Hospital Shenanigans

As I posted a couple of weeks ago, Colin ended up going to the hospital because he caught a bad chest cold, and he was experiencing some breathing difficulties as a result. I offered hope that the worst was past, and that we'd all be better soon. Alas, Colin was subjected to a second trip to the hospital, Keith and Evelyn were felled by the same plague. After the fact, we were told that they likely had a bout of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). All last winter, the babies received monthly injections aimed at warding off RSV - they were eligible because they were born premature. I shudder to think how sick they would have been had they caught this horrible illness when they were so much smaller.

The final tally over 7 days was:

- 2 Emerg visits (Colin);
- 5 doctors' visits (everyone);
- 4 infected ears (Colin & Keith);
- 1 fluid filled ear (Keith);
- 3 children who took turns coughing until they were sick (= LOADS of laundry)
- 8 sleepless nights
- 2 rounds of antibiotics (Colin & Keith)

All of them recovered juuust in time for their 18 month check-ups at with their pediatrician on Monday afternoon, which included their 18 month vaccinations. On Tuesday morning, I noticed Colin's "shot" arm was looking red and swollen, but it didn't seem to be bothering him and he had no fever. That night, Edward was changing Colin into his pjs and called me upstairs to take a look. His arm was now very red and very swollen. We do what we normally do in these situations: we called Edward's father in New Brunswick who has 35 years experience as a family doctor. He told us that the MMR vaccine that Colin received doesn't usually cause that type of reaction, and advised use to take him into the Emergency.

So, Edward and Colin went off for his 3 Emerg visit in as many weeks. I consulted the notoriously unreliable and alarmist Dr. Google, and based on what I read, it looked like Colin had developed cellulitis from the needle puncture. Edward's father - who had not seen Colin, obviously - also thought he had cellulitis. Colin didn't have a fever, but only more advanced cellulitis presents that way. The key is to catch it and treat it quickly before it becomes a serious, systemic infection.

The triage nurse confirmed it was cellulitis, but the doctor disagreed because there was no fever present. However, he did draw a line around the margins of the swelling and wrote a prescription in the "off chance" that he was wrong, and the swelling and redness spread. Well, he was wrong. Slowly over the course of Wednesday, the infection spread to encompass Colin's arm from shoulder to elbow. As an aside, it boggles my mind that someone who saw Colin but has zero medical knowledge (me), and a person with a ton of medical knowledge but who didn't see Colin (Edward's father) got it right. The person who had both the knowledge AND physical access to Colin (the Emerg doctor) got it wrong.

I rushed over that night to fill the prescription, only to be told by the pharmacist that the prescription was totally useless: instead of the 250mg dose Colin should be getting at his weight and age, the doctor inexplicably prescribed him 30mg. What to do? The pharmacist sadly told me that we'd have to go back to the hospital to get another prescription. She must have seen the panic in my eyes. It was almost 9pm, and we'd have to take Colin back for a 4th hospital visit - his 3rd late, sleepless night waiting to be seen in the Emerg. Taking pity on me, she agreed to call the hospital and explain the situation. The hospital asked her to fax the prescription over for their review. Ten minutes before the pharmacy closed, they authorized her to provide the appropriate dose. It took all of my self restraint not to leap over the counter and kiss her! For those of you in the area, this was the Rexall at Carlingwood Mall. We have had excellent service from them, each of the many, MANY times we've needed them.

Most importantly, Colin appears to be well on the mend, and we're taking things a little quiet over here as we recover from the last few weeks. I certainly recognize that in the bigger picture, these are relatively minor issues. However, grouped together (as is inevitable with a) children, and b) triplets), it felt a little overwhelming.

I'm hoping for healthier and warmer days ahead!