hailee was so dehydrated that her little lips were even chapped. She couldn’t eat a thing. Poor baby.
After a few days of IV fluids and antibiotics, she slowly but surely regained some of her strength and her very high fevers were finally under control. Doctors are perplexed as to what happened though. After the bacterial infection cleared up, it seems as if she caught something else–another kind of virus. Three back-to-back infections left our sweetie pie unable to even stay awake. She was completely worn out to the point of sleeping up to 20 hours a day.
Even though she is still not altogether well and has a way to go, doctors felt that the best place for her right now is out of the hospital. With so many germs and viruses flying around there, and with the inability to fight off anything due to her immune system being so compromised right now, she would be sure to get very sick all over again if she caught something else. She really has no reserves at this point. And so we are now home. The goal is to continue to keep her hydrated and try to get her appetite back to normal.
We’re being extremely vigilant. We have been told that if she refuses to eat or drink, seems lethargic to the point of us being concerned, or if her fevers rise again, we have to go back to the ER immediately. Oh, how we are believing it does not come to that again!
Poor little lovie has also lost so much weight, which is not a good thing on her tiny frame.
Please continue to pray with us that Hailee regains all of her strength and that she is back to her normal, happy, energetic little self really soon. I have got to tell you guys, this week I was actually really afraid for my daughter. Not knowing exactly what was happening and why she was so sick was awful. When tough sicknesses get thrown out there as “possibilities,” it is hard to hear. I have such a new appreciation for parents who have children who deal with horrible sicknesses day in and day out. It is not easy. Seeing our children struggle is one of the hardest things.
This whole situation has been such a reminder to me. Hailee has done so amazingly well since she came home 15 months ago. She has astounded us in how she has grown, gained weight, learned new things, and blossomed before our eyes. She is hardly the same child we brought home from Ukraine. But, given that she has Down syndrome, was severely malnourished for the first five years of her life, was denied the basics of life in an orphanage, and only weighs 21 pounds at six years of age–all means that she is a very fragile little girl. She sure is a tough little fighter–but she also has a lot stacked against her. This week was such a reminder of just how quickly she can spiral downward and become incredibly sick.
Whew!
I am so very thankful for our wonderful friends and neighbors who have gone above and beyond to help us out over the last few days. They really have been a blessing from the Lord.
If any of you know of excellent ways to boost a child’s immune system which is so depleted, would you mind sharing in the comments? She is very picky when it comes to what she will eat and drink. I will take all the advice I can get.
Thank you for praying and trusting with us that Hailee will turn a corner soon and be well on her way to good health. I appreciate it heaps.
In other news, I am working on picking winners from Liliana’s fundraiser and will announce them soon. Please forgive me for the delay in getting it done–I have just been, well, a little bit preoccupied and busy. Thanks for understanding.
