Re: RSV
Steven F. Holle (steve@oz.sunflower.org)
Sat, 02 Mar 1996 23:47:50 -0600
Update on RSV.
Well, we didn't have RSV this time. It turned out to be a bad cold virus.
Between the twins though, I ended up at the ER twice. Once with Leah at 0300
on Tuesday morning, then at 2030 Thursday evening with Caleb.
Leah responded well with albuterol treatments and has improved tremendously
since then.
Caleb admitted to Children's Mercy for two days, for croup. When it hit him
Thursday afternoon, it just went downhill. We tried albuterol treatments
with him, and it just didn't phase him.
He had stridorus inspiration with a rate in the 70's. Sometimes sounding
obstructive, mild retractions, no fever. All the time he had his usual
monstrous apetite and liked playing with the nebulizer.
They tried again in the ER with some minimal improvement. Just enough time
to get chest X-rays. Then he had about 5 minutes that really scared the heck
out of me (and I'm trained for this stuff). His breathing became excessively
labored, he flailed his arms about, and his oxygen saturation dropped. A
little blow by oxygen and breathing treatment resolved the crisis.
He was adimtted to Children's around 0030 and received a breathing treatment
with racemic epinephrine. Boy! about 10 wiffs of that and his breathing
quieted down and he started to relax.
After a couple of hours of more X-rays and some steroids, he settled down to
sleep around 0300. What a night.
He only required one more treatment with the epinephrine and only required
observation for the rest of his hospital stay. He's still very hoarse and a
little noisy with his breathing, but in no distress. We're now giving him
periodic albuterol treatments.
As fun as the kids are at this stage, I sure will be glad when they outgrow
some of this stuff. This week sure hasn't been fun.
Steve