Dear Alessa:

I am sorry that your son has been so sick and that understandably, it’s a difficult time for you.

You are doing your very best 👌 for him.

Sounds like it is a hour, one day, one night at a time situation 🤞

I am hoping to read about further improvements very soon!

🤍💙🙏💙🤍 Anita

Dear Alessa:

I read that the most common cause of the cluster of symptoms you described is Viral Gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”) which is the number one cause of vomiting in toddlers and the most frequent reason for nausea and vomiting in children.

Typical features include repeated vomiting, inability to keep food or milk down, dehydration (no urine, dry mouth, low energy), fever, and extreme tiredness or weakness. This fits a lot of what you described.

A less common reason: Bacterial Intestinal Infection like salmonella or staph which can also cause vomiting, diarrhea (not always), fever, dehydration and abdominal pain.

When a child vomits repeatedly and can’t drink, dehydration can become severe. Signs of dehydration in toddlers include no urine for 8+ hours, unusual sleepiness, weakness, dry mouth and low blood sugar
These are all listed as reasons to seek urgent care.

I read that you’ve been doing exactly what a parent should do: refusing to leave the hospital when he wasn’t stable, monitoring his fluids, using electrolyte solutions, watching for worsening symptoms, and planning to return to the doctor if needed

You are a parent who is advocating fiercely for your son, Alessa.

Wishing the two of you the best!

🤍💙🙏💙🤍 Anita

Dear Alessa

Well done for being your son’s advocate especially around professionals. You are a good, wise & caring mother I hope that you are both resting.

Alessa said, “Haha I’m not brave enough to try that one Tommy! 😂”

Do you mean exaggerating a symptom in order to get doctors to take a look?? When my brother in law went to the hospital, I knew it was stomach or spleen related. But, if I had said it was stomach issues then we would have been sitting in the waiting room for hours before even being seen by the intake nurse. Complaining about chest pains, they took him in and got him seen. After the initial intake, they finally gave him some pain killer. Can you imagine sitting in the waiting room in pain for hours? Got to remember, this is your baby. You are going to have to do what is needed to protect her. Not out right lying. It is the same line as not leaving when told the baby is fine. You got to push a little. In the end, the baby got more attention and you learned a little more. Okay, may stress that the baby didn’t take any fluids and throwing up a bit more?? Okay, reconsidering, maybe my advice isn’t such a great one. I take it back.

Just happy to hear the baby is close to being back to his regular self.

Anita,

During the intake, the nurses were able to determine it was more a stomach related issue. And anyone who has chest pains would have been taken in first. They have triage procedures which help to take care of such situations when there are more than one person with chest pains. It may be a safe approach by saying it was digestion related. But, that don’t help when your sitting in pain. Which I have done when I had kidney stones. Got into Er waiting room at 12 pm. Did not get in to see the intake nurse until 4:30pm. Then sat around while they came around to take insurance information. Then at 6:30pm to finally see the doctor and get a cat scan ordered. 8:30pm to get the cat scan and then 9:30pm to get released with prescription for pain killers. Got prescription the next day when the pharmacy opened. Yeah, that kept everyone safer. The front desk asked about the injury and told to take a seat. Hardly anyone in the waiting room. two hours before seeing the intake nurse. Then another half hour before the doctor came. They did the can scan while I was sleeping in the waiting room for my mom. Around 4am I was able to take her home.

Yeah, safer for everyone. I get it. Still, the system is not working. Do you live in Canada? The wait time is even more. Getting a schedule appointment is tough. This is because the government stuck their nose into it and made everything free. I am sorry. No one died because my BIL was taken in first. They are trained to take serious stuff first. But when you go to reception to register to be in line, they don’t know anything. They only ask what is the problem. It is the intake nurses that are trained. So, it is a matter of seeing the intake nurses. They do the triage. If you are sitting in the waiting room cause you said my baby is not feeding and threw up then you could be sitting a long time before seeing the triage nurse. Once anyone sees the triage nurse or intake nurse then they can determine what or who is next.

I get your point. I hope you see mine too. No one cares about you unless you do. The squeaky wheel get the oil. Never mind. My advice was bad. I take it back. Don’t listen to me. That should

keep everyone safer.

Dear Thomas:

Nightmarish ER stories indeed. I live in the U.S., like you. I so wish the health care system was much, much better and more efficient for everyone.

I am sorry 😞 you went through all the troubles you went through. I am wishing you and your family a safe, healthy 🙏 year.

🤍 Anita