Wednesday, July 29, 2009

It's been a rough few days since we posted last! Jackson started getting sick on Saturday, and by Sunday evening, he was scaring us enough that we called the on-call pediatrician, who recommended we take Jackson to the ER at Primary. Jackson was not able to move his neck and head, and was just not his happy self, so we knew something was wrong!

After a CT scan and some blood work, Jackson was diagnosed with a retro pharyngeal abscess, which is basically "a deep neck space infection that can pose a life-threatening emergency, with potential for airway compromise and other catastrophic complications. The retropharyngeal space can become infected in two ways. Infection can either spread from a contiguous area or the space can be directly inoculated from penetrating trauma. The "classic" retropharyngeal abscess observed in pediatric patients occurs when an upper respiratory infection (URI) spreads to retropharyngeal lymph nodes, forming chains in the retropharyngeal space on either side of the superior constrictor muscle.Sources of infection can include pharyngitis, tonsillitis, adenoiditis, adenitis, otitis, sinusitis, and other infections (ie, nasal, salivary, dental)."

After being admitted on Sunday, Jackson started IV antibiotics, and we had to wait 24 hours to hear the results in order for the physicians to make a decision about surgery. Luckily, his counts were improving, even if fevers were not, and we held off surgery for another day. By Tuesday, the blood work was much better, and we were starting to catch glimpses of Jackson's old self, which was a MAJOR step in the right direction! Based on the positive changes, the surgeons were none too happy to not operate on Jackson either, because of his age, and the recovery time and risk involved with any surgery.

By Tuesday late day, Jackson was doing well enough that we were told if we could start to get him interested in food and drink, we could even stop the IV fluids that were keeping him hydrated, as he hadn't eaten since late Saturday. We were able to get some lentil soup, goldfish, and animal crackers in his belly (what a diet!), along with milk and apple juice, and as a result, we were able to unhook him from his IV's for the night, which made for a much easier night of rest, as Jackson and I weren't getting tangled up in his lines the entire night!

Jackson woke up this morning with a smile on his face, and energy in his body for the first time in days! After another visit from the pediatrician, it was determined that little man could officially be discharged today, and we could follow up with another appointment and blood work on Friday.

After arriving home, Jackson slept for two full hours, and then got some time outside in the sun, which he desperately needed after the last few days indoors. After some playtime, he was ready for another few hours of rest, and then some more time out in the sun before bedtime!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us and wished us well in the last few days, we appreciate you keeping us in your prayers, and we are confident this is why everything turned out in our favor!