Caden has had a rough week to say the least. He slept very little Wednesday night as he battled a fever that peaked at 104.4. His respirations were 60-70, heart rate was averaged in the 160s for over an hour and hit 170 at times, and he required 2.5 liters of oxygen just to keep his saturation levels in the low-mid 90s. These symptoms are similar but a little worse that what landed us in the ER on Monday night. On Monday the chest x-ray came back clear and they sent us home on an oral (feeding tube delivered) antibiotic. Last night was different and it scared me. I felt a little trapped since the symtoms were do similar to what caused us to go in on Monday, so i did not think going back to the ER last night would accomplish much. I did not get a wink of sleep until after 5:30am when the fever finally broke and dropped below 104 and Caden’s respirations came back down below 150.
I got up a couple hours later and told Sherry that Caden had to be seen by the pediatrician. It had been two days on an antibiotic things were worse. She agreed but could not get an appointment with Caden’s primary doctor until after lunch. She took that because Caden was much improved from his 5am condition just a few hour earlier. Once in the office Caden’s pediatrician said Caden’s left lung sounded like it might be collapsed and he wanted Caden to get another chest x-ray. He called the ER doc at MUSC and found out it was an old missionary buddy who was the same attending who was on last Friday evening when Caden came in via ambulance with the broken arm. Yes we got three trips to the ER in six days. Oh and this is Caden’s sixth hospitalization this year. (third time admitted in 2011 for pneumonia) Caden had pneumonia two additional times but was able to recover from those without hospitalization.
Please keep Caden in your prayers as well as our family. Caden is still feeling pain in his arm from the surgery last Friday. I think his is confusing this illness with the broken arm because he seems to focus on the arm no matter how bad other symptoms are. I have repeatedly asked the ER docs if the arm could be causing any of this fever and they say no.
Thanks a bunch for checking on Caden and praying for his rapid and full recovery.