What a week we had last week! We started out the week in the Emergency Room with Jonathan. He had almost a 105 fever and a sore throat. Wes took him in, and of course we don’t know the language yet. I just have to say again that I’m so thankful for Wes’ adventurous spirit, b/c it didn’t phase him a bit to be in that ER and not be able to speak the language. He knew enough to get by, and they were very helpful to him. They prescribed antibiotics for Jonathan, and I had the joy of going to the pharmacy to get the prescription!
Carolina started next, so Wes took her in. It was the same lady at the front desk, which Wes was thankful for. She recognized him, and even remembered half of our address!! The next day, Weston and Nathan started. This time, our regular babysitter stayed with Carolina and Jonathan, and Wes and I both took the boys to the ER. It was funny, when we walked in there, the lady at the front desk recognized Wes (of course). So, this time, she just looked at him with wide eyes and said, “How many kids do you have???” It was funny. It’s kinda weird the way they do things. Wes said that he saw a different dr. every time he went in. The one with Carolina was the best, I guess. This time when I went, the guy didn’t even do anything but ask us what the symptoms were. We did charades again (and yes, it’s hilarious to watch!!!), and only got ONE symptom (sore throat) described before he sat down and just started writing. He looked in their throats, but never touched them again. I mean, he didn’t take temperatures, he didn’t listen to their lungs, he didn’t check ears… nothing. It was a little creepy; but b/c I thought they had strep, I let it go (since I really didn’t know the language to argue, anyway!) He prescribed antibiotics for the boys, and that was really all I wanted. We know the symptoms of strep really well, so that’s what we figured it was.
Well, we were wrong. I can’t even remember what day, but Carolina started a bright red rash all over her body… Weston came shortly after that. We were in the midst of trying to fill out reports that were due, and get papers in for the different Spanish agencies that needed things. Since we still don’t have internet, and we weren’t going to class, b/c all the kids were sick (and it definitely took both of us to care for them!!!!... it was crazy!), Wes had to run out one day to send some reports (actually RE-send… don’t you love it when you think something is finished, only to find out that it was never received!? ☺… AND you have to GO GET internet to send it again!?!) Anyway, we were in the middle of this craziness and I found Carolina’s rash. It was really scary looking… AND I think it tripped me out a little that I didn’t even feel like I was in control to DO anything. I called Wes on our cell (which I’m not supposed to do, b/c we don’t have phones yet, and it costs an arm and a leg for the call…) and asked him to look up the symptoms of Roseola. I wondered if Carolina had that, b/c it was the only thing I could think of. I also asked him to look up the rash symptoms with strep throat and see what was there. He said he would, and would let me know when he got home.Well, I also knew that Roseola only occurs in small children (like under 2, I think), so when Weston started HIS rash within hours of Carolina’s, I knew it wasn’t Roseola. When Wes got home, he told me it was Scarlet Fever. I had no idea that Scarlet fever is strep throat gone crazy with a rash! It definitely scared me. But, they were all on antibiotics, and the chart said that that was how you treated Scarlet Fever… so… I didn’t know what to do. I thought they were all on the mend; I mean, Weston and Nathan still couldn’t swallow, and they still had a fever; but I knew once their fever broke, their throats would be getting better. But then the rash showed up… yeah.
I think we had just been surviving. It didn’t occur to us to even call our colleagues (Joel and Angela) who live about 30 minutes away. When we were in the emergency room, they called Wes on his cell. Wes told him about the kids being sick, and they told us that our crates are IN PORT!! So, thankfully, we had some good news! I’ll write about that in our next blog. ☺
When Angela and I talked later, she suggested calling another couple who are missionaries with another organization in this area. They know a doctor who is saved, and she suggested we could ask him. I was so thankful for the support! Angela called Tim and Paula (the other missionaries), and they were wonderful. Paula called me and said she would come over within the hour with the dr. She would translate for us.
The doctor was AMAZING with the kids. He was so thorough and gentle. He checked everything… he even checked each child for Mono. He felt like they were on the up-swing, and that they would be ok. The dr. at the hospital had prescribed the wrong amount of antibiotics for Carolina, so he helped me figure out the correct dosage. I felt so much better after he left. He said the rash would go away… they would be fine.
It seemed like we were on the upswing, when I noticed Carolina’s fever come back just a little. Then her hands, lips and feet went purple. Again, it scared me. She had a fever, and usually a child’s lips and skin is hot to the touch, not cold. Her lips, hands and feet were freezing. I wasn’t sure if she was just really, really cold, or if she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. She was acting fine, though… but we decided to put her in a very warm bath to see if we could get her color to go back to normal. I know it’s the worst thing to do when a child has a fever, but I was a little freaked out by the purple…. PLUS, Wes was worried, and he usually doesn’t think ANYTHING is a big deal. ☺ So we put her in the tub with warm water up to her chest. She just loved it. Lol. She thought she was swimming, I think. ☺ I did notice when I first put her in, that her arms and legs seemed to be a little purple, but her trunk was normal.
After a little bit in the tub, her color did go back to normal. I wasn’t sure what to think, so I called Paula again, and she agreed it was strange. She called the dr. (since I don’t speak Spanish and couldn’t call him myself.) He even thought it was strange. He was concerned that maybe there was another infection that had come up in her lungs or something that the current antibiotics were not taking care of. He wanted us to watch her and wake her up through out the night to make sure her color was ok and to keep an eye on her fever. It was a long night. ☺
But, everything seemed to be fine. Her color stayed normal, and the next day her fever broke. I’m really not sure what it was, but the dr. came back to check her again. He was concerned. After examining her, though, he felt like she was ok. He told us just to watch her for the discoloration again and for the fever. Since then she hasn’t had another fever or any more discoloration. She did start her rash all over again… worse this time, though.
The boys are doing much better! Carolina is really doing ok… the rash doesn’t seem to bother her much, so that’s a blessing. It just looks really bad. Thank you all for praying for all of us! God has been very gracious. He has protected us and provided for us! AND I got a full night’s sleep last night! ☺
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