Can't Keep Us Down!

We had a little bit of a damper, just like everyone else I talked to this season, our house battled it's share of sickness.  Olivia got a quick 24-hour bug, not fun, but quick, there's something to be said for that :)  Not even enough time to find humor in the situation and snap a photo, sheesh.

George was hit a little harder, with a sickness that lasted about a week.  No real fever, just some little spikes, but he was completely "mushy," with no energy, which is very NOT George.  Poor kid even missed school for three days, but we were very proud of Olivia for going on her own :)  That's a big deal!

Passed out... sweet boy.

Back to normal and ready to go!

Unfortunately, Samuel was hit the hardest and has been on oxygen since December 24th... until today!  Hooray!  The crazy part was his virus seemed to be the easiest, the least difficult to handle... no fever, no "sickness," but it kicked him straight in the lungs and hard.  On the morning of the 24th we woke up to a boy with o2 sats in the 60's, which is enough to turn a person a light shade of gray.  (Typical o2 sats are high 90's.)  He looked awful, and to be honest, I was a mess... it brought back way too many memories.  We started the o2, got to the pediatrician and spoke with our pulmonologist, and got on some steroids and extra albuterol nebulizers. 

Due to our home equipment and experience, Samuel got to come home!  This was a huge relief.  As I've said before, the hospital is where all the germs live.  Plus, I just knew we could keep Samuel stable at home... lucky for us our pediatrician and pulmonologist agreed.  I cried again on the drive home, this time happy tears :)

You may have noticed the oxygen tubing in some photos, but don't worry, things are headed in the right direction :)  It's a tough reminder that my boy's lungs are still pretty bad... it's been so long since we've been on oxygen we almost gave all the tanks and concentrator back but decided to wait until summer.  Good thing!

Back on o2, with some additional meds to help Samuel breathe easier, he was smiling by that first afternoon back on oxygen :)

Nothin' can keep this kid down! 

Of the 15 days he was on oxygen, besides the first two, you never would have guessed he needed the extra o2.  Amazing.  He was so good about keeping that darn nasal cannula in, and even figured out how to put it back in his nose (almost) when I caught him taking it out :)  He was still the happiest boy, running and squealing with delight!