Friday 6am: She woke up and was coughing a bunch...we didn't think it was very unusual because this girl gets bad colds ALL THE TIME, and they always last longer than Callie's colds. So we decided to have a chill movie day and I kept an eye on her.
Friday 1:45pm: After the second movie of the day, she started to get a bit hysterical and kept saying she couldn't breathe. So I made an appointment at Target Minute clinic and we headed out.
Friday 2:30pm: We spent about 2 minutes with the Minute Clinic doctor, and as soon as she saw Maya's fever, oxygen levels and how hard it was for her to breathe, she immediately sent us to the ER. The closest one was Southdale, so we headed there. Callie got really scared and teary in the car, but was a great support to Maya once we got there.
Friday 3:00pm: We got checked in to the ER and saw one doctor before shift change. They started her on oxygen and ordered a chest x-ray to check for Pneumonia. Chris arrived from work.
Friday 4:30pm: She went for the x-ray and it befuddled the new doctor (after the shift change). He said he WISHED it was pneumonia but her chest looked clear. Her breathing was still bad so they gave her a nebulizer and told us she should be monitored overnight.
Except that Southdale doesn't have a pediatric wing in the hospital, so we had to get her to a different hospital, and we had to wait to see how her oxygen levels did to determine if it was going to be an ambulance ride or if she could ride with us.
Friday 5:00pm: Her oxygen levels were stable enough for us to drive her, so Chris took her straight to the other hospital ER and I took Callie home to pack an overnight bag. By 5:45 we were checked in to the new ER, and once again arrived during a shift change. We saw lots of doctors and nurses yesterday!
Friday 6:00pm: We talked to the ER doctor and he ordered another nebulizer and a steroid to calm down the little breathing things in her lungs (I don't remember any of the actual terminology). Then Chris and Callie headed home.
Because she was still wheezing, they ordered her a bed in the pediatric wing of the hospital around 6:30pm. In the meantime, we watched the original Aladdin movie and ate goldfish!
Friday 7:00pm: I talked to the daytime pediatric doctor, who was almost done with his shift. They decided to treat it as an acute asthma attack brought on by a bad virus: nebulizer every 2 hours, with the goal of being off oxygen and nebulized every four hours to get home. We were still waiting on a room in the hospital.
Friday 8:00pm: I talked to the nighttime pediatric doctor, who confirmed all the things the other doctor said and spent time talking with me about asthma. It wasn't officially diagnosed, but she recommended a follow up appointment with our pediatrician. I also learned from her that since I had asthma as a kid, that is the greatest risk factor for my kids. Sorry Maya! Then she got nebulized again.
Friday 8:30pm: We finally got a room! Maya was the only patient on the floor, so she was VERY spoiled. She got a new stuffed animal and blanket to keep.
Friday 8:39pm: She finally ate a little for dinner and called me her servant. A nurse came in and took her vitals.
Friday 9:15pm: We had the first visit with the respiratory therapist. They had her breathe into a tube that measures her breath and did another nebulizer treatment.
Friday 9:45pm: Maya finally fell asleep.
Friday 11:15pm: The respiratory therapist came back and did another nebulizer treatment. Maya was out cold so it was a bit tricky, but he got it done. The nurse also came to take vitals.
Saturday 3:15am: The respiratory therapist came again and did his thing. She was quicker to do the neb and the nurse took vitals again.
Saturday 6:00am: Maya woke up SUPER peppy. I tried to get her to go back to sleep until her next nebulizer, but she would not. So she played quietly in her bed.
Saturday 6:30am: She reviewed the breakfast menu and decided on eggs, sausage, yogurt and English muffin.
Saturday 7:15am: Her breakfast came and she scarfed down the sausage patty and left the rest alone.
Saturday 8am: We met with the respiratory therapist and got instructed on how to use her new nebulizer and inhaler at home. Met with the doctor to get final instructions and clarifications.
Saturday 8:30am: Met with the nurse to get final paperwork and discharge instructions.
Saturday 9am: We headed home!
Rest of the day today: She has been a rockstar with her nebulizer and has had lots of energy we have had to temper down (Maya, SLOW YOUR ROLL).
We see her primary care doctor on Tuesday to figure out if it is actually asthma and what we can do moving forward.
I'm very grateful for the wonderful hospital staff for taking such good care of us, and for the fact that this hospital thing is not our normal.
And I'm thankful for the technology of texting because I was able to recreate this timeline by going back and reading the text updates I sent to family throughout the whole ordeal!
Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers and positive vibes for Maya! She is a trooper!
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