We have definitely had our share of sickness lately. It all started a couple of weeks ago when Jayne got a nasty stomach bug that had her throwing up like crazy. Of course it just happened to be the very day that Don and I left for a weekend getaway to Vegas with friends. Our sweet niece, Natalie, had all three kids and had to deal with throw up too. She is amazing! Jayne was perfectly healthy and happy when we left, but about 3 hours later, we got the call that she had thrown up. We almost turned right around and came home but we kept thinking it was something she ate because she had no other signs of sickness. Natalie insisted she was fine and told us to stay. When I found out she threw up about 6 more times that day, I started checking flights to fly home the next morning. It was hard to really relax and enjoy Beatles LOVE when I couldn't stop thinking about Jayne and how hard it must be for Natalie. But, when I called the next morning, Natalie said she seemed a lot better and wasn't throwing up and told us to stay. Even though we were gone only a couple of days, we were anxious to get back to our kids and to rescue Natalie.
We got back Sunday and it is a good thing because it all spiraled downhill from there. Jayne wasn't throwing up anymore but was still not really herself and now it was Easton who had a fever and started throwing up. Tuesday was Easton's 5th birthday and he was still not feeling well. I felt so bad for him. I tried to make him birthday pancakes and he didn't even want to eat. He just laid on the couch. We took him into the doctor and found out he had strep throat. At least that is an easy fix with some antibiotics. He was pretty bummed we had to cancel his party and was really concerned that he wouldn't turn five if we didn't celebrate. I assured him that he would. He is such a sweet boy. Then, that night Don started throwing up and although Jayne wasn't throwing up anymore, she still wasn't herself. Wednesday came and everyone seemed to be doing better. We had rescheduled Easton's party for Thursday and thought we were in the clear. He felt great and had a really fun time with his friends at his Star Wars Birthday party. (More on that later.)
Thursday night, Jayne got a fever. We gave her Tylenol and she seemed happier before bed. I checked her oxygen with the pulse oximeter and it was 96% so I thought maybe it was just from being in the sun at swim lessons. Then at 5:30 am Friday morning, she woke up crying. Don and I both went in and she had a high fever and her oxygen was reading 67%. I didn't believe it at first and kept checking it. How could it go that low so fast? We gave her Tylenol, gave her a bath and then I called the doctor on call. He told us that we needed to get her to the emergency room fast and that we should call an ambulance. Jayne wasn't acting as sick as her oxygen showed though so we were confused and wondered if our pulse oximeter wasn't working. Don's parents came to stay with the kids and we just took her ourselves knowing that there wouldn't be traffic and we could get her there just as fast. The Tylenol must have kicked in because she was pointing to trees on the way there and waving. We got to the emergency room and they checked her oxygen and took her right back. It was reading 72% and it should be mid to high 90's. After a chest x-ray and a swab to figure out what virus it was, they checked her in to the hospital. She started to get worse as the day went on and by Saturday night, they took her to the PICU because she was requiring 6 litres of oxygen and had to go on high flow. It was stressful, to say the least. I was worried about Jayne, feeling bad that I wasn't there with Elle and Easton, exhausted from being at the hospital and not eating or sleeping, Don had left because he was sick and throwing up and I was starting to feel sick myself. I felt awful but I had to go home and sleep. I stayed with her Friday night but you don't get much sleep when they come in every 2 hours. I knew she was in good hands with someone by her bed the whole time in the PICU, but I worried that Jayne would be sad that I wasn't there. That was definitely the low point. I came home and went right to bed but worried the whole night. I got up the next morning, saw Elle and Easton and left to go back to the hospital. Sleep definitely does wonders! Don and I both felt a lot better that day. Don and the kids came to visit that afternoon. Happy Father's Day Don! What a way to celebrate! (He really is an amazing dad!) Luckily, Jayne started to do a lot better and got to move back to a normal room Sunday night. They finally figured out it was Human Metapneumo virus (HMPV) and said that it was a really aggressive virus. As the days went by, she slowly recovered and required less oxygen. We just had to wait it out and give her supportive care as she fought off the virus. Monday was Elle's 8th birthday and I'm not going to lie, I woke up and I cried. I was pretty sad that I wasn't there for Elle when she woke up. I wanted to make her birthday pancakes like we do every year. I wanted to give her a big hug and tell her how happy I am that she's ours. I just wanted to be home with all my kids. Thankfully, Diane and Tami came and sat with Jayne later that day so that I could break away for a couple of hours and go to Elle's special 8th Birthday party we planned at the Lion House. Elle loved it and I was so happy I got to be there with her. By Tuesday, Jayne was acting more like herself and was stir crazy. She was tired of sitting in a crib or chair all day long. She wanted to move around and explore but had too many wires attached to go very far. It was hard to keep her busy. We watched a lot of Strawberry Shortcake, Signing Time and Backyardigans.
Wednesday night, I finally convinced them to let us take her home. They didn't want to let us until she was stable on .5 litres of oxygen but I think the doctors could tell we were done being there. We were told to keep her on 1 litre of oxygen, suction her nose out and check in with the doctor every few days to check her stats. Easy...just let us get home!
Today was our first day home and Jayne is so happy! She was able to sleep all night long without interruption, she played with her babies, read books, rode her little trike down the driveway and loved being with Elle and Easton. You wouldn't know she was ever sick, except for the long trail of tubing that follows her everywhere and the hum of the oxygen machine running constantly.
I tend to worry a lot about Jayne's development and how I am going to get her to talk. But, right now, all I care about is that she is healthy and she is home. The couple of times I did come home to shower and repack my bag, I didn't like walking by Jayne's room knowing she wasn't there. I missed hearing Jayne's little sounds during family prayer, as if she was saying it, and then clapping at the end. I missed hearing a cupboard door slam and then wondering what she was into now. I missed tripping over babies, purses and toys scattered around the house. Our home will never be home without Jayne. She is ours and I am SO glad we are all together again!
In the PICU
Watching movies
She loves her blankie and babies!
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