3Elissa really gave mom and dad a scare just 2 days after her first birthday. Nick and Heather went to Elissa's well baby exam thinking Elissa had a little cold, but were quickly sent to Texas Children's Hospital via the ambulance. Dr. Miller was concerned about her breathing. The hospital was incredibly busy, so much so, that Elissa's IV was put in while we were sitting in the hallway. Fortunately, they were able to move us back to a bed and procede with her breathing treatments.
About 2 am we were moved to a regular room. Nick and Heather had quite the chuckle when the put Elissa in the crib, because she is not familiar with what that is exactly (story for another day). She stood in the crib grabbing the bars and jumping up and down... much like a caged monkey. Obviously, she was feeling better! Heather looked at the nurse and mentioned that this probably was not the best option, so they brought Princess Elissa a big bed. Nick and Heather were both able to stay with her. The rooms were very nice and roomy.
Tuesday was a good day, Elissa looked so much better and was playing peek a boo with visitors and nurses. She was eating and drinking on her own, so they decided to remove her IV fluids.
Wednesday morning Elissa took a turn for the worse. She was refusing to eat or drink and was very lethargic and tired. We had a concern that she was still working really hard to breathe and that she was tiring herself out. She needed to be able to be monitored more frequently by the medical staff to ensure that she didn't stop breathing on her own due to exhaustion. The doctor's made the decision that she needed to move to the PICU.
We stayed in the PICU until late Friday night. It was really hard being in the PICU, because all of those kids are really sick and realizing that Elissa was included in that category. She is normally such a happy and healthy little girl. Nick and Heather were very thankful that the Ronald McDonald House was available to them to go and sleep. The two chairs in the PICU were not the most comfortable! Nick and Heather took shifts on Thursday night so they each got to sleep for a couple of hours (Heather longer than Nick because of the Dr. Pyro call at 1:30 in the morning!) On Friday, Elissa was back on her way up and they moved us to the 14th floor of TCH.
Elissa remained on the 14th floor to begin eating and drinking on her own and weaning her from the oxygen. They had her at 3 liters of oxygen at one point, so she had quite an adjustment to get her down to 0. Fortunately, they were able to turn her oxygen off completely Sunday morning and then send her home later in the day.
We are so thankful for all of our family, friends and minister for visting, bringing us food, sitting with Elissa, praying with us and providing a much needed shoulder to lean on. We are also so blessed to have Dr. Miller (Elissa's peditrician), Texas Children's Hospital (all of the doctors, nurses and techs) and The Ronald McDonald House available to us. You never realize how lucky we are to have such a 1st class medical center close to home until you need it. Nick and Heather also want to thank our employers for their understanding and allowing them the time off to spend with Elissa.
