Thanksgiving- For the most part it was a huge success! It was a little stressful a few days before because I could not find my specific pumpkin anymore in the grocery but luckily the Wednesday market near our place saved the pie. Paul woke up early to get a last few ingredients plus two 6.5kg turkeys we ordered (that was as big as they could come). Unfortunately, they were frozen- this was not the case for Christmas last year so we were surprised but it worked out just fine. I made sweet potato casserole, one of the turkeys, gravy, and a pumpkin pie. A friend hosted and cooked the other turkey and we had one huge table with about 25 of us. It was so great! We had all the major foods and more and I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving with friends. The only ify part was little dude...
Thanksgiving morning I had to wake Jakob up at 9am because we really needed to start our day. He was a little sluggish but still took his normal morning feed. As he was finishing, a volcano of milk erupted from his tiny mouth. I had never seen anything like it. Jakob never vomits. He didnt have a fever and was a little fussy and looked kinda tan. That day he didnt have an appetite for solids, had a tiny amount of blood in his urine, and was very sleepy but still was happy hanging out with everyone. Needless to say, by the end of the evening he threw up a little bit of saliva and we were worried. He had finally started looking really yellow- skin and eyes. The next day we went to the pediatrician and he sent us straight to the children's hospital. After tons of needles, blood taking, and crying (baby chub makes finding veins very difficult) that night we were told they suspected Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. From what I understand, a toxin (linked to E Coli) gets platelets to start clotting which makes openings smaller which rips up red blood cells as they try to pass through. The broken red blood cells leak bilirubin causing jaundice and the clogging makes capillaries bust forming red pin pricks on the skin. Red blood cell and platelet counts can drop dangerously low and I believe this (along with trying to clean out the toxin) is what can make the damage to the kidneys so massive- damage that can lead to dialysis and sometimes transplants. The range of devestation this disease can cause is huge. And in a huge understatement, we were incredibly scared for our little dude. There is no medicine, no antibotics that help because if you attack the toxins they break apart and spread worse. We just had to wait.
Jakob stayed in ICU for observation that night. We were told things can get bad fast. I slept in a mommy room for a few hours and was back with him bright and early. Saturday his red blood cells were so low he needed packed red blood cells (fyi- we now realize first hand the importance of giving blood and will be making more of an effort from now on). Jakob was extremely sleepy with very little energy and no appetite but was still flirting with all the nurses. He had a small allergic reaction to the blood and got a steriod shot to stop its progess and that afternoon he was stable enough to be moved to the dialysis floor in our own room where I could sleep too. We then realized we were in isolation- basically no leaving the room except to get food. They were worried he still could be contagious but Sunday the top doctor was called in to look at Jakob's case and see if we could be taken off isolation and we passed! Horray for the first step! Each day he had blood taken, some days had a new test (ultrasound of his organs, echo cardiogram which he fell asleep during, eye exam), and eventually his platelets and kidney levels returned to normal without dialysis (thank God!). He was on an iv most of the time because fluids help flush everything and there is no way (even on his best day) that he takes in a liter of fluids!
By Friday we met with the doctor for an overview of our case and we were headed home! Everything was back to normal except his red blood cell count which was about 75%. We were told it could take weeks to months to normalize. Unfortunately, this disease will be following him hopefully only until he's an adult. So nephrology appointments will happen next week, in a month, maybe 3 months later, and then probably every year til he's an adult. When he's older the kidneys will grow and work harder and sometimes problems will appear. We are optimistic though!
SO! That was a crazy week. We really didnt think going to the pediatrician would lead to a week in the hospital but we are so thankful for the Kinderspital! It was amazing, the nurses loved Jakob so much (he flirted back and had his favorites!), and we really couldn't have asked for a better experience during a terrible time. Great friends stopping by to keep us sane and bring us food made us feel a lot better too. And now we are back to normal. Thankfully. Jakob eats a ton, sleeps great, talks alot, and is on the move. We love him so much and love his fighter mentality!
And in 2 weeks we are off the states! Christmas, time with family and friends, and a certain 1 year old birthday party! Could not be more excited! Now to start Christmas shopping... Oh and these are our Christmas cookies we made with friends (plus my fudge that's not pictured). :) And our view from the hospital room.
