Day 10 || On the mend...

Patrick had another great day today. His fever has stayed away, and his blood tests came back with great results. He had his IV taken out, and didn't need to be on the monitors anymore. Patrick Unplugged in the hospital is a totally different beast. We spent all day today chasing him around our room (and the Peds floor). He was a bundle of energy and loved exploring the room he'd previously only seen from the crib. Since he's doing so well, the doctor sent us all home! After 10 days of living in Fairfax Hospital, Andy and I were thrilled to pack up our baby and hop in the car.

While we are excited that Patrick is feeling better, we are not out of the woods yet. The doctors diagnosed him with Kawasaki Disease. This is the condition that I wrote about on Saturday. If treated within 10 days of the onset of the high fevers, the potential for heart problems is reduced, which is why the doctors decided to treat him on Friday night - before they had received the results of the testing they performed on Friday. The treatment, called IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin), was administered while Patrick slept on Friday evening. His temperature stayed down, his pain, rash and peeling skin went away, and he generally began to feel more like himself again. Because of the risk for heart damage, we will have to follow up with a cardiologist for awhile to make sure that Patrick is in the clear.

The results of all of Friday's tests are still not all in yet. Patrick went under general anesthesia and had both a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and a bone marrow biopsy. These tests were performed to rule out meningitis and several types of autoimmune disorders. We've received some of LP results, which indicate that Patrick is meningitis-free. The biopsy results should come in over the next few days. We are hopeful that they are all negative.

Patrick curated quite a collection of specialists while he was in the NICU, and he treated this visit to Fairfax Hospital no differently. During his stay, Patrick was seen by a pediatric hospitalist, several pediatric residents, an infectious disease specialist (sounds scary, right?), and a hematologist, a rheumatologist. We have follow up appointments scheduled with a cardiologist (for the Kawasaki) and a neurologist (for the febrile seizures that landed us in the hospital in the first place). I think that Patrick was getting bored spending Mondays and Fridays at home with me, so he thought he'd fill our calendar with more doctors appointments.

The IVIG treatment that Patrick received for the Kawasaki, as well as albumen - another medication he received - are made from blood products. This means that they're made from the blood that people donate. (And, a LOT of people need to donate to create each dose of these treatments!) I've had a lifelong fear of needles, and since I had so many while I was pregnant with Patrick, I gave myself a lifetime pass on donating blood. Our experience over the past ten days made me reconsider my decision. From now on, I will make it a priority to donate, because I have seen how much it can help.

The three of us cannot possibly thank everyone enough for all of the support, prayers, positive thoughts, Elmo DVDs, balloons, and food over the past 10 days. Our little family had a long, frustrating NICU experience last year, but this hospital stay was much scarier and difficult for all of us. We are truly thankful to have such a wonderful family and so many good friends to hold our hands when we really needed it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.