Meningitis

(Written when Aaron was 3 weeks old)

Monday, I said life had been an adventure lately but we were ready to settle down and just relish our new little boy. I spoke too soon.

Tuesday morning, I woke at 5am to feed Aaron and noticed I was achey and had GI issues. But who doesn't feel icky at 5am? So I went back to bed.

Then around 9am, I woke again and fed Aaron. To my surprise, he went right back to sleep. I was still feeling icky, so I went back to sleep too.

Then I woke at almost 11am and realized Aaron was still asleep, so I unswaddled him, changed his diaper, and checked his temperature: 101.3. With heart pounding, I called Josh and then Dr. Chambers. They both said to bring Aaron to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Take a moment to gather things for at least a two-day stay, but get him there in 30-60 minutes.

I met Josh in the ER where they confirmed his fever and ordered an IV and lumbar puncture (LP). Then I paced the halls outside the little ER room, trying not to hear Aaron crying as they worked him up.

It didn't get any better when they were done and Josh started to see the test results. Definitely meningitis. One of the doctors had to double-check to make sure the numbers had not been confused. One was supposed to be under 20. It was 943. Josh looked scared. I didn't want to know why. So we prayed. I held Aaron when possible. He slept. And they pumped him full of antibiotics.

The next twelve hours are a blur. Nursing, IV drug changes, vital stats checks (his temp hovering around 103), tylenol doses, diaper changes. It felt like I was up and down every hour, though it may have been less.

Then this morning, we got the first big break: the Enterovirus PCR was positive. No one wants to guarantee that it's only viral, but at least there is a virus that could be causing the meningitis. Another 24 hours before they can confirm there's no bacteria, but the world feels lighter now. We could go home tomorrow.

The second big break came this afternoon when we moved up to a real hospital room: his temp has dropped to normal levels. It's not likely to stay there, but it's encouraging to see it anywhere under 100. Even with Enterovirus, he'll be sick for a week, but his body can fight it effectively. And he looks just so adorable. He's gotta be fine.

Thankfully, Josh and I have been together the whole time as his colleagues have stepped in to cover his clinics. And Noah has been with his grandparents in Louisville, blissfully unaware of any drama. Now we just wait for the numbers to keep improving, the cultures to stay clear, and our minds to stop reeling.

For more, see Learned the Hard Way and Learned the Hard Way Part 2