Start of being sick..

Hello,

Chris and I want to let you all know that we had to take Aiden to Fair Oaks Hospital yesterday afternoon. As many of you may know, the entire household has been sick with a pretty bad bug. Chris came down with cold-like symptoms two Thursdays ago and then Aiden started coughing that weekend. Last Tuesday vomiting ensued so we took him into the doctors early Wednesday morning. The nurse actually swabbed him for strep (even though strep is quite rare in babies) and the test ended up coming back positive. The doctor put him on antibiotics and told Chris and I to make appointments with our primary care physicians. Chris was diagnosed with strep later that day, but my test came back negative.

This past Sunday I noticed that Aiden was breathing rapidly. He didn't display any other signs of illness, though - no fever, no vomiting, a pretty dry cough. I counted the amount of breaths he took in a minute’s time and realized that his respiratory rate was over 70 (it should be around 40). We took him to the hospital for evaluation. At Fair Oaks he was given an IV, a chest x-ray and nebulizer. The ER doc said that the x-ray was abnormal (he has more than just a "touch of pneumonia") so he ordered transport to Fairfax Hospital. The ambulance took Aiden and I a few hours later.

Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children has been amazing, which is such a relief given the already overwhelming and emotionally draining situation. We have met with a pediatrician, radiologist, pediatric pulmonologist, infectious disease physician and pediatric surgeon. All of these doctors have helped us understand what is happening. Aiden's x-ray was very hazy on his right side, which means that fluid is present. Later we had an ultrasound to help better determine the consistency of the fluid. Since ultrasound does not give a 3D picture and the findings were suspicious, our team of physicians have decided to move forward with surgery. The pediatric surgeon is going to place a chest tube to drain the fluid and clean any debris. She will then insert a tiny camera to look around. Since Aiden has not presented with any traditional signs of pneumonia other than an elevated respiratory rate, we need to make sure that there is not an underlying condition causing this illness. There is also a worry that this may be necrotizing pneumonia, which involves the actual tissue of the lung itself. The surgeon will address these concerns during the exploratory portion of the surgery.

Despite all that is happening, Aiden has been in very good spirits. He is smiling, laughing and enjoying all of the attention!! Chris and I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful support network and appreciate all of the help, well-wishes, and prayers that we have already received. Our little man is quite the trooper and helps keep his mommy and daddy grounded. We love you all and will do our best to relay updates.

Please keep Aiden in your prayers.

All our love,
Leslie and Chris