Summer Fun, Pneumonia, Wonky Lab Results

It’s summer!  I hope that everyone is enjoying their break from school.  Ellie has been a cranky butt since school let out.  Every day she signs “school” and “bus”.  She is an emotional wreck.  Happy and smiling one minute while the next she is either crying or shouting  “no”.  I think that it is the lack of routine causing this mood instability or maybe it is the 100 degree heat or the moon is in mercury or something.  I have been trying to keep her busy, but unfortunately, a lot of our plans get canceled. 

Ellie missed most of the last week of school.  She had a junky sounding cough and after a few days, I got the bright idea to check her oxygen saturations using our pulse oximeter.  She was satting at 92% (normal is 97-100%).  That meant a trip to the pediatrician who diagnosed her with pneumonia and sent us on our way with an antibiotic.  The next day her oxygen saturations were in the 80s so this meant an ER visit.  Of course, by the time we arrived at the ER, her sats are back up to 92%.  The doctor said he heard crackles in her lungs which suggests pneumonia.  An X-ray showed mucus plugs in her lungs and an infiltrate.  He said it looked viral, but to continue the antibiotic and prescribe an inhaler which we never ended up using.  Two weeks ago, we saw Ellie’s pulmonologist for her sleep apnea and at night oxygen.  He took a look at her x-ray and said it didn’t look like pneumonia, but rather a viral lower respiratory tract infection such as bronchiolitis and mucus plugs.  He stated it could be a sign that she may develop asthma.  He told us to call if she needed to use her inhaler twice a week for a month.  Right.  I doubt that will happen seeing as she never needed an inhaler before, but I guess there is a first for everything.  When I got access to her clinic note, I see that he diagnosed her with mild asthma. What?  So now we can add another diagnosis to Ellie’s long list of medical issues.

Last week, we had to follow with Infectious Disease because some of her immunology blood work was abnormal.  Her B cell lymphocytes (a type of WBC used to fight infections) were very low.  We don’t know if it is because she recently had an illness or if the low count is the reason she got ill. They always run a little low, which is why we see ID yearly, but this time they were really low, hence why the impromptu office visit. She lost most of her antibodies to pneumococcus so we had to give her the Prevnar vaccine again.  We will recheck all her labs in a month to see if she built up a response.  I guarantee you that her B cell lymphocytes will be back to Ellie’s usually range.

We have been to our neighborhood a few times and she seems to enjoy it.  She will only stay in the splash area.  She seems to be afraid of the pool.  I am not sure why because she knows how to swim a bit - using arms, holding her breathe while under water, and coming up for air.  Still, she enjoys the splash area, which is why we are headed there in a little bit today.

Our school library is open for the summer on Thursday afternoons.  She has been very excited to pick out books and insists on “reading” them on the way home.  Yesterday she picked out a book on cockroaches.  The librarian said it is one of their most popular books.  I bet it is their grossest book!  I am not sure I can stomach reading it as it has really close of pics of those nasty roaches.  Of course, she won’t read them before bed.  Oh no, because I must read “S is for Sofia” every. single. night.  I have the entire book memorized.

We will be headed on vacation this summer to Seal Beach, CA.  It is a part of Orange Country and we will see Andrew’s dad while we are there.  We are going to brave Disneyland for one day as well.  I am excited and dreading it at the same time.  I have never been to any Disney theme park.  I bet it will be hot and crowded and Ellie will get cranky tired.  Nonetheless, I think she is going to freak out when she sees Micky Mouse!  Plus, doesn’t everyone have to experience Disney at least once in their lifetime?

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