Josiah's Journey

Navigating life with a special needs child.

Blogfodder

By 9:56 AM

Josiah is in the hospital. He's been here since Monday night.

Monday morning Rick and I took him to the Drs. He was mildly dehydrated. If he didn't improve within 24 hours he very likely was going to need an IV.

We didn't make it for 24 hours. Josiah was waking up periodically moaning and crying hard. Each time it lasted for close to an hour. He was inconsolable.

We called the Dr. A nurse told us to get him to the E.R. I remember Chandler asking how long we would be gone. I told her it would most likely just be 2 hours.

There is a fabulous new Emergency Care center just a few miles from our home. The wait time is usually less than 10 minutes and the care they provide is fantastic. My guess was that they would give Josiah some IV fluids and then we'd be home.

We decided to take Jesse and Chandler along with us in the event it took longer. I'm very glad we did. Turns out it was a whole lot longer than I had anticipated.

They put Josiah in a bed almost immediately. They said he definitely needed fluids and gave him an IV. That process alone was quite challenging.

Josiah has had more than his fair share of Drs. and Nurses poking and prodding at him in his short little life. He knows most often it involves pain. He avoids them at all costs.

Even though our little guy was weak from dehydration, he instantly acquired super human strength. It took 4 adults and 3 attempts before an IV was inserted. 2 veins collapsed and a thicker gauge needle was required.

Josiah is so flexible he twists and moves and actually bends the needles before they can get into his veins.

After the IV drama, the Dr. wanted to do a chest X-ray and a spinal tap. I refused. Josiah wasn't showing any symptoms that necessitated those tests. I was not about to let them put him through more trauma.

Blood work showed a highly elevated white blood cell count. So while I was thinking we would be heading home as soon as Josiah was rehydrated, the Dr. was making arrangements to have him admitted to a hospital.

By the time we were able to get Jesse and Chandler home it was close to 11 pm. A few hours later Josiah was transported by ambulance to the hospital. I followed in the car. We arrived around 2 am.

Today is Thursday. We are still here. As best I can tell we will not be going home today. Josiah has been running a fever. He's not eating or drinking. Though he was not congested at all prior to the ER, he now has an upper respiratory infection.

We are waiting for blood tests to determine a diagnosis. A diagnosis will determine treatment. For now he's getting IV fluids, fever reducers and antibiotics.

Rick and I tag team visits home to be with the other kids. josiah can't be left alone, so one of us remains by his side constantly.

If this were a first, we might be overwhelmed. But, Josiah has been hospitalized so often, we have lost count.

He was in the hospital something like 21 times his first 3 years. In the past couple of years it's been much less often. In fact the last time he was hospitalized he had his adenoids removed. That was 7 months ago.

So for us, this is no big deal. It's a minor inconvenience, a blip on the radar screen. My husband said it best.

All of this is nothing more then Blogfodder. Love that attitude!

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