Over the worst of it?

We think Anna may finally be over the worst of this virus.  However, it's going to take her awhile to regain her energy and heal completely.  I relate her experience with RSV to a very bad case of the flu that affects the whole body (extreme fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, fever, headache, etc.), but with the coughs added on as a bonus.  Even with Vicks, a humidifier, ibuprofen, and cough medicine at night, she has woken up every night since Saturday with a severe coughing fit that lasts 30-90 minutes.  Last night it started around 3 a.m.  She only dozed off and on after that point.

In hindsight, it would have been nice to have been given the "flu" perspective early on by one of the many medical professionals with whom we have spoken in the last 5 days.  I'm pretty sure that I told every doctor/nurse "We haven't ever had RSV in our home."  Maybe one of them should have taken the clue and given me more information besides "It's no fun.  Make sure she doesn't get dehydrated."

If we had known more, we may have opted to tackle this illness head-on with 24-hour stress dosing of steroids, non-stop fever reducers, a diet of pedialyte and dilute juices, non-stop humidifier, and confining Anna to her bed starting on Saturday morning.

But we didn't implement all of those pieces until today.  We're learning as we go.  It took us awhile to sort out why Anna was so tired.  Was it from adrenal insufficieny?  Or because she hadn't (hasn't) slept normally since last Thursday night?  Or because her body was fighting this virus?  Or a combination of all three?  Her health is complicated.

Who knows if knowing earlier would have made a difference with the course of the virus?  Who knows if it would have made any part of life easier recently?  At least maybe it will help starting now.  We were given the unintentional reassurance last night by yet another doctor that "at least she can keep down the pedialyte".  So I guess it could have been worse.

Matt came home early on Monday and was able to take a nap.  I also took a nap on Monday afternoon.  Matt stayed home on Tuesday because I needed to schedule Anna for her summer therapies in the morning, but also because I needed a bit of a break.  I took Ethan to his gymnastics class and then did a grocery shopping trip in the afternoon in preparation for being home-bound with Anna the rest of the week.

A friend offered to watch Ethan this morning and then Kate is spending some time at their house this afternoon as well.  Now that we, hopefully, have a better perspective on what Anna is fighting, and the other kids aren't home today to complicate the situation (as it was on Monday when Ethan would wander outside on his own while I was trying to take care of Anna), we can do our best to help her heal.

In addition to the medical pieces, this virus is tough for Anna and her personality.  She is so accustomed to pushing herself to the limit (in therapy and in life in general), that she wanted to keep doing when she could even when she was feeling sick.

We are planning on Anna being home from school the rest of the week.  Next week is spring break so, again hopefully, she will have the opportunity to catch up with her schoolwork in addition to resting.

Back before kids when we were more involved in our church's small group Bible Studies, I remember discussing the topic of "Spiritual Warfare" and the imagery of angels and demons battling for souls.  That imagery has been on my mind the last couple of days as this experience has marked a very low point for me spiritually.  I still don't see any purpose in the events of the last few days, other than to continue to frustrate our family.  But at least it doesn't all feel as hopeless and utterly pointless as it did a few days ago.

And, like I said, we think Anna may be over the worst of it.