I Spoke Too Soon..

Ethen had his 1st hospital stay last night...and it was pretty scary for all of us! To make a long story short, Monday Ethen came down with a fever and vomited. Tuesday a rash (kinda like a sunburn over sand-paper skin) appeared, Wednesday we took him to the doc and he was diagnosed with Scarlet Fever (strep throat with a rash/fever). So, they put him on amoxacillin, his fever went away and his rash went away (for the most part). Friday evening, bumps appeared on his calves and shins, along with swelling and pain...scary! I called the doc but they were closed so I headed off to the ER. It seems like I only visit the ER during the night hours?!

I carried Ethen into the ER (it hurt bad to walk) and they got him in pretty quickly. We were in the triage room of the ER dept from around 8pm - 12am when he was finally admitted to the Pediatrics unit with a potential diagnosis of Rheumatic Fever (which is BAD!). He got his first IV (didn't go too well, could have been worse though) and x-rays and blood draws. Good thing was that they used the same port for all his meds and blood draws, so he only saw one needle the whole 12 hour stay! Good thing. He got a pretty good nights sleep (considering?!) and was woken up early to have a few more tests and things done. Well, now that this story has been longer than shorter, a Rheumatologist was consulted and it is NOT Rheumatic Fever...he doesn't have the classic signs (joint aches and swelling, a fever). What a huge relief!!!!! So, as of about 9am this morning, he was discharged with slightly swollen legs. He can walk (pretty pathetically) but nothing that some ice cream and a couple days won't resolve. :-) We were pretty scared for a while but as all the tests came back normal, we were relieved.

He's napping now. And, so is Daddy for that matter. He didn't sleep at all last night. Poor guy has enough trouble sleeping in his own bed let alone a hospital bed with all those types of distractions. So, hopefully he'll get rested between this nap and tonight and be good to go. We probably won't go to church tomorrow or anywhere else for the next couple of days. Hopefully the swelling with go down to his normal size of leg and be on his feet in no time!

I really appreciate all your prayers and concerns. It is not really fun to go through a situation like this, but it is so nice to see how amazing family and friends can be in times like this! Thanks everyone. Your prayers and hugs are very comforting. I'll try and keep you all updated. And, for all your weirdo's like me, I'll try and post a pic of his swollen bumpy legs.