The Thursday after Christmas (12/27) he seemed perfectly fine other than a small cold he had come down with on Christmas Eve. It was his first cold, so I had been really watching him; but it was really mild and he hadn't ran a fever since Christmas Eve, so I wasn't worried at all... During the night Thursday night into Friday morning, he didn't sleep well, which I attributed to his congestion from the cold. Around 430am, he cried for about an hour off and on - not like him at all - but again, I just assumed it was a side effect of the cold. Friday morning, John had to wake him at 815 so I could feed him before work... Usually he's up by 745 or so ready to eat, so this was abnormal, but I figured he was catching up a little from the bad night he had... He never really woke up. I tried to nurse him, and he ate for about 5 minutes on the first side and refused the second (he normally eats at least 10 minutes on each side - this was my first real red flag that something was wrong.)
I told John to keep a close eye on him - he had gone right back to sleep - and to let me know if he seemed to get worse or start running a fever. We talked and decided he was probably just catching up on lost sleep and feeling rough from the cold. I went to work and hoped for the best. Around 12, John called and said he hadn't really ever woken up more than a few minutes at a time and when he had given him his 7oz bottle he barely ate 2 ounces. I called the pediatrician and scheduled an appointment for the first opening they had that day - 3pm. I had started to worry that he had the flu or RSV or something worse than a basic cold, but I honestly had no idea what it was. He still had absolutely no fever and his only symptoms were extreme drowsiness and lack of appetite. At 2, just before John left to take him to the doctor, he had a bloody diaper. John called me and told me he "had some red color to his stool" but I had no idea what we were dealing with until I saw the photo John took hours later. John was worried enough about it to snap a picture to show the pediatrician, and thank goodness, because I really think that's what provided his diagnosis.
After his appointment at 3, things happened really fast. They sent us straight to Greenville Children's Hospital to meet with a pediatric surgeon, and the pediatrician explained to us (John in person and me over the phone) that she suspected intussusception and explained exactly what that was (a condition where the intestine basically rolls up into itself, sometimes triggered by the bodies immune response to an underlying virus - in his case possibly his mild cold). She also explained to us that he would have an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis and if confirmed he would receive an "air enema" to push air into his colon and hopefully correct the problem (80-90% success rate). She told me on the phone we would have to spend the night in the hospital to monitor him. Of course, worried, I left work at 430 to meet John at the hospital. By the time I got to GHS at around 530, Liam was basically unresponsive. He hadn't ever really woken up all day, not even when the nurses pricked his foot for blood work, and he looked like a limp noodle in John's arms. I have never been so scared in my whole life. The situation became so urgent when I saw him - John had kept everything as positive as possible to try not to worry me, knowing I couldn't leave work until I found a fill-in pharmacist, but it was a bad situation. I could tell John was worried too, and both of us just sobbed and prayed there in the ultrasound room over our innocent baby.
Ultrasound results confirmed the diagnosis, they immediately took us in for the enema procedure (which the radiologist explained should work - they had success in 10 of the last 10 procedures)... Long story short, after an hour of screaming (the first time he'd been awake all day), it didn't work. They had explained to us if it didn't correct the problem Liam would have to go immediately into surgery so we knew the course of action that would be next...
By 7pm, we were handing our precious baby over to an anesthesiologist at the door of an OR. I don't remember a lot of the next hour. All we did was pray and cry... But after an hour, they came and told us the surgery was uncomplicated, they had corrected the problem, and he was fine. Basically, 1 in 2000 babies under age 3 could experience this issue. Of those, 90 % are corrected with the air enema. Liam was in the rare few that have to have surgery, but thankfully, he's perfectly fine now (other than his 2 1/2 inch war scar)
We thank Jesus for so many things in the midst of these circumstances...
that John was home with him that day instead of golfing like he had planned (babysitter had plans and cancelled last minute); that we felt worried enough, with no fever present, to make an appointment with the pediatrician; that the diaper John changed just an hour before Liam's appointment pointed directly to the correct diagnosis - in fact, they said it was the hallmark sign - and I feel like if it hadn't happened when it did, they may have not correctly diagnosed him, we would have probably ended up in the ER on a Friday night, in the wrong hospital, waiting for hours while our baby was in a desperate situation. God's provisions for us are PERFECT. Although we may never understand why these things happen, if we hadn't felt that tug from the Holy Spirit to go ahead and schedule the appointment, I don't think Liam would have made it through the night. I hate to even think about those things... but it gives me to opportunity to publicly PRAISE JESUS for this miracle. The next day, Liam was back to eating and has never needed anything other than tylenol for pain. He's back to meeting all his milestones for a 5 month old - working on sitting up, rolling back to front, and eating new foods. I am SO INCREDIBLY THANKFUL for my sweet Liam and for God providing a REAL Christmas miracle.
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| Our first morning home from the hospital... Such a sweet, sweet face :) |
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