A Sick One

Our little Emma has been sick! Last Thursday evening Emma started running a fever. I wasn't too alarmed since we have had a nasty cold going around our house, but that's how it began. The next morning she was still running a low grade fever, but didn't have any other visible symptoms......until......her bath. While she was in the bath I noticed a rash beginning on her feet and ankles (where it was the worst) continuing up her legs to her knees. I wasn't terribly alarmed at first and decided to watch it and see if it was going to get any worse. A few hours later, it had indeed gotten worse. Her poor little feet were swollen and the rash was slowly spreading above her knees. (I only took a picture on the first day before the black and blue set in.) I called the clinic to get her in to see the doctor.....they didn't have any available appointments left for the day, but squeezed us in at 5:00 with Jack Carpenter. By the time we needed to leave for the clinic, her little feet were hurting her so badly she couldn't wear socks and it was painful to walk. So....I loaded up my four kids and headed out to the doctor. (Chris was with the basketball team coaching in Cody)
We were seen by the nurse first who said she hadn't seen anything like it and then by a med. student who was also stumped. Jack came in and said he had no clue what it might be and confirmed that she had all her immunizations up to date.....which she had. I had brought a few snacks to try to pass the time, but had no clue what we were in for. Jack studied resouces on the computer while the med student studied her book, but to no avail. He kept studying her legs and then comparing what he saw to images on the computer. All the while my sweet children were becoming more and more anxious. (by anxious, I really mean climbing under the table and chairs, arguing, playing in the garbage(owen), whining about being hungry etc. etc.) He finally saw an image that looked similar....and said to the med. student, "It almost looks like this Henoch Schonlein Pupura." To which I immediately asked, "what did you just say?" I instantly remembered the term from when I was younger. My brother had it when he was 2 or 3. It was an auto immune thing that made him extremely sick. He vomitted blood and bled internally into his joints and organs. The doctors could not figure out what it was. It was quite a blessing that when it had hit it's worst, and my parents had him in the emergency room, a doctor from out of town recognized it as the "worst case of henoch schonlein pupura" he had every seen. Once he was diagnosed, they hospitalized him and gave him large doses of steriods to stop the internal bleeding which likely saved his life.

Anyway, you can imagine my alarm at that moment, wondering if that was what Emma really had. Jack left to phone a pediatrician to confirm the diagnosis and discuss what needed to be done. While he was on the phone, one of the littles naturally thinks they need to use the restroom which inspires them all to do the same, by this time they are all out sprinting up and down the halls and playing hide and go seek in the clinic....nice. Chris texts to check in and spreads the word to Wolvingtons who save the day. Dan came and picked up all the kids except Emma and took them home with him..... Thank you! I cannot thank you enough!..... Because once Jack had spoken with the pediatrician on the phone, there was labwork that needed to be done. We had been at the clinic for roughly two hours by now and I cannot imagine how much more fun the little kiddos would have had playing tag in the lab. So, Emma and I headed to the lab for bloodwork and urine samples. She was one brave little girl! They stuck her in the first arm and couldn't get a vein, so they had to try the other arm. She didn't even scream.. little sweetie. They needed to make sure she wasn't bleeding into her organs. (kidneys and digestive system mostly, I think)
Anyway, turns out, HSP is in no way hereditary or contagious...just a weird coincidence. I feel like seeing Jack was such a blessing because I know other doctors probably would have told us they didn't know what it was and sent us home with instructions to "watch it" and let them know if it got any worse. I am so thankful he took the time to study it out and give us a diagnosis. If I hadn't known what it was, I am sure I would have had her in the emergency room on Saturday because by Saturday morning her ankles were black and blue and she was barely walking on them. Like I said earlier HSP is an auto immune disorder where the immune system essentially overeacts to something and it causes swelling and bleeding into the capillaries (this is what was causing the appearance of a rash) and joints. It can also affect the digestive system. It generally lasts about 30 days.

We are so thankful for all the prayers on little Emma's behalf and truly feel like they led to her quite miraculous recovery. By Sunday, she was walking much better and even made it through all of church wearing shoes! By the time we were home from church she wasn't walking much and none at all by evening time. The rash had also spread to her arms and all the way up her legs. Monday, she headed off to school, although I warned her teacher about what was going on, so she would send her home if she was in pain. She made it all day!.... although by 2:00 in the afternoon, she was having joint pain in her ankles and the swelling had spread to her knees. Once she was home, she never walked again that evening, but by the next morning was feeling much better. She made it through all of Tuesday, only complaining about pain mildly by bedtime. And has been doing awesome the last few days. We have been warned that there could be more flare-ups over the next 30 days, but we feel like thanks to the everyone's prayers, she has already exceeded everyone's expectations. She refers fondly to her rash (which now looks like little bruises all over) as her "polka dots." -and is happy to show them off to whoever would like to see them. She did show a boy in her kindergarten class who responded by running away scared. She told me about it later and was annoyed by his reaction. I love kindergarteners!

My aunt Melanie and cousin Larissa and her little ones came to wish her well the other day and brought her a puzzle to do in her down time. Thanks, it was so fun seeing you!