The week after the marathon I was riding high on bliss and still in awe that I actually completed the marathon. The weekend after the marathon was so relaxing and nice, especially not having to head out to run for four hours.
On Sunday the 13th, we went to a parade and enjoyed the wonderful weather. We went grocery shopping, had dinner, did the normal Sunday night things. When I was putting Alice to bed I noticed she felt a little warm. Took her temperature and sure enough, hovering around 104 so gave her a dose of ibuprofen and put her to bed. She slept awful that night and got up on Monday morning still burning up. The first thing I noticed that was strange about the fever was that it was not brought down by Tylenol or ibuprofen. In the past, a dose of either would bring her temp down and she would promptly resume normal activity. She was acting really off, not wanting to do anything but snuggle froggy-style on mine or Adam's chest.
On Tuesday, called the pediatrician and she was checked out and diagnosed with a double ear infection. No biggie, she's had this before.
On Wednesday she developed an awful rash which was determined to be an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. By now, her condition was getting worse and in my heart I knew there was something else going on. She hadn't eaten since Sunday, hadn't walked since then either, and spent all her time moaning and crying, even while she was asleep.
Thursday she started vomiting, which meant the medicine wouldn't be able to help her ear infection. Called the doctor and they weren't concerned, but I couldn't help to notice her appearance. She was looking very pale and her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. I stayed home both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons to be with her.
Friday I went to work with the feeling this would be the day she got better. Fever was still as high as it was five days ago and hadn't come down at all. Around noon, Adam and his mom called and told me to come home because something wasn't right. Her crying and moaning will still going on and she was completely uncomfortable and noticeably in pain.
We went back to the doctor, and after waiting for way too long they sent us to the ER. The ped gave me a rundown of what to expect, and that included staying there for a while. After what felt like forever, Alice was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. She fit each and every symptom to a T and it felt good to know what was wrong.
We spent the weekend on the children's floor at Fletcher Allen while Alice received treatment. So far so good. She had an echo of her heart to be used as a baseline for her cardio monitoring in the next weeks, months, and years to come. Bloodwork showed high white blood cell count and high liver enzymes but the doctors weren't concerned. It was a long weekend but by Sunday she was starting to show signs of herself again. The weekend was eventful, they started treatment at midnight but realized at 6 am (not sure how since they took her vitals every 15 minutes all night) and there was an error with the transfusion so she didn't get the treatment. Started over. Saturday night she fell out of the hospital bed around 1 am and my heart sunk. Poor girl couldn't catch a break. We think she woke up and tried to crawl out of bed, but either way, it sucked.
They sent us home with her treatment plan for the next 60 days and I hate to wish time to pass fast, but I can't wait for the 60 days to conclude. By then we will know if she has had any of the heart conditions found with the disease and how her blood counts look. We got the results of her urine sample back and it turns out she has a urinary tract infection on top of everything else. Back on a new antibiotic (which happens to be one I am allergic to - ha) which she fights us while taking, her appetite is back, and her feisty little personality has reappeared.
It's amazing what going through something like this does to your consciousness. I became hyper-focused on Alice getting better and had an amazing support system surround me. My mom and Tom took Jack for the weekend and brought him up to visit. My aunt Peggy came up to see us. My aunt Mary stopped by. My cousin, who was in labor, was texting me all weekend checking in. My grandparents. My amazing friends, sending the positive vibes and asking for updates and how we were doing. It felt amazing to feel so much love. At the same time, it makes me sort of sad that I did not and still have not heard a single word from some of my family. Typing it now sounds utterly selfish and I'm not sure why it bothers me so I guess I'll drop it and focus on the good.
Alice is getter better.
Her pain is gone.
She's eating again.
She's walking again!
She's back to tormenting her brother.
She easily takes her aspirin therapy.
She's going to kick some Kawasaki butt.
Let's all say a collective prayer that symptoms don't return. That bloodwork and heart echo tests in the coming weeks come back free and clear. Then let's celebrate!
