baby meets hospital

Last night, after we arrived home from dinner,  Ben and I noticed that Luke was looking really pale and that he was making weird noises while he was breathing.  Something in my mommy instinct sent alarms flaring in me, and we decided to call the doctor.  He told us to take Luke to the ER.

I am too tired to go into detail, but long story short:

Luke had a mucus plug in his left lung, which caused his lung to just barely collapse.  It wasn't a major collapsed lung, like we all hear about, but a little minor one that showed up on the X-ray.  It was enough, however, to keep Luke in the hospital overnight, and make him very uncomfortable. Normally, they would have to put a tube down in him and suction out the mucus plug, but lucky for us, Luke threw it up soon after we got to the ER.

The X-ray also confirmed that his RSV has turned to pneumonia. Boo.

We spent a long night together here in the hospital, but we just got the green light to go home in a few hours!


We named his teddy bear ERnie. Get it? Oh man, I need some sleep.

Luke is still very sick, and according to the doctor, he has a long road to recovery, but at least we are fully equipped to treat Luke at home.

He still can't get enough air on his own, so he will continue 24/7 oxygen, he also will continue the nebulizer treatments, and stay on his meds for his ear infections and the pneumonia.

We are hoping that this is the last hospital stay with this crud, but the doc. told me that another mucus plug could happen again, and that we would have to come back if it did.  Hopefully the nebulizer treatments can help prevent that. I would rather not repeat the experience.

It is heartbreaking to see my sweet little guy so sick, and I have worried so much, but I can't help thinking of those, like my grandmother, who have children with CF, or other life-long illnesses that deal with this stuff every day.  I feel so blessed that this is a short term deal, and that my children are usually healthy, active and happy.  I worry in the moment, but I also know that my little Lukey will be better and back to normal in a few weeks.

The Lord has blessed us, and we are grateful.  My heart and prayers go out to all of those out there who are in more severe situations and who deal with this every day.  My little tiny glimpse into what it must be like for them has given me a greater understanding. May God bless them all.