10/12/2023
I wanted to give a bit of awareness about RSV. Last Thursday and Friday I had noticed that Felix seemed to be developing a cough and just seemed as if he may be coming down with something. Around 2am Saturday he woke up with a 103 fever. This is when it all began.
From that point forward I was alternating Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours. His fever would break every time but then would come back before the next dose. His cough had also gotten significantly worse. I was giving him Zarbees cough medicine every 12 hours with little to no relief for him. I put the humidifier next to the bed with Vicks v***r in it also with little relief. His energy and appetite were next to nothing by Sunday night. With no signs of getting better he went to grandma and grandpa’s house Monday, as he was definitely too sick to go to school. He was still just declining more and more. I was starting to get very concerned that he was continuing to decline after 3 days.
I decided it was time to go to urgent care that evening. When we got there there were 12 people ahead of us. The nurse at the check in was immediately concerned with his cough and breathing. She sent a nurse out to check his lungs. His lungs seemed clear but they did take us back to triage right away. They tested him there for flu, strep and Covid. All negative. Once we got back to see the doctor, I asked about RSV. She informed me that they don’t test children over 2 for it because it isn’t as dangerous in children over 2. Well that’s great, but Felix is not like the average 5 year old. He’s already got a weakened immune system from being a preemie, then add cp on top of that and yes, RSV can be dangerous. I insisted they test him and sure enough it was positive.
He had such a rough week. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him that sick. He missed 4 days of school. He still has a pretty rough cough, but thankfully has been fever free since Wednesday night. We are on day 9 and he’s still not fully back to normal. Mamas, be sure to advocate for your babies. If you feel they need further testing, Insist. We are their voice 🩵
