Rotavirus

I called the doctor back this evening when Rowan's fever spiked to 103, and he was overly lethargic in my opinion. When he got up to try to walk, he would seem disoriented and fall down. Literally ONE OUNCE of Pedialyte was making him have the runs. When he would drink one ounce, he would lose about 5 ounces in his diapers.
The nurse on call was very nice and very helpful. She instructed me to not give him anything for the temperature, and to reduce fluids to one teaspoon every 15 minutes for two hours. If he continued to have diarrhea or was vomiting, I was to call her back immediately. She also gave me some warning signs for dehydration, and if any of these happened I was to take him to the ER immediately. Basically, I was looking for: no wet diapers (she told me to put a Kleenex in the front of his diaper to see if he was wetting), dry mouth, dry lips or hazy eyes. I have been keeping a CLOSE eye on him for the last few hours, and cut his liquids as I was told to do. He takes the Pedialyte great, and wants more, but I cannot give him more! This has been very difficult to do. Also, I have been monitoring his temperature, which as of 15 minutes ago has gone down to 100.4.
I have him in my bed tonight; he is sound asleep for now! I am hoping that he does well through the night, and I am really hoping for a wet diaper by the time I lie down for bed tonight. Please say a prayer for our little guy tonight!!! Also, if you are wondering about the Rota virus, please see this site:

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/rotavirus.html

My poor baby~!!!!

Okay, so Rowan woke up this morning still running a temp. of 102. I decided, after a MASSIVE diarrhea diaper, to call Dr. Milbrandt, Rowan's pediatrician. She told me that he had five red flags for an ear infection: not sleeping for more than 45 minutes at a time, tugging on his ears, not wanting to eat or drink, diarrhea and a temperature. Because his temp was over 99, which is average for teething and/or ear infection, she was a little concerned and wanted me to bring him in today.
So, when we got there, we hadn't even made it to the elevator yet, and Rowan projectile vomited all over himself and the floor. I rushed him up to get checked in, and the nurse took him to clean him up. She brought me rags, towels and a blanket to wrap him up in. While we were waiting to get him weighed, Rowan started to have diarrhea again...and I knew because of what sounded like a freight train near his rear end. AND LORD, did it ever SMELL! Between the puke and the diarrhea, it was almost unbearable! Well, they weighed him and checked his temp, which had come down to 99.8. I had given him two doses of Tylenol since talking to the doc this morning!
The doc came in and asked lots of questions, then picked him up...and he threw up again! She said he had some viral infection of the GI tract, or something like that. She is concerned about him staying hydrated mostly, and she gave him some Pedialyte right then...I am to ONLY give him Pedialyte, one ounce every two hours, NO FOOD for 36 hours and NO MILK for ONE WEEK!!!!!! I don't know how he will handle this, but I will follow her orders to keep him hydrated, whatever it takes!!! :-) We went by Walgreen's to get him some Tylenol and Pedialyte...he threw up again, and had more diarrhea. We have been home for 45 minutes, and I have already changed two diapers. I am hoping we don't end up in the hospital tonight for dehydration. Dr. Milbrandt said his mouth and lips were a little dryer than she would like, so I am to keep close eye on it through the night. Also, I am to call her tomorrow and let her know how he is doing.

I asked her about his gag reflex, and she said she didn't feel comfortable dealing with the issue, but that his choking is a concern b/c it happens so often. By Monday we will have an appointment with an eating specialist at Koke Mill who will administer food and see what he does, hopefully we will know what is causing his choking!

Productive day, and I am ready for some answers!

Loves and hugs!!!

Red Cross

Today I called the Red Cross to sign up for first aid classes. I am going to take two classes next week: the first one is called Infant & child CPR, and it deals with the Heimlich maneuver and CPR, as well as all things first aid for children and infants. The second is basic first aid, which covers just about everything: bandages, burns, broken bones, seizures, allergies, administering medicines, strokes, you name it! They are next Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9 PM, and I am very excited to get started on them!!! I want to feel well-equipped and ready for anything...moms out there you know that with children, we truly do need to be "ready for anything at any time"!!! Being alone, raising our son on my own for now, I need to know what to do in case of an emergency. With Rowan's gag reflex, and choking, I think I will really benefit from these two classes! It is $25 for the first class, and $5 for the second. At this point, I would pay 10 times this for peace of mind!!!