Hospital Visit

So much has happened since my last post, it's hard to know where to start.

On Wednesday, Rhea continued to only be able to keep down Pedialyte. We kept trying to feed her formula, but unfortunately, she wasn't able to tolerate it. At least the Pedialyte had electrolytes to keep her hydrated.

On Thursday morning, things got really scary. Rhea stopped drinking the Pedialyte and as a result, was starting to become dehydrated and almost unresponsive. We brought her back to her doctors and her doctor sent her to the hospital for some tests and to get her on an IV.

Our first stop at the hospital was to try and get an ultrasound done to make sure her stomach muscles were working properly. Her doctor was afraid that the muscle that pushes food out wasn't working. We couldn't see the stomach muscles on the first attempt because Rhea's stomach was empty, so we had to try again later, after the nurse gave her some anti-nauseau medicine. Once the tech was able to see the stomach muscle, we got the good news - everthing was fine.

Now, we went back to the ER to try and figure out what the problem was. They had to draw blood, which was the most awful thing I have ever experienced. Rhea was so dehydrated, they had a hard time finding a vein and getting the blood, so it took 5 attempts before they had what they needed. I couldn't help but break down a few times and it took all of my willpower not to grab her and run out the door with her when she was screaming in pain.

Next, they put in an IV, which was also awful, but at least successful on the first attempt. Once the IV was in, we spent a few hours in the ER waiting for the results to come back.

The results allowed the doctors to rule out a few things, so once that was done, they admitted Rhea for observation and to keep her on the IV and moved us to her room in the pediatric wing of the hospital.

That night, both mommy and daddy stayed with Rhea - they would have had to drag us out of there - and took turns comforting her.

On Friday, they took more blood and got what they needed on the first try now that she was hydrated again. THANK GOD! We spent most of the day with the nurses checking her vitals and us trying to feed her Pedialyte and/or formula. She had a good morning, but then stopped eating all together after about noon. She was getting some nourishment from the IV, but we all were concerned that she wasn't eating.

So, we spent another night in the hospital and they did more blood work on Saturday morning. Everything looked good and we once again started the routine of feeding attempts. This time with a formula mix that included her usual formula, along with a more sensitive formula that is easier for babies to digest. We were so happy to see her responding more to our attempts and showing signs of hunger for the first time in days. She was also more alert and even smiled a few times!

Saturday we also had some visitors which helped lift all of our spirits. Grandpa and Grandma Morrione and Great Grandmom came in the morning and then Memere came out in the afternoon.

Saturday night after Rhea kept some formula down, we were discharged. We got home about 9:30 at night and before long, all fell asleep.

Rhea had a good night, however this morning has been tough so far. She is once again only keeping Pedialyte down. She is hungry and wants the formula, even eating it, but after a little while it all comes back up. We will call her doctor soon to see what the next steps are.

These have been the worst days of my life. I hope that we are on the other side of this and she will only get better from here. Please keep Rhea in your thoughts - she needs all of the help she can get to get better.