Viral Meningitis

On Wednesday, July 23rd, just a day short of 6wks old, Warner took his first trip to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital with a fever of 100.5. Fevers (100.4 or more) are very serious in babies under 8wks old b/c their immune systems aren't fully developed. The big question is whether the infection is bacterial or viral. Bacterial infections are treated with 3 weeks of antibiotics in the hospital and viral infections are treated with children's tylenol @ home. The problem is that it takes 48 to 72 hours to make the determination but in babies that young you can't afford to wait so the infection is treated as bacterial.

Everything seemed so surreal to us. The "protocol" (blood tests, spinal tap, chest xray, etc.) seemed aggressive given that he barely had what they considered a fever and no other symptoms. Maybe we were just in denial that something could possibly be life threatening with a child we'd only held for 6wks. Bill and I felt in our hearts it was the virus Jordan had experienced just days earlier with fever being her only symptom (which passed after two days) but there was no way to tell for sure without going through their protocol.

The preliminary test results showed he had an infection in his lungs (pneumonia) and his spinal fluid (meningitis.) They admitted Warner and started him on antibiotics while we waited to see if the cultures would grow bacteria. Warner spent the first 16 hrs recovering from 2 IVs and spinal taps (they missed on their 1st attempts) a chest xray and evaluations from several doctors. With tylenol managing his fever and him getting some rest he seemed to perk up. He's smiling here on Thursday evening.

Thankfully, by Friday morning no bacteria had grown and he was diagnosed with viral meningitis. And we were told he never had pnuemonia but instead that the chest xray was misread. We are so thankful it wasn't any more serious. And we're so grateful that Ed & Samantha had arrived just in time to watch Jordan while we took Warner to the hospital. What blessed timing!