The Flu

Yes, the flu is getting top billing everywhere. It's on the news, it's in the newspaper. And last week, it was rooted firmly in our household. I made mention a little about things in my last post but here's the 4-1-1 on what actually went down.

Wednesday morning as we were getting ready for work, we heard the sounds of Samantha coughing. She said she'd been coughing for much of the night, unable to get back to sleep since about midnight. So, between the coughing and lack of sleep, we opted to kept her home. Later in the day, her breathing became labored so Mat gave her a nebulizer treatment and called her doctor. Not wanting to take any chances with her asthma, the doctor wanted her to come in. After a couple breathing treatments without results she was satisfied with, her doc decided to admit Samantha. Once settled in, they tested her for the flu (negative) and when bedtime came, I stayed in the oh-so-comfy (...not...) chair-that-turns-into-a-cot. And like the times when I was in the hospital having the kids, there was neither sleep nor rest for either of us. Multiple meds and treatments, plus being on O2, enabled her to breathe.

The next day, her doctor decided to rerun the flu test. This time, it came back positive (type A flu...results still not in as to whether she had H1N1). Her doctor started her on Tamiflu, along with Nicholas. I called my doc and got the same prescription for me. Since Mat had been sick the week before (it's possible he was the flu's first victim), it was too late for him to take Tamiflu. With the new flu diagnosis and continued breathing issues, Samantha required a second night in the hospital (this time, Mat took the cot). It was hard for me to leave my little girl in the hospital, but I also know that Mat wanted to provide the same comfort and support that I did that first night. Besides, Nicholas' mom needed her, too.

After much hoping and pleading, Samantha was released on Friday. She was more than ready to go home...as were we. For the next couple of days, she seemed to hold her own. However, she didn't seem to be getting better. On Monday morning, Mat drove her back to the ER after a night of coughing and still labored breathing. The meds she'd been on were not as strong as those she was on in the hospital. Once her prescription was changed, we started seeing marked improvement. That night, she slept six straight hours before waking up. And even then, she was able to get back to sleep without additional meds. The next night, she slept through the night for the first time in a week!

As any parent knows, it breaks your heart when your child is sick or hurting. It's even scarier when your child can't breathe as a result of asthma. Both Mat and I know firsthand what it's like to have asthma. The tightness in your chest. The inability to breathe. It's a very scary feeling for anyone, especially a child. And knowing what she was going through didn't make the experience any easier. But we are blessed that ours is a loving and giving God who has provided us with knowledge and technologies which make it easier for those who live with asthma.