Today is a day that gives me a little of the queasy-tummy,
make-me-nervous, I-just-might-hold-my breath-until-I-pass-out sort of
feeling.
October 1st…the start of RSV season.
Their first
actual winter we left the house to go to a doctor and that was it. That
didn’t seem so terrible since Payton cam home in the middle of winter
and Parker came home towards the end. And all I’d wanted for months was
to be at home with them so it was really no big deal. We spent the past two years spending time at
home during the winter. They went to respite care while I worked. They
went to the doctor. That’s pretty much it. It was recommended by
doctors. I asked other preemie moms for advice. I wouldn’t change being
on lock down for the world. It’s what their little bodies with bad lungs,
damaged from prematurity, ventilators, illness and bad immunity needed.
Last winter I was scared. The year before, while getting
Synagis, Payton ended up in isolation in the hospital for a week and had
pneumonia 6 times, along with other illnesses during the year. So the
thought of having to go through that again…sheer terror.
Last
winter was slightly better. A few ER trips and our only hospital stay
was for one night observation. Slightly better but still makes me want
to ask the ER nurse every time if they pass out Xanax to the parents.
So
today it begins. The season that is already showing some signs it might
be a bit of a rough one. I don’t think it’s really possible to keep two
(soon to be) 3 year olds on lockdown. We can be careful and limit
things to an extent, but full on winter lockdown seems a bit unrealistic
at this point.
So into another season. We’re taking a deep
breath, the sanitizer bottles are out and stocked and away we go. The
allergies that are in full bloom have given me a quick re-sharpening of
my micro-preemie mom senses.
Game on RSV. We got this.
