Tag Archives: gastroenteritis

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Diagnosis

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Saturday, 29 March 2014; Three Hundred and Sixty Two Days Old.

Ayla had a restless night last night and although she hasn’t had a fever since yesterday, this morning Ayla’s stomach was still upset and she was miserable.

Considering this is Ayla’s eighth day of being sick Hubby and I decided more need to be done than simply sitting around waiting for ‘it’ to ‘pass’.

So at lunchtime we demanded to speak to a paediatric supervisor to try and get some answers.

When the paediatrician came to see us she said that Ayla’s urine results had “only just literally come in that second” (conveniently) and that it was riddled with bugs.

I’d had a sneaking suspicion for a few days now that Ayla might have been suffering a UTI but the doctors kept telling me “not to worry” about catching a sample because it was probably only gastro.

Lucky I persisted.

Apparently Ayla’s UTI has stemmed from having had gastro in Thailand, which created the perfect environment for the e-coli bacteria to spread.

Ayla was immediately given the first dose in a seven day course of antibiotics and we waited at the hospital to see how her body would cope.

Ayla took the antibiotics like a champ and managed to keep it all down, so after a second dose at 7pm this evening we were sent home on ward leave.

Ward leave isn’t exactly discharged though… It means we are still awaiting final urine results tomorrow that will confirm if the generic antibiotics Ayla’s been prescribed will kill the particular bug she has.

It also means that if anything happens overnight we can go straight back to hospital and bypass the emergency room.

It was SO good to get Ayla out of the hospital, and out of that damn isolation room!!

Ayla seemed excited to be home too, crawling straight over to Cat Cat for a pat then off into her room to reacquaint herself.

I decided to treat Ayla to a special homecoming supper to celebrate so I put her in her high chair and presented her with a fresh strawberry and some chocolate custard.

Ayla was a sticky chocolatey mess in minutes and it felt good to have my little girl back!

If all goes well tonight Ayla could be back to her normal self by as early as tomorrow and if not well, lets not worry about that just yet.

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Isolation

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Friday, 28 March 2014: Three Hundred and Sixty One Days Old.

We’re still in hospital and although Ayla has perked up a bit her symptoms haven’t changed.

After being on a drip all night Ayla had put on 200grams by this morning and we thought she was on the mend.

The doctors removed the drip and asked us to give Ayla 10mls of an electrolyte fluid every 15 minutes or so via a small drinking syringe instead.

But since then Ayla has had four bouts of diarrhoea and a massive vomit, which meant that by her evening weigh-in she’d lost 75grams in just a few hours.

Ayla definitely seems happier though and despite having a mild fever all day she’s been smiling and waving and blowing kisses at everyone.

But Hubby and I are worried Ayla’s health is simply restarting the same cycle it’s been on for the past seven days; mild fever > upset stomach > lack of appetite > high fever > severe lethargy > REPEAT.

I guess only time will tell (or the test results we’re still waiting on!) and for now it’s another night in the isolation ward.

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Hospital

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Thursday, 27 March 2014: Three Hundred and Sixty Days Old.

I am writing this from Ayla’s bedside, in hospital.

Last night as we flew out of Singapore, I fed Ayla on take off as usual.

Ayla was very limp and lethargic and fell asleep in my arms almost as soon as I laid down in Hubby’s lap, ready for the four hour flight ahead. But an hour into the journey Ayla vomited, a lot, and her temperature shot back up to 39 degrees despite having only taken panadol a little over an hour earlier.

The air hostesses on the flight were lovely but advised that Australian Quarantine officers needed to be informed if a passenger returning from overseas presented with a fever and vomiting on the plane.

When we arrived in Australia all the passengers on the plane were told to stay in their seats until the Quarantine Officer had boarded and spoken to us. Fortunately the conversation was very brief and we were told to go to straight to the hospital when we cleared immigration.

So that’s what we did and Ayla’s been in the hospital ever since.

The current diagnosis is viral gastroenteritis, but given Ayla hasn’t eaten solids for six days, has been off her milk for two and has had a fever, diarrhoea and vomiting on an off nearly a week no ones taking any chances.

For the past nine hours, after a smorgasbord of pain killers this morning that finally calmed her cramping stomach and helped her settle, Ayla has done nothing by sleep in a scary coma-like haze that’s making it hard for us to get her to drink the fluids she needs.

So Ayla has been put on a drip and just recently was given some more panadol when she suddenly woke with a 40 degree temperature and red (probably fever related) blotches on her belly.

Ayla’s back sleeping now and we’re waiting for the paediatrician to come and check her.

I’m sure she’s going to be ok, and she’s in the best place possible for getting better, but we’re all keeping our fingers crossed Ayla will be back to her happy, healthy little self in no time.