We are so lucky

See that little white spot on her lower lip? I believe that was the welcome mat for this Strep bacteria to move on in and take over. Having such a low wbc makes it easy for those things to happen.

I do believe that this week; a lot of other times, not so much. This week, yes. Lucky that Shelby received treatment so quickly. Have you googled Strep A bacteria in the blood? Don't. Scary, scary stuff. Shelby's was caught very early. I truly believe Scott & I talking Tuesday night after she was in bed is what helped so much. We discussed how it would be such a weird coincidence to have pink eye & impetigo. Then we started talking about how it was probably the same thing causing it. Then she wakes up with the blisters looking even worse. We paged our beloved Dr. Deutsch who advised us to get it checked out NOW, even though it was 10:30 p.m. instead of waiting until the morning. While that trip to the ER just ended up sending us home, I still believe it was helpful in putting the pieces together. Lucky.

Seeing her have the chills, yet feel like fire was scary. The moaning & mumbling she was doing - she was headed into sepsis. Lucky. She had already had 1 round of IV antibiotics. Lucky. The night nurse, Amy, was more than willing to keep coming in & checking her temp b/c we kept asking. Lucky.

I know 2 families who have lost children to Strep A. They were blood infections, just like Shelby's. It can have such a rapid onset that it can kill a person before the doctors even know what it is. Look at this picture. It was taken late-afternoon Sunday. How can a person go from doing so well to being so sick so fast? So frightening!

Today, she got "sprung" from her room. It was determined that she had been on antibiotics long enough that her now healing blisters were not contagious anymore. My Mom spent a lot of time w/Shelby in the fabulous playroom today. This evening, Avery & I stopped up for a quick visit & both girls found ride-on toys to play w/in the halls. Shelby found a trike big enough for her and Avery had a little foot-powered toy. They had so much fun. Shelby IS feeling better. The IV antibiotics are rough on her little gut, but she's dealing w/it well. Remember, though, she has only completed Day 2 of the IV antibiotics as of this evening. Five more days to go.

Please, visit or call if you can. I'm sure she would love balloons, flowers, or just to see familiar faces. She does have dairy & egg food allergies so bringing in a food treat is tough. She asks a lot if she can go to the hospital. She likes the playroom, ordering your own food, and, I think its a "home away from home" for her, BUT the reality of having to stay so long is not sitting well w/her. There have been tears. She just wants to go back to school and be normal.