All sick - at the same time!

The last few weeks have been crazy for us - it started with Ellie getting sick from allergies and then Jesse got Bronchitis and gave some of his cold to me. First, Ellie started having allergy symptoms when the weather started changing - runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes - and then it lead to bad congestion and eventually an ugly cough. This was the first time Ellie has been really sick. So, I took her to the Dr and he gave her the good stuff - bubble gum medicine (amoxicillian) along with some allergy meds for her ear infection I had no idea she had. Well, 8 days later, my baby girl breaks out in a rash and hives! So, no more bubble gum medicine, lots of benedryl, and a new antibiotic (z-pack for kids). The rash finally goes away, but the ear infection, congestion and cough did not so a 3rd antibiotic was in order along with meds for reflux to stop the coughing. 3rd times a charm! Now, my baby is ear infection free, congestion free, and cough free! FINALLY!

I was sick with the common cold. I went through 2 Z-packs to clear it up, but oddly enough, some over the counter medication finally did the trick for me.

Now, on to Jesse. So he gets a cold that leads to lovely bronchitis. Well, he goes through an antibiotic and cough meds and they didn't work. Unfortunately, due to the coughing, it triggered a recurring spell he has had since he was 11 that only happens every few years. He started coughing up blood. Well, the last time this had happened was the week before he deployed to Iraq. He was checked out but they didn't do enough to find out what the cause was and in the past it always stopped. Well, this time, it started happening more frequent and it got to the point on Friday night (11/13) that it wouldn't stop. Ellie was sick and up crying and so Jesse had to drive himself to the ER. He ends up being sent to the pulmonary wing and then sent to ICU so they could sedate him to do a bronchial scope. This didn't produce any answers due to the amount of blood so they kept him in an induced coma so they could figure it out through radiology. They found that it was coming from a cluster of blood vessels on the lower lobe of his right lung and they used chemicals to basically internally cauterize the vessels. Then, they had to keep him sedated to prevent any coughing for 24 hours, so he was on a respirator and still in a drug induced coma. That was one scene in my mind that I wish I could forget. They kept him for 2 more days for observation, but thankfully, the procedure worked! We are hoping this is a long-term fix but if it happens again, we know what the problem is.

Whew...that's a lot of medical junk. We are thankful to be healthy and together. Thanks to all the family and friends that were praying for us!