OuR wORLD TURNED UPside DOWN

It all started Wednesday January 20, at about 2:30 A.M. JD came into our bedroom complaining of his neck hurting. He never wakes up at night; unlike our youngest munchkin. My first thought was his old surgery because it was on the right side. I checked for swelling and didn't feel any. I decided I was being paranoid. I rubbed his neck for a half hour (in and out of sleep). It still hurt him so I gave him Tylenol. He went to sleep and was fine in the morning. He went to school, walked home and all was well. Dinner time he complained that his head hurt. I could tell it hurt him a lot. He ate fine and I gave him Tylenol again. I went to a movie and when I got back, JD had a temp of 103 deg. He was on our bed. I figured he was really tired because I was talking on the phone and checking his temp and he didn't wake up. I tried to give him more Tylenol and he threw up. I put wet towels on him and he slept about 45 min. I checked online the symptoms he had and Meningitis was the first to come up. I could hear he was going to throw up so I quickly got him up. He wasn't waking up to throw up. He was out cold. I yelled for Josh to come and help me. We changed his clothes and our bedding. He was not really responding to us. I called his doc and they called him at home. I woke him up and he sounded like I should keep trying to get his temp down with wet towels. I didn't feel right about that. I told him he was lethargic and not like himself. He said to take him to the ER which I was going to do anyway. I was crying on the phone because I just had the feeling something was wrong. I was crying to Josh telling him, I just hope he doesn't have Meningitis! At 12:45, I got him to the ER and they quickly got him on an IV and did a CT scan, chest X-ray, and then an MRI. He was so out of it, they didn't need to put him out for anything. They gave him antibiotics too. He barely cried when they gave him an IV and didn't even flinch with the rectal Tylenol. They were talking to a doc in SLC and getting his opinion. They did blood work and I waited around FOREVER. They finally told me we were going to Primary Children's. The nurse told me when she first saw JD she knew we were going there. I had a feeling we might be going there, but when they told me we were being Life flighted, I was pretty scared. I called Josh and cried to him then called my mom and bawled to her. I could NOT believe this was happening AGAIN! I was in shock. We took an ambulance to the new airport, not the way I wanted to see the new airport! The plane ride was really weird. I tried to sleep. I could barely keep my eyes open. JD kept waking up and trying to hold my hand. The paramedics on the plane had headsets to talk to each other and I felt like they were talking about me the whole time! I wished I could have heard them. From there we were in an ambulance to Primary Children's. We got to the ER there at about 6 a.m. I think? I didn't have a watch and time was just a number. In the ER at PCH, we talked to a billion docs from neurosurgery, ENT, general pediatric, and the ER doc of course. They all were talking in circles, kept changing their minds. It is Meningitis, we need to do a spinal tap, they got him ready for that and then, it isn't Meningitis because he has pain in his neck in one area when you touch it. By this time, his neck was swollen and he could not move his head and neck. They got his spinal fluid from the lumbar puncture and we knew then he had an infection in his spinal fluid (CSF). It was really cloudy and it should be clear like water. This was really hard for me. To see him in that pain again brought back my worst memories of his last stay in the hospital. Shortly after this, we heard from the St. George ER that he had a bacterial infection. Putting two and two together we found out it was bacterial Meningitis. It was pretty scary, crazy, unreal... You get the picture. I was so glad to have our families there. My mom and two sisters were at the hospital before I was. Momma and Poppa Cluff were there too. It really comforted me. Josh drove the kids there and arrived an hour or so after I did. He had to stop and rest because he was without sleep too. Poor guy had to pack everything and hurry and get on the road, hauling our 2 youngest. We were at PCH for 6 days. We FINALLY got into a room at around 6 p.m. Spent ALL day in the ER! Then they added the Infectious Disease team to help out with getting JD better. They needed to figure out what kind of bacteria he had in order to use the right antibiotics to kill off all of the bacteria. This seemed to change even up to the day we left. They found a new bacteria that is not common. They aren't sure what to make of it. The ENT docs tried to get fluid samples from JD by leaning forward and dripping into a cup (from his nose). That wasn't happening. They used a long scope and looked in his right nostril for any signs of fluid or a small opening where they closed it off 3 and a half years ago. This is where the bacteria could have gone and given him Meningitis. We weren't sure what to think. We were frustrated feeling like we were just sitting around. At this point, JD was doing really good. The first couple of days we were concerned with his facial swelling, but it slowly stopped. Josh had gone home Mon night so he could work. Tuesday we found out he could go home the next day. We also found out that he had to have brain surgery again. I think in the back of my mind I knew it was a possibility. I just didn't want to accept it. He has a leak going through the area that they fixed in his last surgery. Now they have to repair it. They will go in the same way as last time and they will give him a shunt again. This time they will take pieces of his ribs to help build something to repair the area. I just pray it isn't difficult, there are no more side effects and that he doesn't get a worse scar than he already has. He is such a strong and sweet boy. W love him so much. He was very brave in the hospital. When he was mad at me, he would yell, "I'm not brave, I'm not proud of myself!" It was cute and sad at the same time. He was trying to be rebellious. Josh was giving him a blessing and he was yelling, "I'm NOT gonna fold my arms, I'm NOT gonna close my eyes!" He was repeating it over and over and as soon as Josh started the blessing, he was calm and quiet. He is so fun. He loved building Legos. He got spoiled from family and friends. People sent money, balloons, and stuffed animals. It helped him keep his mind off of things. His surgery will be either the 25th of Feb, or the 4th of March. We are not sure yet. I try not to think about it too much. I talk about it, but with myself separated from it. If that makes sense! Almost as if I were talking about somebody else, not my son. I just pray all goes well, smooth and fast. I cant wait for it to be all over and JD recovered!