Exhausted

Last night Averi's nurse had a wonderful idea (I love when that happens, even if it is rare).  She told me about a tylenol they have called T3, with added codeine.  Codeine is a pain reliever, helps treat coughing, and can be given to little ones.  Who knew?

It has made a world of difference.  The coughing has diminished greatly and the sleeping side effect has helped Averi make up for last night's lost sleep.  She literally slept all day long, except for maybe 2 hours total when she opened her glossed over eyes.  One time I sat her up and turned around to find her laying on top of herself.

Unfortunately, she has managed to get even worse.  Even with the T3 being administered around the clock, she's had temperatures of over 103.  She has started retracting her ribs and flaring her nostrils in an effort to breath better and is getting albuteral aerosols every four hours to help with her wheezing.

When the night nurse took over, she suggested finding out what Averi's oxygen levels were.  When the moniter turned on, it read 72%.  We both thought it wasn't picking up correctly and she readjusted it.  Nope, the 72 was accurate and she immediately hooked Averi up to oxygen.  Then radiology came to the room to x-ray her lungs and make sure she doesn't have any fluid building up.

For a moment, I thought we were going to be taking another trip down to the PICU.  Things have calmed down a little though, and I think Averi is breathing better now that she has some added help.  I really hope this doesn't last long, the poor thing needs a break.