Love and Hugs for my Grandaughter
It has been a fraught couple of days. No sooner had Storm Babet left, with destruction in its wake, the next challenge reared its ugly head.
My youngest granddaughter (20 months old) has had a problem with her breathing in the past. She caught an infection, which caused her heart to race at 200 beats per minute and her breathing to be fast and shallow. Her Mum took her to the hospital, and she was rushed for immediate treatment in case of sepsis. She recovered after three days in hospital with Bronchiolitis.
This time, she started with a cough on Thursday but by Sunday had a mild fever. Throughout the day she ate little and seemed poorly. By the evening her breathing was fast and laboured. In view of her history, she was taken to the hospital again. Her temperature had now risen to 39.1C. She stayed overnight in the hospital and was allowed home by lunchtime today with various medications. She was diagnosed with a chest infection and tonsilitis.
While Mum was away, I looked after my three-year-old grandson. He wanted his Mum and sister back but managed his emotions really well. Nevertheless, it was hard work and worry kept me awake most of the night.
This afternoon has been even harder. My granddaughter refused her medication, most importantly, her antibiotics, but also the paracetamol designed to bring her temperature down. Having to force-feed a tiny little girl, screaming Ouch and being unable to swallow is heartrending.
Just a few moments ago we managed to get most of a full dose of both the antibiotics and the painkiller into her. We used a tip we found on the internet - blowing in the child's face makes them swallow. We were so relieved. Neither of us wanted another trip to the hospital.
As you can guess, this isn't the blog post I planned, but the challenge of the last couple of days means I've no head space for anything else. Like any traumatic event, our brain demands to process it, and that is healthy. Writing it down can help in that process and in letting the stress go.
I'm hoping for some uneventful days ahead as we all recover.