Mama P gets sick too...

As if we had not been through enough already, just less than a week of Riley being home I end up getting admitted as well!

Last Sunday night I was feeling pain on my left breast. I treated myself with warm compresses and also extra pumping to make sure I emptied my breasts well. I even attempted to breast feed Riley. After her feeding I continued having the pain, so I decided to lay down and rest it off. After about three hours it was still hurting and it was time to pump again. While I pumped I started having chills all over my body. I took two Ibuprofens and hopped into bed wearing sweats, a hoodies, and two blankets over me because I was freezing cold. When I woke up three hours later, my chills were gone but I felt super tired and weak. I pumped again and I still had breast pain; I thought I would have felt better after sleeping and pumping, but I just felt worse. Ryan took my temperature and I had a fever; on top of that I felt weak and short of breath. We called my mom and asked her to come over to watch Riley so Ryan could take me to the ER (this was at 4 am).

I was admitted and seen right away. They collected blood from me and I was given fluids through an IV. I was going to be sent home with oral antibiotics as the doctor diagnosed me with mastitis (infection of the breast tissue), but the infectious disease doctor at Kaiser wanted the ER doctor to admit me because I was displaying signs of sepsis/blood infection: fever, chills, increased heart rate, and my blood count was high even though they gave me a dose of antibiotics.

DEJA VU.

However, I only stayed in the hospital for a couple of days--- it was the worse two days. I had flu like symptoms, couldn't get out of bed without help, I went through FOUR IVs, my breast was swollen and red, I was on antibiotics, and I had to be away from Riley! =( I even missed her FIRST doctor's appointment. Needless to say, being a patient sucked! Thankfully, I did not have a blood infection (it was only mastitis). After two days, the doctor discharged me home, but I had to have a PICC line placed (a deep IV, like what Riley had when she was hospitalized) because I needed ten days of antibiotics three times a day on top of a second antibiotic every six hours! BUT I was able to go home and be with my baby.

I am one day away from finishing treatment. I have been to Kaiser seeing doctors and getting dressing changes on my PICC line every other day. Ryan and my mom took another week off from work to care for Riley and I. No one really knew of my hospitalization; it was enough to deal with Riley's and I didn't want to stress about telling everyone about it.

It has been one hell of a month and I am hoping and praying that this is it. No more hospital visits or getting sick. It is time to enjoy Riley and being a family <3