This past weekend Oakley came down with what seemed to be a 24-hour virus. She was vomiting, had diarrhea and a fever of 100.0 that rose to 103.1 after a 2nd dose of Tylenol. She wasn’t eating but was at least drinking water. It seemed that water was the only thing she wanted and the Pedialyte freeze pops that I tried to mislead as regular popsicles were not a hit. By 10:00 pm we were seeing little to no signs of improvement and her last diaper showed a tiny speck of blood in her stool in the center of the most grotesque mucus I’ve ever seen. We opted to take her to the ER and due to COVID-19 guidelines “we” became me. So, at 10:47 pm. I packed her bag and headed to the Children’s ER.
Items in the bag:
Diapers (tons since she was experiencing the runny stools)
Wipes
Changing Pad
Blanket (for chills and comfort)
Hand sanitizer
Phone Charger
Bottle of Water
Insurance Cards/Important Documents
2 Extra Change of Clothes (for her of course)
And
Drum roll please……
2 Soiled Diapers in a zip lock bag (Yes, I’m that mom)
Out of all the things I brought, can you guess which one was the most beneficial?
The SOILED DIAPERS!
After taking her vitals, she was still running a temp of 103! I explained that we had given her Tylenol around 6pm so the nurse chose to give a dose of Children’s Motrin. I could tell the fever was breaking because her little crush on the Doctor began to show LOL. On a serious note, they were under the impression that it was just a viral infection but because of the COVID-19 climate the doctor decided to test her for that as well as the flu. Toddlers are not fans of things twisting around the upper parts of the nose unwarranted (the blanket and lots of hugs came in handy). The doctor was giving me discharge instructions for diarrhea when I remind him that she had blood in her stool which is why I was so adamant about bring her to the emergency room in the first place. I asked if he could take a sample from the diapers to run labs.
Two days later we received a call that the lab results showed Oakley had salmonella! I was flabbergasted because no one else in the house has been sick and she is with us ALL THE TIME. However, even if we were exposed our immune systems are much stronger than hers. She was such a trooper through it all so I wanted to make sure that she was rewarded!
If you thought I was anal about cleaning before, oh you better believe that eyes haven’t seen and ears have not heard about the extra sanitizing I will be doing from here on out. Little things that I didn’t think about like the shell of raw eggs or touching the me while I’m cooking could be spreading germs that we come in contact with between handwashes. We’ve also decided to take a break from Uber Eats. My theory is: If I cooked it, I know it’s done! Most importantly, if you feel in your instinct that someone needs to do more for your child, don’t assume that others/medical professionals know best or feel that you’re overreacting. Care for Salmonella is quite different than a little stomach bug. Today we were instructed to only change her in one area, while wearing gloves, with a list of things that may irritate her stomach. Mamas know best. Praying that all your little and big ones stay safe and healthy! Let me know how it goes.
Love ya,
Alex