swine flu to pneumonia

While Jacob was in the hospital we had our first real snow. This cute snowman greeted him when he came home.



A week ago today Jacob woke up in the night with a sharp pain on his right side, bad stomach ache, pain in his right shoulder, and a fever. Dane and I were very worried, and a little confused by the symptoms because each one was very intense. You know those moments as a parent where you debate whether or not to take your child to the hospital. Well for me this was not one of them. I knew we needed to go. My mother instincts during the first night time wake up were pneumonia because I had heard that the flu was turning bacterial for some people. But all his symptoms weren't at all what I imagined. Dane and I thought maybe he was having an appendicitis instead. When we arrived at the hospital Jacob had low oxygen level, very dehydrated, painful compacted bowel on the right side, and a pneumonia on the right side. No appendix. The shoulder pain ended up being a referred pain either from his diaphragm or bowels. Jacob was a very brave patient through all the needles and unpleasant things that happen at the hospital. Dane told him if he cooperated through the IV and blood draws he would get a new play station game after. Oh boy did that work. So Jacob just slept and perked up very fast in the hospital. We spent two sleepless nights there. Jacob is home now. We are going on our 3rd week of no school. He is slowly regaining his strength and still needs to take it easy. It was a humbling experience. Scarring knowing that if antibiotics didn't exist Jacob might not have made it. And thinking about the many children who have died that way in centuries past. This is turning out to be a heck of a flu season for us. I hope the worst is over.