A long 2 weeks

     Oh it's been a long week or two (they've sort of just ran together). My youngest started getting sick on saturday the 18th and by Sunday we were in the ER and she was being admitted with RSV, no fun! She ended up staying for a week , scared me to death, and my other two children were just confused. We luckily had great nurses and hospital staff which was wonderful and made a horrible experince alittle better we've had nurses and staff before that have treated us like we are a horrid problem for them ( I've been in the hospital several times with my oldest he was a preemie and we were in the hospital several several times for extended stays through out his first couple of years of life). We finally got home but the fun wasnt over yet my poor baby (17months) had to stay on oxygen everytime she slept and she just wasnt her normal playful self. And on top of all of that we had to go to the Dr office every day for oxygen checks and chest xrays (oh and she developed and ear infection the last day in the hospital). So we finally got her off the oxygen and she is slowly turning back into her normal self!

     RSV is a very scary thing we were lucky that it wasn't worse for her, my 5year old was a preemie and stopped breathing in the middle of the night i rushed him to the ER doing all i could to keep him breathing he ended up life flighted and in an induced coma at a children's hospital for 3 months with RSV when he was 4 months old. His was awful he had chest tubes and all kinds of things i care not to ever think of again. So I've decided to post so RSV warning signs and general information for readers(if there are any lol) just so you can catch RSV before it gets serious and watch for signs to tell your DR ( and if you have any doubt has your DR give an RSV test its simple swap or suction of nose gunk they test, i had my preemie at the DRs office the morning of the night that he stopped breathing and i was just told by the DR that i was young and worried which i knew there was something wrong and just scheduled an appointment with another dr but we never made it to the appointment because he ended up terrifying me that night so demand the test if necessary you know your child better than a DR and you are your doctor's employer they arent in charge it took me a while to learn that but finally did)


so here are some warning signs/symptoms of RSV:

Symptoms vary and differ with age. They usually appear 4 - 6 days after coming in contact with the virus.
Older children usually have only mild, cold-like symptoms, such as cough, stuffy nose, or low-grade fever.
Infants under age 1 may have more severe symptoms and often have the most trouble breathing.

Bluish skin color due to a lack of oxygen

Breathing difficulty or labored breathing

cough

Croupy cough (often described as a "seal bark" cough)

Fever

Nasal flaring

Rapid breathing (tachypnea)

Shortness of breath

Stuffy nose

Wheezing

And here is a basic run down of what RSV is:

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common virus that leads to mild, cold-like symptoms in adults and older healthy children. It can be more serious in young babies, especially to those in certain high-risk groups

Causes:

RSV is the most common germ that causes lung and airway infections in infants and young children. Most infants have had this infection by age 2. Outbreaks of RSV infections most often begin in the fall and run into the spring.
The infection can occur in people of all ages. The virus spreads through tiny droplets that go into the air when a sick person blows their nose, coughs, or sneezes.
You can catch RSV if:

• A person with RSV sneezes, coughs, or blows their nose near you
• You touch, kiss, or shake hands with someone who is infected by the virus
• You touch your nose, eyes, or mouth after you have touched something contamined by the virus, such as a toy or doorknob.

RSV often spreads very rapidly in crowded households and day care centers. The virus can live for a half an hour or more on hands. The virus can also live for up to 5 hours on countertops and for several hours on used tissues.
The following increase the risk for RSV:

• Attending day care
• Being near tobacco smoke
• Having school-aged brothers or sisters
• Living in crowded conditions

RSV is the most common germ that causes lung and airway infections in infants and young children. Most infants have had this infection by age 2. Outbreaks of RSV infections most often begin in the fall and run into the spring.
The infection can occur in people of all ages. The virus spreads through tiny droplets that go into the air when a sick person blows their nose, coughs, or sneezes.
You can catch RSV if:

• A person with RSV sneezes, coughs, or blows their nose near you
• You touch, kiss, or shake hands with someone who is infected by the virus
• You touch your nose, eyes, or mouth after you have touched something contamined by the virus, such as a toy or doorknob.

RSV often spreads very rapidly in crowded households and day care centers. The virus can live for a half an hour or more on hands. The virus can also live for up to 5 hours on countertops and for several hours on used tissues.
The following increase the risk for RSV:

• Attending day care
• Being near tobacco smoke
• Having school-aged brothers or sisters
• Living in crowded conditions

So I hope that some of this information helps you watch or recoginze the signs of RSV so that you can catch it early so it wont be so serious! And I am so glad that we are finally out of th hospital and home!

So do any of you guys have any tips for baby sickness in general or RSV feel free to leave your tips in the comments!!

-sarah