Watching the monitor

Our little Sydney became very sick during our Christmas break. We went to the ER on Christmas Eve, hoping to avoid being there on Christmas Day. She had had a fever for 4 days, her breathing had become more rapid, and her activity level was decreasing to conserve energy. Thankfully, we had an oxygen monitor at home which we are bringing to the hospital in Congo, and we used that to see how she was doing. Each day it seemed to get a bit worse.

Christmas Eve

As far as an ER goes, in this small town and on Christmas Eve just before midnight, it was insanely quick. From the time we left our house to the time when we returned, it was just over 45 minutes. The drive was 5 min, they ushered us right to a room while Ryan stayed to fill out some paperwork, the nurse came in to check vitals, and then the doctor was there. After a bit of bloodwork and a thorough nose wash (which the French adore and deem absolutely essential), Sydney had cried quite a bit and her breathing was better. The bloodwork and exam indicated a viral infection. This was not surprising, but we were hoping to get a prescription for an antibiotic in case (and when) the viral infection took her immunity down enough to get a bacterial pneumonia. We did not want to return. But, they preferred that we come back if she worsened, and in the art of medicine, giving a prescription as a precaution was not as conservative as they practiced. 

Christmas Day with her first doll

Christmas Day was fun with a toddler. She was usually feeling her best in the morning, and this proved true this Christmas. We read a bit of the Christmas story from her Jesus Storybook Bible and opened a few gifts that had come in the mail from family or Amazon (necessities are much more fun when they are wrapped!). Sydney got her first doll, and we watched with amusement as she looked at it, smiled, hit it in the head, and then put her face up to it, hit it again, then went cheek to cheek. She has been playing with the toys left over from the 4 boys that used to live in our apartment last year, and so a doll was quite different than the noise-makers, cars, rubber frogs and spiders that she was used to.

The day after Christmas we knew that Sydney's sickness was continuing to worsen. She was not playing anymore, her fever continued, her breathing was short and rapid, and now her oxygen concentration was borderline at times. Because she did not know how to spit out the phlegm she was coughing up, she began vomiting the little fluid that she was taking in other than breastmilk. It was time to return for an X-ray and fluids, and potentially an antibiotic. The day after Christmas in the ER was a totally different story, although the wait was not abnormal. We finally got into the ER room, and X-ray showed broncho-pneumonia, her fever was 104, oxygen 87, and we knew it was time for admission. Sadly, she hardly protested at the IV line as she was too sick. The oxygen was not a bother except when she needed to itch her nose. She would rub it out of place, and then cry as we replaced it into the correct position. This became a cycle which repeated itself throughout her hospital stay. She also got an oxygen monitor on her big toe which made it light up like Rudolf's nose. 

ER nap

So tired- still in the ER

We were in the ER from 11am-6pm when we were transferred to a room on the pediatric floor. At first, I was thinking it might be peaceful there and a respite, knowing that Sydney was getting fluids and oxygen and would hopefully sleep peacefully. There was a twin bed and a reclining chair for us, and I had a book and the ipad to work on. It was very naive of me to think this. A hospital bed may have been like a hotel for me after Sydney was born with meals brought and nurses to help, but I was totally healthy and it was me who was the patient. With a child, a helpless and pathetic-looking little girl, it is totally different than a hotel. It is a place of worry and pleading with the Lord, the oxygen monitor, and the nurses.

Her Lion King room

Her glowing toe is from the oxygen monitor

Sydney, defying the instructions to sleep on her back in the most uncomfortable position, or to keep her arms and hands inside the crib at all times ;)

Contrary to my hopes, Sydney did not sleep well. The nurses wanted her to sleep on her back on an incline. She has (almost) never slept on her back. She has always preferred her side and now that she is older, she often curls into a ball on her stomach with her arms and legs tucked under her. And with the sickness, she only wanted that comforting position (which was not ideal for breathing) or to be in our arms. As Ryan or I held her, we would dose off only to be awakened by the alarm on the oxygen monitor, the IV being kinked at her arm, or a nurse wanting to get a temperature. I felt my emotions mirrored the oxygen monitor. When it showed the oxygen saturation getting lower and lower, I felt worried, wondered whether we should turn the oxygen up, and tried to change her position to allow her to cough out what was blocking her breathing. When it was normal 98-100 (which did not happen the first night) I would be encouraged and think of all the people who were praying for her health. Then when it decreased again, I would think, "oh keep praying everyone!!"

Watching the oxygen monitor

So sick of being sick!

And we know a lot of people were praying! We sent out prayer requests as much as we could without access to the internet in our room. It was so encouraging to have our language partners come to visit, our ministry partners (the Rices), their language partners, and our pastor from our church here in Albertville visit twice! They had a special prayer time at our church to pray for her health as well. This was especially encouraging, considering my experience at church just before Sydney became sick (see my post "deserving").

Playing under the crib with her Nounou (nanny) the day of discharge

We praise God that He is our healer, and He saw fit to bring her back to full health. We enjoyed watching our first big snow dump on Albertville from our hospital room. As she was improving, Sydney was curious about the large white stuff falling from the sky and wanted to go to the window to see. Our experience in the hospital in a foreign country was overall very good. We were fully immersed in French for 3 days, including a bonus that a lot of the speaking was medical. We learned that the nose rinse can cure all (ok, a little sarcasm is helpful to ward off frustration), that the French nurses use a headlight to come in our room at night so they don't have to turn on the light, and that the French like their meals to be served properly. As a parent, I was ushered to a separate room with other parents when it was time for lunch so that we could sit at a table to have a proper meal and a proper conversation.

Albertville Hospital

View from our window- SNOW!!

The snow dump, viewed from the hospital, with the Olympic figure skating rink in the background (blue structure)

But, having said that, I was never more happy to come back home where there were no monitors or temperature-taking at 3am. Just a crib, black-out windows, and lots and lots of sleep for Sydney. We cancelled our trip to Paris, and instead enjoyed a week of relaxation, game-playing, and helping families move into their apartments before the start of school this semester. We are so thankful to be home and healthy!