Aleena woke up on a normal Wednesday (May 16) morning with a high fever and nothing else. I thought, That's strange! Maybe she picked up something from daycare. Because there were no other symptoms besides a fairly high fever, that I attempted to control by alternating Tylenol and Advil, I wasn't worried. A couple days of fevers and she'd be back to her normal self. I even boasted to a friend over the phone, Yeah, Aleena is fine. She's still got a fever but she's not throwing up or anything. I should have never opened my mouth! Friday morning, day 3 of high fevers, she started throwing up. I took her to the doctor early in the morning, and the doctor assured me she had the 3-5 day stomach virus going around and that she should be feeling better by Sunday. Great! A whole weekend with a sick child and no remedy. Friday night into Saturday got so much worse. Aleena couldn't keep anything down. She would take a sip of pedialyte and throw it right back up. I started to worry about dehydration, but that was only the start of my worries. Saturday morning, Aleena woke up covered in a rash. She was so hot, and her eyes started to look red and blood shot. I called the on-call doctor who again assured me it was just part of the 3-5 day virus her body was fighting. I was welcome to bring Aleena into the office, but there was nothing different they would do since it was only day 4. By Sunday, Day 5 of the fever and throwing up, I knew something wasn't right. This was not just a virus. My extremely active three year old had become lethargic, with blood shot eyes and a continued high fever. She still had a rash on her body, her lips were chapped, and her tongue was covered in bumps. I knew we had to take her in again.
Monday (May 21) was Day 6 of Aleena being sick. I felt weary and exhausted from the countless hours of being awake through the night, praying over my child, holding the trash can as she threw up, and rubbing her head to check for the high heat coming from her body. Glenn and I took her into the doctor who examined her. Deep in my gut I knew Aleena was sick and could possibly need to be in the hospital, but it didn't soften the blow of the doctor's words.
"Okay, guys. I'm going to be really honest with you. I don't want to alarm or scare you, but Aleena is very sick. Although I am concerned that she is dehydrated, I am more concerned about all her symptoms. I believe your daughter has Kawasaki Disease. Do you know what that is?"
I stifled the panic and listened with my best poker face. My baby had what?! We listened as the doctor explained that this disease attacked the blood vessels of the body, and more importantly the coronary arteries of the heart. She had to be taken to the hospital immediately, where she would be evaluated and treated for Kawasaki's, if that's what she truly had.
Oh, my guts! I looked at Glenn and thought, "Really? When will this end? Six days of sickness, and now we are going to the hospital with our three year old, who may have a damaged heart." We put one foot in front of the other and took Aleena into the ER. I texted people on the way and posted to Facebook, asking for prayer support. We were quickly ushered into the Pediatric Unit of the ER and nurses and doctors came in, asking questions and doing their jobs. I think we repeated the history of the 6 Days of Illness about a thousand times to each new specialist who came in to see our daughter.
I knew that Aleena was going to have to get an IV, and I knew how dehydrated she was. I started to dread the moment that was approaching, all the while humming quietly to Aleena as I cradled her in the hospital bed. The nurses came in with the needles and IV. I was asked to get off the bed, and then lay across my child so that she wouldn't squirm. There is little else that can break a Momma's heart than holding her child down as they have a needle placed into her arm. Aleena cried out in pain, and I did my best to hold back my tears. If I could just bear this burden for my daughter...if only I could take the pain for her. "Me, God. Let me take it and let me bear it." The IV finally went in, and I did my best to calm Aleena's tears of pain.
Eventually, we were taken up to the Pediatric Unit and Aleena was settled into her room. The nurses and doctors were wonderful, explaining everything very carefully and keeping up informed. Aleena began treatment for Kawasaki Disease on Tuesday morning (May 22). The 12 hour IVIG treatment was successful, and on Wednesday, we began to see signs of improvement. She had an echo cardiogram to check for damage to her coronary arteries, and by God's great faithfulness, she had NO damage! There were 3 small miniscule leaks in some of her valves due to inflammation, but that was supposed to clear up in 8-10 weeks. She also ended up having an ultrasound of her kidneys to check for any abnormalities, which came back completely normal. Again, thank you Jesus.
I started to run on empty. Three nights in the hospital, on top of 6 nights being awake throughout the night with a sick child, I needed sleep. Glenn spent time running back and forth from the hospital to home, taking care of our dog, bringing food, clothes, or whatever I needed. We were exhausted and ready for a breakthrough on so many levels. We marveled at God's goodness- how quickly Aleena was diagnosed and treated, that she had no damage to her heart, her kidneys were clear, and she was still very much full of life. We were surrounded by our friends and church family who brought meals, gifts for and prayed for strength. After four days in the hospital, Aleena was released from the Pediatric Unit on Thursday, May 24, and sent home with no restrictions. I remember my daughter's hand in mine as we walked out of the hospital. She looked up at the sun and said, "Mommy, it's sunny outside." And I said, "Yes, honey. It is. A beautiful day to go home from the hospital and get some rest."
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