But just like an episode of Alias, I am going to begin my story by rewinding and starting with "24 hours earlier".
Yesterday afternoon I noticed some "bumps" forming on Zachary's hands and feet while he was taking his bath. I thought it might be welts, but upon further inspection, I realized that I had never seen Zachary with this type of rash. I lathered him with triamcinolone ointment and Aquaphor. We ate lunch and then Zachary went down for his nap.
When he awoke from his nap, I noticed that the little bumps were starting to turn red and were spreading up his arms and legs. Since it was after office hours, I decided that I would keep my eyes on it and call the pediatrician in the morning if things did not improve.
We'll as you have probably guessed, things did not improve. During the evening, Zachary developed a 101.3 temperature and the rash kept spreading and getting more and more red. In the morning, I noticed that the rash had spread to his face and that it seemed to be painful. He didn't want me to touch him. He was grouchy, and whiny, and wouldn't eat or drink.
I immediately called the pediatrician's office to see if I could get some advice. After speaking with the triage nurse, I was told that they wanted to see Zachary. I dropped Elizabeth off with my dad (later, I would realize what a blessing this was) and heading for our appointment with Dr. Broadbent.
Dr. Broadbent entered the room and his eyes about popped out of his head. The first thing he said was, "wow, that is an impressive rash!" After inspecting Zachary's skin, Dr. Broadbent discussed possible diagnosis' with a couple of the other pediatricians and had them come and inspect Zachary as well. They thought that the rash was one of three things: a bacterial infection, a viral infection called Eczema Herpeticum, or Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Dr. Broadbent was leaning towards Eczema Herpeticum and informed me that this viral infection could be very serious and that he wanted me to take Zachary to the Emergency Room at Primary Children's Hospital.
Within minutes, Zachary's medical charts had been faxed, Dr. Broadbent was on the phone with the Emergency Room, and we were in the car heading to Primary Children's Hospital. I am not going to lie...I was a little nervous. I thought that we would bring Zachary to the pediatrician, get a stronger prescription for a steroid cream, and be on our way home...not on our way to the Emergency Room!
We spent most of the day under observation in the Emergency Room. Zachary had a temperature of 102.4 so he was given Motrin, which helped get it under control. We were questioned and reiterated our story to at least a dozen doctors and nurses. They did blood work and even took a biopsy of one of the sores. Most of the people that came in mentioned that they "had never seen this type of rash before". We even had miscellaneous doctors from throughout the entire hospital stop by just to look at Zachary's unusual rash. Many said they had to take the opportunity to see a rash that they may never get the chance to see again. Everyone was so sweet, and they did take great care of us...but I have to admit I was starting to feel a little bit like a freak show!
Since it didn't seem like we were going home anytime soon, I spent the afternoon updating friends and family and making arrangements for Elizabeth. My parents were happy to keep Elizabeth with them as long as we needed. My friend Krista was even sweet enough to get Elizabeth to her friend, Patty's birthday party. Elizabeth has been looking forward to it and I knew that she would be devastated if she missed it. Since everything at home seemed to be in order...Zachary and I rocked in the rocking chair and snuggled the hours away. One thing that I found funny was how expressive Zachary was with all of the doctors and nurses. When someone entered the room, Zachary would place his hands over his ears...so they couldn't look in his ears or take his temperature. When a doctor or nurse would start talking, Zachary would yell "BYE" and wave at them...almost as if he was dismissing them. If they didn't stop talking, Zachary would point to the door and yell "GO!" He was seriously a little grump...but he totally deserved to be!
It was decided that Zachary needed to begin IV therapy. They wanted to get him started with an antibiotic in case it was a bacterial infection, and an anti-viral medicine in case it was Eczema Herpeticum. We had 5 nurses, 2 phlebotomist, and the IV team try to find a good vein in Zachary's arms or legs, but they could not find a good option. Since Zachary's hands, arms, legs, and feet were covered with lesions, it was decided that they would put the IV into his head. I didn't even know that you could do an IV in the head! My poor Zachary was so brave. He did cry...a lot...but as soon as it was over he snuggled back into my arms and calmed right down.
One of the biggest concerns was the speed at which the rash was spreading. Within a couple of hours the rash had increased in redness, began to swell, and started to spread up his legs and arms.
We were admitted to the hospital and assigned a room at 7:15pm. Matt and my dad arrived shortly after. I wish I would have gotten a photograph of their faces as they first looked at Zachary. Matt described it as "shocking". We spent the rest of the night getting situated into our room. We met the nurses and doctors that would be looking over our little man. We answered many more questions and did what we could to help them help Zachary. We medicated Zachary and tried to lather him with ointments and creams. It was evident that Zachary was exhausted and miserable so we did everything that we could think of to give him comfort. At about 9:00pm, my dad and Matt headed home. Zachary and I snuggled in the rocking chair and watched cartoons until 12:50am, when Zachary finally allowed himself to fall asleep.
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