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Monday, October 26, 2009

The Kawawa Girls... (a long post)

My swab came back negative!!! With that being said, it's now safe to say that I probably DO NOT have the swine flu.However, the tests can yeild false negatives, but who cares.

Can't I get a woo-hoo?

I didn't want to say anything at first (because ya know, strangers on the internet can be judgemental...lol) but my doctor really believed that I had H1N1 when she saw me on Thursday. She came into my exam room with a N95 mask and everything! Although I totally understood why she used personal protective equipment during our visit, I was still a little insulted.

Wearing a mask is pretty much the medical equivalent of putting up two index fingers to make a cross.

I work in health care so I'm real good about hand hygiene and getting my flu shot every year. Serves me right for procrastinating on getting my flu shot this year. I suppose my doctor was extra cautious because she knew that I was directly exposed to a few swine flu cases at work. No bullshit, I was pretty closely exposed to H1N1. (Like, I tapped on the asses of contaminated computer mouses close!)

Honestly, I was kind of scared.

I even isolated myself from the kids on my doctor's orders. So, I'm SUPER glad that I don't have the swine flu! (Big shout out to my big sis for giving me the "gift of reassurance".) I'm slowly starting to recuperate, but let me take a moment to say that this flu was the worst one I have ever experienced in my 27 years of living. Like seriously, I felt kawawa for myself! John even woke me up at 1:00 am on Saturday night because he said I "looked dead". Haha, he made me drink Gatorade. Seriously kawawa.

This years flu is really...catchy...like a show tune.

I like to theorize that I contracted my flu from a borrowed pen. One doesn't think to wash their hands after touching shit on their own desk, ya know? But now that I think about it, my patients reach into my pen cup all the time. (Wow, that didn't sound right did it? Well, you know what I mean.) Being the good coworker that I am, I even sanitized my pens before I left the office. :) So my friends, don't think for a minute that simply washing your hands is good enough to keep you immune! You never know where all sorts of ickies could be hiding. I was NOT kidding when I said that my body felt like it was stomped on by elephants. Kawawa, remember? Seriously, get your seasonal flu shot people!!!!

This public service announcement was brought to you by...me. :)

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm up at this ungodly hour thanks to my slow-as-molasses recovery from the flu AND added anxiety brought on by Niki spiking a fever this evening.

Oh, there's no rest for the weary is there?

You're probably thinking that I should just give her Tylenol and the problem would solved, right? Well, my Little Miss High Maintenance cannot have Tylenol (or any other fever-reducer) because of her Broviac. Things like Tylenol can mask a high fever and a fever could indicate an infection! If Niki ever has a fever of 101.5 or above, we have to immediately call Dr. Awesome's office for further instruction. You have to remember that Niki's Brovaic leads directly to her heart. Any infection would NOT BE GOOD. The minute we place "the call" our instructions could involve a performing a blood culture (drawing labs), coming in for an appointment, or going directly to the ER. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. (Hey you gotta have a sense of humor in these sorts of situations, okay?) But no, really...this is all a game.

We play every day with one goal in mind: Prevent this condition from "monopolizing" our daughter's life.

So far, we (including Dr. Awesome) have been doing a damn fine job at preventing FVII Def from taking over Niki's life. She has yet to be hospitalized. She has yet to have a major bleeding episode. She's 8 months old and this is the FIRST time she's ever had a fever.

Not too fucking bad if you ask me. But, I'm biased....and a little cocky. :)

I woke up because she was being a "kawawa girl" and now I can't sleep. I've been checking Niki's temperature about every 30 minutes. She's been consistently 100.4 and is finally sleeping comfortably. Naturally, I'm on edge because all it takes is 1 degree for all hell to break loose. Lucky for Niki, she has an appointment with Dr. Awesome at 9:30 this morning. It couldn't have come at a better time 'cause I can't wait to figure out what is causing this damn fever!

Did I mention that she fell off a bed again?! Yep....AGAIN!

It happened Friday afternoon. I was in the thick of sickness, dead asleep when I woke up to someone yelling my name. Into my room bursts this poor, worried soul clutching my whimpering baby girl. So kawawa. Apparently, Niki rolled off the bed and fell on her back....on hardwood.

Yessss! Ha....not.

I was REALLY sick (like 102 degrees sick!), but I somehow managed to get my shit together enough to fumble around and gather her factor supplies. Meanwhile I could hear "oh shit" being murmured while Niki totally egged on the guilt by letting out sad, "kawawa baby" cries every few seconds. Meanwhile, I reassured the poor, worried soul that there was no need to feel guilty while I administered her factor.

With an icepack, a bottle, and a whole lot of hugging, Niki was good as new. :)

I didn't even bother to call Dr. Awesome's office anymore since I knew what to from the last time it happened. Besides, I remembered that she had the appointment today anyway. Other than administering factor, there is nothing else that can be done other than to watch for signs of a subdural hematoma anyway. The docs will not unnecessarily dose with her radiation (CT scan) unless she is showing signs of a bleed.

So today, as we enter 4 days s/p possible head trauma, my "Kawawa Girl" has spiked a fever. (There's some medical abbreviation for ya son..ha!)

Could it be teething? Could it be the flu? Could it be a Broviac infection? Could it be an early sign of a minor head bleed? (Ethan also had a slight fever the night we took him to the ER.)

We'll find out in a few hours.

In the meantime, I'm going to:

1) Continue to check her temperature.
2) Chill the fuck out. (blogging SERIOUSLY helps)
3) NOT allow "worry" to monopolize my mind.

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