Pneumonia + PH = 1 sick little boy

This sweet little guy, who looks like he's having a great time, has actually spent the last 72 hours in the hospital. I think he wanted to set a record for us by being admitted to the hospital twice in one month! Definitely NOT what we had planned for the week...

Last Thursday, Parker was sniffling quite a bit most of the day. By bedtime, he had a low grade fever, which got higher as the night went on. We kept him home from school on Friday and he continued to have a major runny nose and a fever. At one point, he had a fever of 103.5. We had a really hard time getting his temperature under control--we really hate it when Parker gets a fever. A fever raises the body's temperature which causes the heart to work harder, which means an elevated heart rate. His little heart was beating so fast! Because of his fast heart rate, we put Parker on oxygen so his heart wouldn't have to work so hard (we had to bribe him with a dollar to wear the cannula--he doesn't really like it...). Because of his symptoms we thought he possibly had RSV or the flu, so we made an appointment to take him to the doctor first thing Saturday morning.

On Saturday morning the doctor said Parker had decreased breath sounds in the lower left lung but she didn't hear any crackles. She said it could possibly be pneumonia, but agreed that we should have him tested for the flu and RSV. The flu test was negative and we would have to wait a few hours for the RSV test to come back. The doctor said she was comfortable treating Parker with antibiotics for possible pneumonia if the RSV test was negative. However, after some discussion, we decided to have a chest x-ray done so we knew for sure what we were dealing with. She had us go down the street for the x-ray and then said she would call later with the results.

After the x-ray, Parker and I headed back home, but before we could make it there, the doctor called with the results: Pneumonia. She asked that we come back to the office for a shot of antibiotics (Rocephin). Parker was not happy about that! By the time we got home he was having chills and feeling pretty miserable. For the next few days, we kept him isolated in bed on oxygen.

By Sunday night his temperature was back to normal, but he was still requiring oxygen and he didn't have much of an appetite. We continued to make him rest in bed--he watched a lot of movies! He started coughing occasionally sometime on Sunday. By Tuesday, he was coughing more and requiring even more oxygen (about 1.5 liters during the day and 2.5 liters at night), so the doctor thought it would be best to see him again.

This time, Parker actually looked sick--he was very pale and not very active. The doctor felt his lungs sounded the same, but because Parker had had the Rocephin injection and 3 days of oral antibiotics, he felt that Parker should have been improving. He ordered another chest x-ray which showed no changes from the previous chest x-ray. The doctor suggested giving Parker another Rocephin injection and following up with him in two days.

On Tuesday night, we noticed Parker's temperature was going up again. It wasn't as high as it had been before, but it wasn't normal for Parker. He also continued with a wet cough. On Wednesday (Halloween), we kept a close eye on him throughout the day. We let him come downstairs and help (watch) Mom carve his pumpkin.

Later, while Jason, Kelsey and Connor were getting ready to go to a church Halloween Party, I decided to check in with the doctor about the cough and his temperature. The doctor really didn't like what I was describing; he thought we should have seen some improvements by then with 2 Rocephin injections and 4 days of oral antibiotics. He told me that if Parker's temperature went above 101 degrees or we couldn't keep his oxygen saturations above 94% on 3 liters of oxygen, then we needed to go to the hospital. Otherwise, he would see us for a follow-up appointment in the morning. About 30 minutes after I hung up with the doctor, I checked Parker's temperature again and it was 101.3. Great. I decided to go ahead and pack our bags and then check his temperature again just to make sure. Parker had his heart set on wearing his Ironman costume, so I let him put it on for a few minutes while I got everything ready to go.

After our bags were packed, I checked his temperature again and it was 101.8. We needed to go to the hospital. On Halloween. So, not only was he missing out on trick-or-treating, he had to spend the night in the ER. Not surprisingly, he was admitted to the hospital a few hours later.

He has a pretty severe case of bacterial pneumonia. He is receiving 2 different IV antibiotics and he is requiring a large amount of oxygen. But despite all of this, he is doing OK and is in good spirits. He has such a laid back and easy going personality that he just takes everything as it comes. He doesn't complain or fight, he just accepts what has to be done and does it. He is such a brave little boy. Jason and I are taking turns being with him at the hospital and caring for Kelsey and Connor at home. We've done this so many times, it almost seems like we've got it down to a science. Parker seems to be making small improvements, but he is still very sick. Pneumonia can be very serious for a healthy person, but it can become life-threatening when someone has an underlying health condition. Especially one that already involves the lungs. We're hoping Parker will be able to come home in the next day or two, but he will have to continue to be on oxygen as his body heals (he will not be excited about that...). Hopefully, he will recover as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We truly appreciate it!