Oh CRUD!! What Else Can I Possibly Say??!!

Well, I am in Utah again, surprise surprise! Dawson hasn't quite been himself since the last surgery. He had seizures every 15-20 min on Friday and Saturday, he also had a fever Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. He couldn't sleep AT ALL, and he cried out anytime someone tried to lift him up.

On Wednesday night we were trying to find something to help fatten him up. He is just so skinny! He is allergic to dairy and after putting a little smear of Peanut Butter on his tongue, we also found out he is allergic to nuts, REALLY allergic. He sneezed and sneezed then started having a hard time breathing. This is when I was really thankful that I had been an EMT. I immediately gave him Benedryl and we called the doctor. Within 10 min he was breathing more comfortably, but he got hives ALL OVER his little face. Then his little face wasn't so little anymore. His lips and cheeks started swelling like crazy! Poor baby! I watched for his tongue to swell, and it never did thankfully. Within another 15 he was doing a lot better. The next morning he had more hives so we knew that his reaction was severe. We kept in contact with the doctor about it and now we know that we are now going to have to REALLY watch out for this!

So, on Monday morning, after having the week that we had, we woke up to find Dawson with a very bad bloody nose. There was blood on his face and all over in his blanket. The most alarming part of all of that was the blood clots! He had one on his cheek, that had come out of his nose that was the size of a ping pong ball, then there were two more smaller ones in his blanket by his face. YIKES!! We took plenty of pictures. I knew I couldn't adequately describe this to the doctors. So I packed him and Mallory in the Suburban, picked up Ryan at work and we headed to Twin Falls.

When we got there they could tell he didn't feel good. He didn't LOOK good, at all. So, after the pictures were seen, and the doctor was quite alarmed, the blood tests, x rays and CT scans began. A couple hours later the results were in; Dawson has neumonia in his right lung, a pretty bad infection coming from who knows where, and his bowels were completely blocked, due to his chronic constipation issues. Dawson's shunt needed to be tapped and his CSF needed to be tested for infection. No one in Twin can do that, there just isn't anyone with that kind of experience, so we were advised to head to Utah for a tap. IF the CSF was clear we could come back and have him admitted in Idaho for treatment of neumonia and constipation, if not, well, more Spinal Menengitis and a hospital stay for a few weeks, in Utah. UGH!!

So, we left the hospital and Ryan and I discussed what we should do. We were going to drive the hour back home, THEN I would drive BACK down and head to Utah. That would take about 8-9 hours. When I put Dawson in his car seat I could see that he was getting worse fast. I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of urgency. We needed to get him there ASAP!! We flipped around and drove the Twin Falls airport. We got there just 30 min before the flight to SLC was taking off. We bought a ticket and Dawson and I said goodbye to Ry and Mallory and flew to Utah.

When we got there I rented a car and got to the ER at Primary Childrens. Dawson was really looking bad and they immediately admitted him to the ER, even with 40-50 kids waiting in a ridiculously busy waiting room with broken arms, throwing up, etc. YIKES!! So, there Dawson would go through more Xrays and CT's and blood tests and then we sat, and sat and sat! We arrived there at about 7pm and didn't get out of the ER until 2am! We were beat!

They put Dawson in the Neuro Trama Unit (NTU). It was confirmed that he does have a staph infection in his shunt and we are still waiting to see if it got into his heart. He was taken into surgery yesterday morning. His shunt was removed and an external shunt is in place. NOT FUN!! They also couldn't find a vein to put an IV in and had to go into his Jugular vein. That is so uncomfortable for him. He can't move his head without it pushing into his neck and he HATES it!

Yesterday while he slept off the anesthetic I took the rental car back and my mom took me to Pl. Grove to get my grandparents car, then I HAD to do a little shopping, needless to say! I hit a few stores bought some clothes and a toothbrush, and all the necessities, and now we are set!

Ryan, Jake and Mal should be here tomorrow night, that will be nice! Dawson sleeps and sleeps, he has a lot to catch up on, and I sit and hold him.

I do have to add this, because I know that we all wonder why Dawson has to go through so much. I have to say, I don't know, but I DO know that he is now and always has been in the Lord's hands. There are no accidents with him. If Dawson gets sick, there is a purpose behind it. We MUST trust the Lord. We don't understand what good this will do, BUT we don't need the details, we just have to TRUST and have faith that He is with Dawson, and ALL of us and "that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good". (That is in D&C 122. That entire section gives me so much comfort! Please read it when you get a minute. It is quite short, but very amazing!)

Anyway, we love you all and we are so thankful for all of your prayers, help and encouragment. It really does strengthen us! We have the greatest family and friends! We are truly blessed!

I will keep you updated!