Every night before bed, Will and I say prayers together and thank God for a good day and for our safety and our health. On Wednesday night after his temperature spiked again, I was feeling nervous about it and so we prayed for God to protect Will while he slept and to help him get healthy again. We also thanked God for having Will home and safe. Craig & I checked on Will several times before going to bed around 11 and his fever seemed to have broken - he was sweating but his skin was a normal temperature again. So I set my alarm for 2 a.m. because that was the time he'd be able to take the Motrin again if necessary. When I checked on him, he felt fine and he was sleeping peacefully. He slept till 7:15 and his temperature was 98.7 in the morning. Our prayers were answered! And he hasn't had medicine or a temperature since.
We left for the doctors office at 8:15. I made the appointment on Wednesday without being sure we'd keep it since he was behaving fine and his temp was under control. Our family all seemed to be pressuring us to find out the underlying cause of the fever. I'm generally not an overly-concerned person when it comes to illnesses. A fever is just a sign that his immune system is doing what it's supposed to do - fighting off some invisible bug. So I'm not one to visit the doctor with every sniffle. I just keep him home, watch him close, push the fluids and rest, and let it run its course. (Will didn't have any other symptoms to go along with his fever so the ER doc said we were not dealing with the flu.) But the reason I kept the appointment was because I wanted a little more explanation on WHY the fever jumped so quickly and HOW I could ever prepare myself for another seizure. I'm really glad we went because our pediatrician definitely knows her stuff and gave me a lot more of an explanation about the whole experience.
For starters, she put a name to this virus: Roseola. It strikes children mainly between the ages of 6 mos-3 years (rarely seen in adults). The reason she was able to diagnose this is because it's one of few viruses that will cause such a sudden spike in temperature - enough to cause a seizure. Febrile seizures are a result of the rapid change, not the high number of the temperature - this we already knew. So how, I wondered, could we ever know when another would strike? The doctor said she can guarantee we will not see another seizure within this same illness - that should never happen. Multiple seizures within the same illness is a sign of something much more severe, like meningitis. In the future (though it is unlikely that another will occur), should we ever notice him seeming a bit "off" (which I
have noticed in advance of
every fever he's ever had), we should immediately give him a dose of Tylenol as a preventitive measure. Should a seizure occur, we are to do just as Lisa did and put him on a flat (preferrably carpeted) floor and just watch him without trying to stop it. If it lasts less than 2 minutes (which will be the longest 2 minutes of our lives) it is not necessary to take him to the ER. We can just monitor him after and he should come back to normal. If it lasts between 3-5 minutes, we are to call 911.
Another thing she confirmed is that it is hereditary. Craig's mom mentioned that he had a febrile seizure following an ear infection as a baby, and then never had another. Dr. Carmen reassured me that in all her years of practice, she's never seen it strike more than one sibling in the same family, so it is highly unlikely that Sophie will ever have one.
Dr. Carmen examined him again: eyes, ears, mouth, heart and breathing. No sign of infection. She also reassured me that Sophie will not catch this because I am breastfeeding and Dr. Carmen said she could just about guarantee I've had Roseola in my life and therefore I'm passing immunities on to Sophie. Hooray for breastmilk!!! Roseola is very common and strikes every spring and fall. In the future when we are no longer breastfeeding, Sophie may catch it from other kids. One of the signs of Roseola (though it's not as common as you may think) is a rash that displays mainly on the neck and trunk and may spread to the face, arms and legs. Once the rash shows up, the fever is gone and it is a sign that the illness is ending and the child is no longer contagious. He may be happy as a clam at that point and is able to return to daycare without concern. Otherwise, Roseola is simply a virus that brings on a 3-4 day fever and nothing else. The rash is not guaranteed.
So today, after more than 24 hours without a fever or fever reducing medicine, Will is able to return to Lisa's. I've taken half of Tuesday and all day Wednesday and Thursday off from work to be home with him. Sophie has gone to Lisa's during the day so that they weren't together all day (before I knew she wouldn't catch it) and so that I could focus on just Will and help him get better.
Though she's already been trained, Lisa has signed herself up to take another first aid and CPR class this winter along with her daughter Alyssa who often babysits our kids as well. Poor Lisa was really shaken up. I think I may take a class as well. It's something everyone responsible for children should do and be prepared for. Lisa's family has been so kind and helpful through all of this. Her daughters made homemade "get well" cards for Will and her son gave Will a few of his own Ohio State toys to keep. Lisa also made us dinner for this evening.
Once again, I'm just reminded of the blessings in our lives. Despite the scare, our kids are healthy and happy. And we are surrounded by such wonderful people - friends and family. When I think about those horrible minutes between getting the call from the sherriff and seeing that Will was okay, it amazes me how quickly so many people put whatever they were doing aside to be there for our family. My mother-in-law beat me to the hospital! My mom made it to Lisa's to ride in the ambulance with Will. My dad managed to leave work and somehow follow the ambulance right up to the hospital doors. My mom's coworker, Becky, followed mom to Lisa's and sat with the other kids until their parents picked them up. Lisa and her husband (who works for Lake school) arrived at the ER shortly after Craig and I, and sat in the waiting room for a long time to make sure he was okay. My sister loaded up her daughters and drove to pick up Sophie and take her to my parents house. My grandma went to my parents to help Casey. Craig's dad and sister arrived soon after to see Will... All these people dropped what they were doing and were there to help us immediately. It sure makes you feel good to see that kind of support. We are very blessed and I do not take that for granted.
