Two trips to the Emergency Room before the age of two…
Reese came down with a fever two nights ago. No other symptoms to indicate she had a cold (no cough, no runny nose). She had a loss of appetite and was lethargic all day - just wanting to be cuddled.
Yesterday, with a temperature of 103.5 degrees, I took her to the doctor to get checked out. The pediatrician diagnosed her with Coxsackievirus. No treatment other than Tylenol, as a fever suppressant.
At dinner time, I could feel that her temperature had returned, so I went to give her a second dose of Tylenol. She hates getting medicine, so I had to hold her in my lap and restrain her in order to get her to take it. While I was giving her the medicine, her body started to convulse and her eyes started to flutter. After a few seconds she went limp in my arms.
I flung her over my shoulder, tossed the two kids in the car, made a panicked phone call to the doctor (to say that I was on my way over), made a panicked phone call to Mike, who was still at work (to tell him to meet me at the doctor), and made a panicked phone call to my mom (to have her talk me through driving myself and the kids to the doctor).
Reese had a febrile seizure.
[A febrile seizure is a convulsion in young children that is caused by a spike in body temperature. A simple febrile seizure (which is the kind that she had) isn't dangerous and doesn't cause brain damage or any other long-term problems. It also doesn't mean that there is a more serious underlying disorder.]
We were at the ER for about 4 hours.
Everything else checked out fine. Virus and a febrile seizure. Nothing we can do but stay on top of the fever so that it doesn't spike again.
Today she was in much better spirits. Still had a slight fever, but was 85% back to her happy, energetic self.
I'm done with Emergency Rooms. Hear that Reese? Colden? Done.
~~~~~
