How Much Excitement Can I Handle?

So my Friday was no less eventful than the last two days. We finally got Logan into the doctor at 1pm, and he was actually acting like he was on the upside of this nasty bug. The doctor heard him wheezing when he coughed and finally is calling it asthma. This kid gets an awful cough EVERY time he gets a cold. The dr. thinks the asthma is triggered by virus' (I believe it also worsens w/ activity and some allergies.) So...he's got an inhaler (with an extremely expensive chamber that insurance won't cover to help him use the medicine correctly) and he has a steroid to open up his airway. He's doing much better today (ornery as ever!)...I'm not sure how he did last night...b/c he stayed at my Dad's. Let me explain:

I was worried about Chelsea yesterday b/c she was acting really puny so I had the ped listen to her and check her out when we were there for Logan. He said she wasn't dehydrated...yet, but she was using up her reserves. I tried and tried to get her to drink all day, but she just wasn't having much of it, and wasn't interested in eating either once again. By the time we got home from the doctors and the pharmacy, she was zonked, so I laid her in bed. When she woke up, Ryan held her in the rocker for a while then brought her to me. She was awake, but wasn't sitting up, playing or babbling, just laying there. I gave her one goldfish cracker and within 60 seconds of eating it, she made a little toot and filled her diaper. Poor thing! I got her all cleaned up and tried to get her to drink some water (I resorted to the bottle trick again.) She drank about 6 ounces, but was still just laying on me, not interested in anything, not even turning her head when I said her name. My dad brought over some pedialyte for us to try, but before I could get it for her, she sat up on my lap (I'm thinking yeah, she wants up) then I feel something warm all over my lap. Yep, through the diaper and clothes. So once again I'm cleaning her up and she's just limp as can be. It was like a newborn baby deep in sleep, you pick up their arms and legs and they just drop like dead weight. Her arms and legs were doing the same thing, only she was awake!

I called the oncology nurse and she said I could take her into the ER, but all the beds were full on the floor, so I might as well take her to our local hospital. (This is where I called my Dad to pick up Logan b/c I'm not sure if Ryan was conscious enough to care for him...he's still pretty loopy from pain meds.) I figured Chelsea was just dehydrated and just needed them to pump some fluids into her line and I didn't want to be admitted anyways, so we headed into town. Before we left I filled her bottle w/ pedialyte and she drank a lot in the car then finished it while we were waiting (in a very dirty waiting room!) I insisted they put us in a private room (those are the rules for hemoc kids) but all the rooms were full, so we got a small waiting rooms to ourselves. I was glad Chelsea wasn't wanting down to play because it was so gross. She did start sitting up and was being a little playful with my mom (who met me at the ER). I could see the pedialyte taking effect. We got into a room fairly quickly and I kept requesting labs (that's what the nurse from Children's said they would do), but it took them forever to get going. By the time they got the labs drawn Chelsea had finished her 8 oz. of pedialyte (plus the 6 ounces of water at home earlier) so the labs said she wasn't "technically" dehydrated. They hooked her up to bollis fluids which means they pump a large amount into her over an hour and then they slowed it down. Within 15 minutes of them pumping the fluids in her, she started playing, making faces and wanting off of our laps! It was like Chelsea was suddenly back. So... even with my informal medical training, I can confirm, she was dehydrated. She ran on fluids for close to two hours, and they sent us home. By the end of the first hour she finally had a wet diaper! I don't think she had a wet diaper since that morning when she woke up. It was hard to tell b/c she had the diarrhea. Poor Chels crashed within 2 minutes of the ride home. She was exhausted, as was I!

My dad kept Logan overnight and I got to sleep in until 10am! When woke up Ryan and Chelsea were rocking in her room. He had gotten up for pain meds and woke her up, so he rocked her so I could sleep longer. She's doing better today, she ate a little of her Cheerios and is drinking again!!! She's already had one wet diaper (which isn't great for 3pm in the afternoon, but I'll take it!) She kept putting her hands on her head and I'm guessing she may have a headache since I tend to get headaches when I don't drink enough water, so I gave her some oxycodone this morning. (Remember she can't have Tylenol, it masks a fever which could indicate an infection...very dangerous.) So she was so messed up from the med that she was stumbling all over the place like a drunk woman, BUT, she was in good spirits, and played more this morning than she has in three days! I'm shocked she hasn't had anymore diarrhea, but maybe she's past it. Could it be, is the sickness winding down in our family? I sure hope so, I don't know how much more I can do... if Chels is still sleeping, I may go catch a cat nap, I'd like to think I deserve it!

**Added: Lovely. My mom (who was with us all last night) and my father in law (was here the night before) have been throwing up all day. Why oh why?! I'm not sure if we gave it to them, or if I'm still going to get it!? I'm praying that you two can kick this quickly. And please, please God, if you could, spare me from this illness this time, we've got to go back for chemo on Tuesday...no time to be sick. Sigh.