An Unexpected Hospital Visit

What a crazy few days it has been for our family.  Matthew woke up Friday with a ton of pain in his hip. I spoke with the doctor and she believed it was from the antibiotic he was on and that it may take a few days to go away.  I settled him on the couch and he did not move all day.

Around dinner time, his pain began to get worse.  As the minutes passed he became increasingly agitated and it was more and more painful for him.  Taking him to the bathroom made him scream and sob.  It was awful and we didn't know what to do.  I called the after hours line for our pediatrician and the nurse told us to take him to a children's hospital about 40 minutes away.  We loaded Matthew up, my sister came to watch the kids, and off we went.  I was so thankful that my mom and other sister were able to come and stay with Hannah and Nathan.  I didn't even have time to wonder if they would be ok, but I am so thankful that the kids seem to be handling this very well.

We did not know then that our trip to the ER would turn into a several day stay in the hospital for our little guy :(. When we arrived he was screaming and they labeled him a "Level 2" and told us that meant a doctor had to see him within 15 minutes.  I was so thankful for the quick and compassionate care.  He was in agony and could not stand to be touched.  It was heartbreaking to hear his cries.

We were in the ER overnight and they did many tests.  They did X-rays, bloodwork, an ultrasound, an EKG, more bloodwork...it was a long night with very little sleep.  Poor Brad got the hard chair.  He never complained though.

They were concerned that Matthew may have an infection in his hip and were trying to decide if he needed surgery to take out the fluid and check for infection.  They consulted orthopedics and rheumatology and said they believed it was something called Acute Reactive Arthiritis, which can occur after a bacterial or viral infection.  But because his pain was so severe they were not able to rule out infection.  They decided to admit him, do an MRI, and start him on a morphine pump for the pain.

I kept thinking that this couldn't be happening.  When they moved him into his new bed he screamed so loud I had to step out of the room.  I could not hold back the tears and could not stand to see him in so much pain.  I have never felt so helpless.

After the MRI the doctors discussed with us what they thought was going on and the medications they will use to treat him.  They started him on steroids through his IV and continued to give him pain meds and anti-inflammatory drugs.  By the evening yesterday he had stopped crying (he cried and yelled most of the morning until his MRI) and was talking and able to play on the iPad a bit.  Thankfully we all got pretty good sleep and this morning he was in much better spirits.  I was so relieved to see him smile again.  

His hip continues to improve and we hope to be out of here today or tomorrow, depending on his pain levels and how he is able to move.  He just had an ultrasound to see if he has more fluid in his hip that needs to be drained.  We hope this does not happen and that he will be able to walk again soon.  

This has been a very frightening and difficult experience and has given me such a new insight into things I knew nothing about.  God has been very gracious and we are so thankful for His love for us and for Matthew.  We know He is in control and that we can trust Him no matter what.  I hope we never, ever have to go through something like this again.  I can't wait to be home and to have my boy better!