January 9, 2009
Today you get a play-by-play.
Well, we are at the doctor getting Ally’s new IVIg treatment. They started the drip very slowly and turned it up every 15 minutes. Ally went in the next room to work with the art therapist (one of Ally’s favorite things to do while we’re here is work with Ms. Tasha!). Tasha had to step out for a moment, so I went to sit with Ally. I noticed her face started to turn red (one of the signs she’s reacting to the meds). When Tasha came back, I asked if she thought Ally was red (I thought maybe I was imagining it). Indeed she was turning red. We called the nurse by intercom to come look at Ally. In the minute it took for the nurse to get to us, Ally turned completely red, began coughing and coughing (sign of closing airway), began gagging, and eventually threw up several times. They had to immediately turn off the IVIg drip and to get fluids going. She had two nurses and a doc working with her. (Brad was sitting with her on the floor while she was getting sick. We were all crammed into this tiny space in the art therapy room…I couldn’t even get through the door.) She got an immediate dose of Zofran (anti-nausea meds) and a dose of hydrocortisone (to open her airway). It took a few minutes for the meds to work, but they finally did and she began to relax (more than I can say for Brad and I!).
We had to sit with her for about thirty minutes until the nurse came in to hook up the IVIg again. Right now, the drip is going at a very slow rate. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll update in a bit.
A few hours later…Ally’s treatment is finished. Thank God! The nurse was able to turn up the drip to 20ml an hour but no higher. Dr. Rob didn’t want the meds to go in any faster than that. She seemed to tolerate the medication just fine after the episode. (Brad and I both agree that “the episode” - the “severe reaction” - was the most afraid we’d been throughout this whole treatment. She looked so awful and just couldn’t breathe. We knew she was in good hands though.)
We are home now. Ally is just fine - thank God. She’s watching a show and having some crackers. The doc said she might be tired and feel a little “yucky” through tomorrow. Let’s pray she has a good night tonight so she is rested for tomorrow.