R..S..V

It was not the diagnosis I was expecting.

When Hannah got sick over a week ago, it resembled a cold and it passed rather quickly except for the cough which is just about gone. When she passed it on to Zach, he took it harder. He still has a heavy duty cold with a terrific smoker's cough.

Here was Hannah at her lowest last week.

So then when they both passed the yucky stuff on to Rebecca, I was a little worried. But I never expected it to escalate like it did last night. The poor little thing could hardly breathe and I slept upright holding her for much of the night. But by this morning I was sure she had croup. I called the on call nurse early this morning and she said probably upper respiratory infection or possibly pneumonia. So I called the doctor ASAP and got us a 9:10 appointment.

The doctor checked her and gave his initial diagnosis - RSV. That's short for Respiratory Synctial Virus and can lead to pneumonia, especially in infants. They did a nose swap to confirm and it came back positive. The doctor said Hannah and Zach probably had/have it but it looks like a cold in older kids. So I have entered the new world of breathing treatments. Here are some pictures Chad took of Rebecca's first treatment at the doctor's office.

She did remarkably well and actually fell asleep! I will do these treatments for four days. She is also on some medication to help prevent asthma since her daddy had it as a child.

Other than that, Mommy is recovering from the worst migraine in my recorded history and Daddy has been a little under the weather with some unknown microscopic invader for the last few weeks.

Beware of the Smith household all ye wandering souls!