On Tuesday, March 2, Angelica's pediatrician suspected that she might have a malfunction in her brain shunt, and he sent us to the ER at Hershey Medical Center. An ER full of germs wasn't exactly where we wanted to take Angelica, but the doctors were aware she was coming, and they were waiting for her. She was immediately taken to a room where they got to work in trying to figure out what was going on.
Ang had a fever, weakness in her left arm, and a headache. Her speech was off and she was extremely lethargic. MRIs were done but didn't show anything. Test after test was done, including a shunt tap (which showed no sign of malfunction).
Because of the fever, an infection (viral or bacterial) was suspected. Around 3 A.M., she was admitted to Hershey Children's Hospital. With that came lots of pokes and multiple attempts at starting an IV. Many tests were still being run, but we weren't getting definitive answers. The team still suspected an infection of some sort, and she was started on antibiotics.
Fast forward to Wednesday evening. After a pulmonary treatment (a little pneumonia was identified), the doctor and I witnessed Angelica's face having spasms. She had a seizure and her oxygen plummeted. Nurses and doctors hurried through the door. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Her numbers rebounded quickly and things settled down.
Little did I know, on the way to the PICU, she would seizure multiple times. My heart was in my throat. Another set of MRIs revealed that Angelica had a stroke. Things happened quickly. More pokes and prods. A central line was put in, as single IV lines were no longer enough. Angelica ended up being intubated.
As parents, John and I were devastated to see everything spiraling out of control for our sweet girl. She was hooked up to so many medical devices. It was gut-wrenching.
Fast forward one week...
The breathing tube was taken out. With that came some dicey moments. The nurse had to suction her mouth over and over so she wouldn't choke on her secretions. They put her on a high level of oxygen, too. The secretions have settled down a bit, and she no longer needs the additional oxygen support. The coming days will be filled with evaluations and therapies to see where her body truly is in terms of deficits.
John, Mason, and I cannot thank everyone enough for all the love and support we have been given. We are truly blessed that you are on this journey with us. I have been told over and over that Angelica has touched so many lives. In the past week, we certainly can attest to that!
Thank you for knowing what we needed before we even knew! For the items showing up on our porch, the meals (grateful to Shelby for setting up the meal train), gifts for Ang, and gift cards, and especially the prayers, we THANK YOU! You have no idea how much it means to us to feel the outpouring of love we have witnessed this past week!!
