Wednesday, February 4, 2009

An Unwelcomed Visitor



Yes, I am talking about Mr. RSV. It started out as croup last week after colds went through the house. John seemed to be unaffected by all the hacking nose-blowing going on around him and we were taking precaution to keep him away. But that is difficult to do when everyone in the house is blowing virus all over the house. So it finally caught him.

It has affected his sleep a little bit but not drastically. So the rehab side of me and the medical side of mom brought the big guns out and started him on a regiment of steam showers initially but then we finally had to concede that we needed to move to the albuterol which we did. We began those last evening about every 3-4 hours. This has seemed to bring back the smiles and remove the droopiness of the eyes.

The rehab side of dad has been seeing that he gets enough rest along with warm liquids and solids. Don't get me wrong, his appetite is not the same but I felt it important to get something down him even if it was an 1-2 ounces every hour. I have also made sure that he gets a little active time in there or at least sit him up instead of laying him down. Being upright will help prevent the drainage from settling in his little lungs. And light activity helps him to cough which is good although we still have to use the bulb syringe to clear his nose because the poor little guys can't cough strong enough to clear it himself.

He seems a little more perky this morning but definitely not out of the woods. But maybe with this combination of remedies, he will be back to himself soon.

6 comments:

Beverly said...

Hope John is feeling all better soon!

Angela said...

Oh, Jay, I'm so sorry!!! Thankfully we have been spared, but you're the second blog friend with a DS son (baby) with RSV recently. So sad!!! I will be praying for you guys.

Lisa said...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. Finn is recovering from what our pediatrician thinks is a mild case of RSV. No fun. Get better soon little John!

JaybirdNWA said...

Thank you ladies. I don't like seeing him like this. Angela, I'm so glad that Benjamin has been spared.

My name is Sarah said...

Oh I'm so sorry about little John. I like the mask he is using. I had RSV so many times the nurses gave me a club card. I guess the good news is eventually you out grow it, but for now hang in there little buddy.

Cheryl said...

Poor little guy. I hope he gets over it quickly.