Lesson learned...maybe?

As many of you know since Florida we have been battling a "bug" that Kaylee has had. We initially thought it was a viral, that Ainsley picked-up and gave back to Kaylee, however once Ainsley got better and Kaylee still struggled we started to wonder if maybe it was something else. We have been EXTREMELY fortunate when it has come to the girls and being healthy. Ainsley, who will be 2, in May has never had a prescription (knock on wood), and Kaylee, outside of a pink eye incident, had never had one until this last fall, which was an inhaler for a respiratory infection. They have most definitely had their share of colds and they generally ran the 7-10 day course and were gone. So this had really thrown us through a loop. It was really a first for us, which with sickness you wouldn't expect with your almost 4 year-old.

Here's how the timeline went:

• Florida vacation (January 26th); Kaylee got a fever around Wednesday that lasted through Friday.
• The following week, 2/2-2/6, everyone was healthy until 2/6 when Ainsley got her fever and Kaylee had one that evening too.
• Sunday 2/8 I took Ainsley to Carle's Convienent Care because she wasn't sleeping unless held and not eating. So I feared ear infections (which thankfully we have never had), no ear infections or strep, just a sore throat and a viral.
• Tuesday, 2/9, Kaylee seem to be better so she went to school and Brad stayed home with Ainsley. Late morning got a call from Kaylee's school the temp had spiked so Daddy and Ainsley went to get her and take her to the doctor. This day, by the way, was the only day Brad would be home this particular week, as the rest had been, and was going to be, spent traveling. Brad took them to the doctor on Tuesday. The doctor felt they both had virals and had given them to each other.
• By Thursday Ainsley was on the mend, but Kaylee was still having issues with the temp and coughing.
• Friday I took Ainsley to Karen's and Kaylee stayed with Brad's mom.
• Through Valentine's weekend Kaylee was up and down. The following week made it the whole week at school.
• That brings us to this past week. Kaylee's temp seem to be under control, but she still wasn't herself, coughing, not eating much, not in a nice mood at all, and very tired.
• Monday Kaylee went to school and I had to go get her as her temp spiked AGAIN. So I called to get her in Monday afternoon.

Went to the doctor, and she did a basic physical and said through the physical everything is completely normal. She had lost a little weight since the prior visit, not much just some ounces but when you are dealing with a little person it's not something you like to see. So the doctor opted to do a blood test. This would be interesting...Kaylee who is not a huge fan of going to the doctor, although she likes her doctor, has just started to be O.K with going, and now we are going to stick her arm. But it really needed to be done because I really felt there was no way this could just be a viral. We went downstairs to the lab and I have to say the two people that took Kaylee's blood were awesome! They were so fast, kind and patient. She also got MORE stickers, as the doctor always gives her some, and a sucker.

In the meantime the doctor gave her a prescription of Singulair in hopes of helping the cough and told us to use the inhaler with it. Side note: Brad and I both have allergies and asthma, different types and severity's, but needless to say we will never be shocked if one, or both, of the girls has them too.

Tuesday I had to work and Brad stays home with Kaylee. The doctor calls promptly at 7:30 to say the mono test was negative, the blood count test showed elevated white blood cells, which can be caused by infection, and her platelets were elevated. She didn't have the third test back yet which was for a bacterial infection, but wanted to call in an anti-biotic for a bacterial infection. So Brad and Kaylee went to pick it up. In the meantime (this is where my title comes in) I googled "high white blood cells and platelets"....NEVER do this. I knew not to, I knew the search results would be something horrible, something that would confirm my worst fear and make me worry even more, but I did it anyway. The search result that came up was Leukemia. I researched even further, again knew I wouldn't like what I found and that I shouldn't, but I did. I read the symptoms: fatigue, loss of weight, high white cell count, abdominal pain (which she had been complaining about because through this she had also been constipating herself), loss of appetite, and many that she didn't have, but those didn't matter. I sat at work lost in my own world of "What are we going to do?", "How did this happen?", etc.

Fortunately soon into my "world is ending" breakdown the doctor called back to say the micro-plasma test came back positive, it's a bacterial infection and the anti-biotic she called in earlier would be exactly what she needed. WHEW!!! We went back Friday for a follow-up. I've noticed my Kaylee coming back around. She still has a little cough, but not much, which we are still treating with inhaler and singulair, she's eating and she's isn't as tired. The doctor said she was at the same weight, however technically she was 36.2 on Monday, and 36.6 on Friday, so I'm counting it as a weight gain! I love our doctor she is the best and always makes you feel like you are her only patient.

So while I've learned, or re-learned what I already knew, that we have doctors for a reason and one, especially one with no medical training outside of CPR and basic first aide, should not self-diagnose; even more true when it comes to your kids. I also know that if this were to happen again I would be right back at google. The waiting game is never easy, and hopefully I will just remember to take everything I read with a grain of salt. Even better would be if this never happened again, unfortunately I don't think the odds are in my favor.