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May 17 2 Year Check-upSo we went to the pediatrician today; we didn't have to get shots :0)
J:
31 pounds 4 ounces = 90th percentile
36" - 3 FEET TALL!!! = 90th percentile
T:
31 pounds 13 ounces = 95th percentile
35" Tall = 75th percentile
The doctor said they should be saying 20 words and make 2 word phrases - HA! That's hilarious! No learning problems yet....in fact the kids showed off some of the sign language they have learned - doctor seemed impressed. 3 of the employees commented on how long it had been since we have had to go there or the ER (I can always stand a good pat on the back). So, now we wait a whole year before we HAVE to go back - more than likely we'll be back there by the end of summer woth some sort of illness. January 13 T's first trip to the ERSweet T finally got her first reason to go to Children's Hospital. A week ago yesterday T developed a cough that has gotten worse ever since. Then last Sunday she laid around on the floor and her bed ALL day; she would roll around like she couldn't get comfortable, and as long as J was in the room with her she was crying.
At 9:25am I got a successful rectal temp taken - 102.2; I administered Tylenol and waited four hours. Temp at 1:25 - 101.2; I administered more Tylenol and waited four more hours. Temp at 5:35 - 102; I sent my hubby to the store for Motrin. At 6:35 T got her Motrin, and we waited 6 hours; at 12:25am her rectal temp soared past 104.0 so we "pulled the plug" and I rushed her to the hospital.
Upon arriving at 1:30am we sat in the waiting room of the ER waiting for triage to call to check T out. Triage called us at 2:30 or 2:40, and then we waited again until 5:15 when we got taken to the actual ER. There we slept on a hospital bed together waiting for medical staff to get to us.
At 6:30 am the first nurse came in to talk, followed by a doctor. The doctor agreed with me - most likely flu or pneumonia. They took a nasal swab to test for flu, and T got her first chest x-rays. Her oxygen saturation was in the high 80's - low 90's, so she got oxygen as well.
I saw her x-ray pop up on the computer screen outside our ER room; instantly I knew it was her x-ray (the open mouth, screaming and arms pinned above her head were the giveaway). I could see she had a cloudy spot in her left lung; within minutes a new doctor (shift change) told us T had bacterial pneumonia, and would have to be admitted - how fun.
They normally don't have to admit kids with pneumonia, but her oxygen saturation was below 93, and that is unacceptable (especially with her family history of respiratoy ailments). T had also not been eating or drinking well; they had me give her 3cc of gatorade every 5 minutes to try to hydrate her. It wasn't long before she got an IV with fluids and antibiotics.
We got to room 473 around 11 am and T went right to sleep. I had never seen her just lay there staring at the wall like that...my poor girl! We battled her fever throughout the day, and she had albuterol nebulizer treatments every four hours. I must admit both T and I made it a point to sleep as much as possible to make up for the night before.
Around 10:00pm her fever finally broke for good; her dad and uncle came to visit and bring me food. Since her fever broke her heart rate slowed by about 60 beats per minute; that sounds like a nice break for her heart to get. From 3pm - 7am she only drank 1.5 ounces of fluids. Her oxygen saturation stayed between 95-98 for most of the night, and she wasn't physically working so hard to breathe.
About 6:30am Monday morning I awoke to T standing in the crib about to get out to get her toy off of the floor. She still felt bad, but she was talking, walking, and watching tv again. She began drinking well again, and even ate some crackers.
They hooked me up with T's own inhaler, a laxative (she's always poopin' hard, dry marbles), some killer butt-creme that helps with itchy yeast too, and a super-lotion for the little bumps on T's legs and arms (keratosis pilaris). We were discharged around 11:30am Monday.
Of course the story doesn't end there; this is expected to run its course through the next three weeks then T will get another x-ray done to confirm the pneumonia has cleared out. She has been keeping up well with J for 2-3 hours at a time, but then they must be separated for her sake.
Below are photos (hopefully) in order from 4:35 pm Sunday - 11:45 Monday. January 06 Allergy Results Are InIt has been a month since J got 25cc's of blood drawn for allergy testing; yesterday we went back for the results:
December 15 UpdateThe twins had their second dental check-up today - still no cavities!!! The dentist's office experience was far less traumatic this time on all of us; whereas at their first check-up I freaked out when they took the kids back and said I couldn't come, this time I willingly gave my kids to the hygenist..."Good luck," I said snickering. My hubby warned "Careful, he bites," and I added, "And she pulls out the toothbrush bristles." A nurse/hygenist(whatever you want to call them) brought J out first and sat us in the consultation room. "Where's our daughter?" hubby asks. The whatever-lady said, "She's almost done, they will bring her right out." About that time we look out of the window from the consultation room to the working area, and there goes T running like, well, like someone was chasing her. Sure enough, about 6 or 7 steps back from T was the lucky whatever lady that had to chase her down. All went well, despite the fact that both kids picked toys from the dentist's office that are deadly to toddlers; T got a way too small bouncy-ball, and J got a cheap plastic car that he had removed two wheels and an axle on before we got home (we live 2-3 minutes from the dentist).
And on a social note of observation, in the waiting room two boys came in with their mom while we were waiting for the kids appointment. The younger boy was soooo darn cute...he just had this precious look about him. Anyway, the boys' dad comes in, and the little one calls him "Uck" and points. I dismissed it as a kid with a normal to limited vocabulary for a kid about 18 months old. So my kids are running around all noisy and friendly. T is orbiting the little boy...they were the same height. J ran up to him and waved...J is taller than this cute little boy. So, I played that "guess the age" game in my head....I guess 18-20 months - definitely less than 2 years old. The little boy's dad asks me how old "he" is, referring to T; I said "she" and her twin brother are 19 months. His jaw dropped - "19 months?" He was dumbfounded. "And how old is your little guy?" I asked, curious about his reaction to the twin's age. "He's 4." At least he didn't ask if they were identical! December 01 Allergist says...My hubby took off of his morning job today to take care of our Little Miss; I had to run by the local community college to deliver a transcript early this morning, and it would have been too stressful manuvering through an unknown campus with both kids. I'm glad T stayed home because J and I got rained on before we could get anywhere near the van to leave the college.
This afternoon we went to J's new allergist for testing. They didn't want to do one of those horrible skin tests(where they poke or scratch your kids back in a bunch of little spots then smear in the allergens) for peanuts because they didn't need an anaphylactic reaction going on in a specialty clinic; not to mention, it would be hard to determine if any other reactions were going on. And since they decided to draw blood for the peanut test, why not pull extra blood for the other allergens and spare him any skin test at all - smart doctor.
It took 3 pokes of needles in different places(inside of elbow veins - yummy) because J's blood was clotting very quickly; 25 cc's later we were done and booked for another appointment January 5th to get the results. They are testing him for the "Nut Mix Panel", "Seafood Panel", "Childhood Allergen Panel", Bermuda , Johnson Grass, Timothy Grass, Ragweed - Short, Ragweed - Giant, and Hickory/Pecan.
Though I wish I had the results before Christmas, I am willing to wait for accuracy. One thing I didn't connect too much till speaking to the doctor - J only has to use his albuterol inhaler at home (cigarette smoke) and he never needs his inhaler at my parents' house (NO cigarette smoke).
I am hoping to get some entries in about the goofy and fun things T & J have done lately...I will be out of town next Tues-Thurs though, so I better step on it. November 29 Upcoming appointmentsDecember will only hold two appointments for the twins if all goes well.
December 1 - J will visit an allergist for testing (2 hour appointment expected)
December 15 - T & J will go for their 2nd dental check-up
I'll try to follow-up on the allergist experience this weekend...can't wait. November 02 Poor J and his geneticsA brief medical history of the twins:
We have always expected J to be the asthmatic, allergy-king since he developed eczema; that is why I have waited so long to allergy test him on peanuts. T has had peanut butter before with no problem, but I have still hesitated to test J...until yeserday. It was just before noon when my mom was feeding T while I fed J, and I warned her that J could have a reaction. J wouldn't eat the peanut butter...he kept pushing the spoon away...he pushed the PB&J sandwich away, but I was persistent. I tricked him and forced him to eat one-half of a small baby spoonful...that is not much at all. While he continued eating his fruit and vienna sausages he developed redness around his lips...that is how it began. In less than 30 minutes he had become extremely tired, his nose poured snot, he developed white bumps along his eyelids and on his forehead, his eyes started swelling followed by the rest of his face, and the hives began spreading to his arms. Having some medical knowledge I knew what was up...I called his Dr, but no one answers the phone during lunch. He began wheezing and breathing rapidly; I gave him his Albuterol inhaler and threw him in the van to drive to Children's hospital. He looked pitiful, and I was crying my eyes out. When we arrived at the ER I jumped out of the van to give it to the valet parker...J puked his brains out in that car seat, in that van, on his clothes...I walked up to the metal detector with peaches and grapes still dripping off of us. You can imagine our stay in the ER is a long tale that isn't worth going into right now. J's entire body (even scalp) was glowing red and his lips were purple; he got a hospital gown, and I cleaned him up. He did experience severe chills and shivered a lot from that. They treated him with Benadryl and decided to insert an IV to wash away those nasty histamines in his system. Unfortunately his blood pressure was very low and his veins were very deep. One nurse tried to start the IV in his right hand to no avail; next, that nurse tried his foot, but after many minutes of trying he went through the vein. Finally a nurse I started at college with was able to get his IV going in his left hand (I dropped out, and that guy is rich J's color improved rapidly, but the insides of his elbows and knees retained a rash till he was asleep. We were admitted overnight, and he was kept on IV fluids while he slept. Luckily they provided a cage crib so I could go pee without him escaping. We were released this afternoon with an EpiPen Jr. - NO MORE NUTS! They said next time will likely be twice as bad. Pictures below are labeled with times so you can see how the reaction makes his color change. October 23 A baby's right to breatheThis past Tuesday J developed a rough case of wheezing; he was breathing fast and using all the muscles from his neck to his groin to breathe. Though he seemed sicker than ever, I put him down for the night with Dimetapp in his tummy. After all, everytime he goes to the doctor, I get told that he has a cold or virus...go home and wait it our with some over-the-counter medicine. He woke up after a few hours of sleep screaming; his breathing was still horrible, and he was obviously tired. I managed to get him back to sleep the first few times he woke up, but after a while he stayed in our bed screaming and panting.
I called the Dr. Wednesday morning the second they started answering phones; after hearing his symptoms, they told me to be there at 8:50...it was 8:25 and J was ready to go. I left my hubby and daughter at home in their respective beds and ran out the door. As I sat J's butt in the car seat, he puked - 3 times before I could get him back in the house. I rushed him back in and got my hubby to help with the stripping and quick clean-up. J was still breathing and screaming like no one I have ever seen.
Upon signing in at the Dr's office we were rushed to get a temp (those idiots used the tympanoscan ear thermometer) which was 99.5 (like I believe that). He was rushed to an exam room where a nebulizer was quickly brought in. The Dr. listened to him and sent for a steroid shot while he had an Albuterol breathing treatment; the Dr. listened again after the treatment and said he needed a chest X-Ray. We got the chest X-Ray and stopped back by the lab for some bloodwork.
Back to the exam room for a Xopenex breathing treatment. The Dr. listened and still no improvement. He was clocking 66 breaths per minute; we checked his Oxygen saturation, and it was down to 90. The Dr. said we had to go to Children's Hospital "Now!" I explained I needed to go get my husband and daughter(who I left stranded at home with no vehicle, car seat, or diaper bag); the Dr. said no. I further explained I needed to stop and get gas; the Dr. told me the ambulance was on its way.
J and I rode in the amblance together on the stretcher. He fought the oxygen mask till he fell asleep halfway into our ride; his wheezing seemed to go away.
When we arrived in the ER his oxygen saturation was 93 and his wheezing returned; his X-Rays were checked out..."hyper-expanded lungs." They began bombarding J with Albuterol breathing treatments. At Children's the ER gives "hyped-up" breathing treatments; in other words they give you 3 times the normal amount per treatment. These treatments required me to hold J tight enough to keep a mask over, on, or near his nose and mouth while keeping his hands away from everything involved; the treatments lasted around 45 minutes. He had 3 in a row with short (15 minute) breaks between; unfortunately, everytime the oxygen was taken from him, his saturation would drop into the 80's. He was so worn out; he spent that whole time putting energy to breathing only. And, of course, his rectal temp revealed a fever which was treated with Motrin.
I kept telling him everything would be ok, but even I doubted that for a little while. I didn't get to call my husband until after 12...maybe 1. J got more steroids, and they finally began kicking in around 2:00. He finally smiled and spoke again, though he was still in some respiratory distress.
My hubby passed my daughter along to my parents and got to the hospital before 3:00. At 2:25 we were told we would be admitted to room #468 as soon as they finished cleaning it; at 4:00 my husband found us in the ER still waiting for our room to be released...he had already been in our room for over an hour. J's fever increased despite the Motrin, and he was given Tylenol as well.
Things progressed with J getting single dose Albuterol treatments every 2 hours. My hubby left to get our girl and bring her to her brother; they showed up in the middle of a treatment(screaming fit). T didn't know what the heck was going on. At one point T bit me for something that happened to J that made him cry. Papa brought J his babydoll - that's the only toy he wanted; everytime he woke up that night he hugged and kissed his baby.
After T and Papa went home, J and I settled in to watch "Cats and Dogs" and deal with the 2 hour apart treatments and 4 hour apart vitals checks. His fever was lingering around 100.7 and his saturation stayed between 92-95 when he was awake. On the rare occasion he fell asleep his saturation would drop below 90 and set off an alarm.
He and I got little sleep or even rest for that matter; if I wasn't holding him or comforting him I was cleaning up our mess. Luckily we made it through the night without oxygen...did have a few close calls, though. In the early morning (1-ish I think) I got word they would space the treatments to every 3 hours; 2 treatments later they spaced them to four hours. His temp dropped to 99.8, and his wheezing was gone. He was still trying to slow down his breathing, but he was getting better; after all those treatments he was mean(albuterol seems to be an upper...he was shaky and mean just after his treatments for about an hour).
The asthma teacher came in to show me a video, provide pamphlets, and teach me how to use an inhaler on J. All was slowly improving, and we were eager to leave. It was revealed to us that J had (most likely) suffered an asthma attack triggered by Bronchiolitis(respiratory virus) and that they couldn't really treat a virus; that explains the runny nose, fever, and cough. That also explains why T has those symptoms and why my mother and brother are layed up in bed sick right now.
So all is well now that we are home. J had 15 breathing treatments in his day and a half at the hospital. Now we are doing his inhaler 8 hours apart and will begin using it only as needed tomorrow. He will have to return to the Dr. early this week as a follow-up.
Now we have to deal with more important issues: environmental pollutants, pet dander, CIGARETTE SMOKE, dust, and all those other harmful things for a kid with sensitive lungs to have to breathe. I am in the process of "de-stuffed animalizing" the nursery. As far as pet dander and cigarette smoke - those problems are out of my hands...it is up to the MIL to clean up that act. All I know is if my son has another asthma attack in this house (and someone was smoking in it) J & I will have to live in the front yard in a tent.  August 26 Yeah they are still illNo fevers for either kid; however, they are both suffering from an upper respiratory infection. T's first ear infection is gone, and J's first ear infection has started(right ear). Both kids had the same blood results - 6900 white blood cells, 80% of which are viral.
The good news is that this is normal; in fact, the doctor told me to expect this, at this time of the year for the next couple of years.
The bad news is that the coughing, sneezing, runny eyes and nose will last at least one more week.  I hope Omnicef helps.August 25 Over the river and through the woods...When the kids left the Dr's office last Friday (19th) the doctor did not specify what I should expect or if/when I should come back if the kids were not better. Well, it has been 6 days, and the kids have gotten sicker. T was fine until today when she was overcome by irritability and a runny nose. J's nose has been running off his face for 4 days now. His coughing has increased in the last 3 days, and I can hear plenty of congestion in his chest..
 Now I'll have to fight with the Dr. about what is causing all of this...is it J's virus or an outside disease? I predict more blood will be drawn, and more band-aids will be sucked off baby fingers. I just hope we can pin this down. I kinda feel like I've deserved the past couple of weeks since the kids were so healthy for the first 15 months. I'll post results tonight if I'm not too exhausted. August 23 Quick bitsAll is cranky...J has a fever. Mama and Papa have been sick too. Today, Me-Ma started to get sick. And T bounced around sprinkling fairy dust...I am thankful she is on antibiotics. August 21 Medical UpdateSo...last I wrote was Wednesday. I called the doctor, and she said the kids' fevers were from the MMR shot, and to call back Friday if they persisted.
Thursday...still have fevers, and T stayed up all night crying in my bed.
Friday...I finally got my first full night of sleep in 4 nights. Kids still have fevers, but the doctor closes at noon on Friday. I got lucky enough to get an 11:00 appointment. The kids' normal doctor was off, so we got stuck with the doctor that thinks both the kids are boys(She doesn't notice the big "F" in T's chart). This appointment was a disaster. At home, both kids had 100.6 degree fevers, but at the doctor's office J is 98.8 and T is 96.8. So, I'm thinking I am there for no reason.
Alone with the kids in the exam room, I realize J has wet his outfit...I have no spare clothes for him, but I do have a diaper. After I change J, I check T who has also wet her outfit. Unfortunately, I just ran out of diapers; I quickly snooped through the doctor's drawers, and only found "Newborn" diapers...I tried, but it didn't work. I had to resort to a cloth diaper. Of course, it leaked all over my pants. Next I strapped a blanket to her butt with diaper pins. Her extra clothes wouldn't fit over the blanket.
The doctor's exam revealed T's first ear infection (left ear). J's blood was taken; results showed 4800 white blood cells, 80% of which are viral. Yummy. T got bubble-gum medicine....J has to suffer.
I added a photo album from the 13th at our friends' house. Please pardon the red mouths - the kids had red jello.  |
My jaw dropped...whoa...my kids are less than half his kid's age, and they could swollow him whole. This guy was shocked at the number of teeth our kids have...16 teeth have been in since before they were 1. I guess every kid is different. |
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