But I'd Do it at Home

Well the coughing hasn't stopped, but it has gotten worse.  Averi keeps coughing so hard that she gags and pukes.  The coughing is really tight and dry so I had the nurse give her a saline aerosol last night to help wet her throat and lungs.

After puking in the middle of the night, Averi got some zofran to help with the nausea.  Then it started coming out the other end and I changed a nice big diaper.  While changing her diaper, I noticed a strange rash on her legs.  I looked her over and found raised, scabbed over bumps all over her arms and legs.  The resident assured me that it didn't look like an allergic reaction and said that it would either get better or worse.  Hmmm.

By this morning Averi was puking again.  When I asked for more zofran it was denied by the doctors with an explanation that the puking was just coughing induced.  And when I asked what they were doing to treat the coughing they said nothing because she is too young for cough medicines.

What drives me crazy about hospital life is when I'm not allowed to do something that I would have already done if I were at home.  Why do the doctors tell me to set up a humidifier at home but refuse to give my daughter a saline aerosol while she's breathing the super dry air from the hospital filtration system?  Why can't I give her zofran when I have a whole bottle of it at home?  We are on a chemo floor, I don't think there is a shortage of zofran.

I kid you not, I spent the entire morning climbing the ladder of authority until the attending doctor finally approved the zofran.  And guess what?  She stopped puking!  Yes the puking was coughing induced but she was nauseous on top of that because she just finished getting chemo for 7 straight days.  Give her a break.

(They had an egg hunt on the floor but Averi didn't feel up to going.  When they brought her some treats, we tried them on.  This picture perfectly captures how she feels today!)

Just as I thought things were starting to calm down, Averi started feeling warm.  A temperature of 101 meant taking cultures, starting antibiotics, and finally giving her some tylenol.  I don't think things are going to calm down any time soon.