This is an e-mail I sent to immediate family members tonight after Mary Judah’s ER visit:
I know some of you know that we took Mary Judah to the hospital today. Here’s the story.
She’s been sick with a cough and sore throat since Friday - no biggie, I think everyone in America has been sick. Sunday at noon, she was complaining about a headache, that was “all over” her head, and it persisted all day. At a birthday party for a friend of hers that afternoon, she came up to me and said, “It hurts my head when we jump.” She still had her headache that night, so when Joshua put her to bed, he gave her a dose of Tylenol.
This morning, she woke up, complaining about her headache, and saying her neck and upper back hurt. I thought it strange that she was still having a headache, and wondered if it was getting worse. She was very whiny this morning, which is unusual for her, and she was was cold, which is also unusual. I tried to give her some space, thinking, “of course she’s whiny if she feels bad,” and when she persisted with headache complaints, gave her a dose of Motrin.
She told me maybe she’d feel better if she ate something else, so in addition to her breakfast she’d already eaten, I gave her a bowl of Cheerios and milk. I asked her if she felt better and she said no. Shortly after that, my friend Laura called to see if we wanted to join her and her kids at a children’s museum, and I said no, I didn’t think so, that I was kind of concerned with Mary Judah. Laura is a physician’s assistant, and asked me what was wrong, so I told her. She asked me to take her temperature - which was normal, but I’d given her Motrin - and to lay her on her back on the floor to see if she could tuck her chin to her chest, which she could, as best as a five-year-old can do.
Laura told me that a headache with neck and back stiffness, combined with a fever could be symptoms of meningitis. Mary Judah didn’t seem very sick, so we decided to take it easy and if she was still having a headache of Tuesday, I figure I’d call the doctor. She said the medicine seemed to help her neck and back feel better, but it didn’t really help her head.
We read books together, and she played quietly on the floor. When it came time to fix lunch, I asked her her to help me in the kitchen and she said she didn’t want to, that she wanted to stay in her warm spot and lie down. I told her to go get in her bed, and made her get under her covers. She was asleep within 10 minutes.
Now, Mary Judah isn’t a nap-taker, and she slept for about two and a half hours, so I knew she was definitely sick. When she woke up, she was having trouble walking and said her body felt weird all over and she said her head, neck, and back were hurting her again. I took her temperature and it was close to 101. She looked sick. Not willing to wait all night until morning to talk to her doctor, I called the office. They were closed due to the holiday and I got the answering service and spoke with a nurse. After asking me lots of questions, the nurse recommended I take her to the ER.
Her pediatrician’s office and affiliate hospital is across town, so I took her to Laura’s hospital - UCSF. - a quick drive through the park away. Laura offered to come and watch Killian, who was still sleeping. I called Joshua and told him I had to take Mary Judah to the ER, and he immediately left work and met us there.
Based on the questions the two different doctors and the nurse asked us after we were in a room, I could tell that meningitis was their top concern for what was wrong. The first doctor didn’t seem to think that was the cause, but probably some other virus, perhaps the flu or something else, but said she wanted another doctor to look at her as well. A nurse came in and asked us a lot of the same questions, and then the second doctor came in, and we went through it again.
He said when he heard there was a child whose complaints were fever, headache, and neck and back pain, he thought they would have to do a spinal tap in order to discover whether she had meningitis, but after he saw her craning to look at the TV, and hide her head against me, he wasn’t as concerned with the level of stiffness in her neck. She definitely seemed sick, but not sick enough to have no negative reaction when a strange doctor walked in the room. : )
He did give us several warning signs to look for during the night and told us what warranted bringing her back in. I know her pediatrician will want to see her tomorrow after being in the ER after hours, so I’ll call in the morning to get an appointment.
So, hopefully, it’s just a viral infection. It’s probably not meningitis, but of course the doctors didn’t rule that out. I’m not one to rush my child off to the doctor at the first sign of fever, but knowing how serious meningitis can be, I wasn’t willing to put her health or her life at risk because I didn’t want to appear paranoid.
She could still use good thoughts and prayers.
FWIW, thoughts and prayers……….. keep us updated….
Praying girl. Kiara when she was 4 weeks old had to have a spinal tap test for meningitis. I remember looking stern at the doctor and asking if he had done one before. Luckily I was in the hospital my mother worked at so the nurses knew me, and one pulled me aside and let me know she has seen him do it several times in the years she has worked with him. Luckily she didn’t have it, but what she did have was RSV and pneumonia.
That can be scary. I hope she gets better soon. Love you guys.
How is Judah now??????
Scary stuff! Hope she’s better.
BTW- I’ll now add Menigitis to my list of things to worry about with my kids.
so scary! please do keep us updated and keep her close. much love is coming from texas.
sooo sorry! I hope she is feeling better!