How We Got Here...

Things progressed so quickly once we were admitted to Georgetown, I realized that I never really mentioned how we ended up here. I'll start from the beginning of the month, as parts of it seem/could be relevant to the overall story (especially if we are able to find out the cause of Joey's liver failure).

On the morning of Wednesday, January 3rd, I tested positive for COVID. I had been experiencing some congestion for a couple of days prior, but figured it was from me shedding a few (okay, many) tears about going back to work (my first day back to work from maternity leave was January 2nd). I masked up, washed/sanitized the heck out of my hands, quarantined away from everyone as best I could, and reached out to the pediatrician for anything we needed to/be mindful of regarding Joey. They said there was no reason to bring him in or test him at that time, and gave some instruction on how to handle any symptoms he might end up having. On Friday, January 5th, Joey had a low-grade fever in the morning. It rose slightly later in the day, but it wasn't elevated enough to bring him into the doctor/emergency room, according to the pediatrician's instructions. By Saturday morning, he was fine. No other symptoms at all. We figured the fever was COVID, but overall it didn't seem serious and we never ended up having him tested.

On Wednesday, January 10th, Joey had his 4-month checkup and vaccines. I asked if it was safe for him to receive his vaccines when he likely had COVID, and the pediatrician said it was. He had no visible reactions to his vaccines. In the evening of Friday, January 12th, I noticed his eyes were slightly yellow and dull in appearance. I messaged the peditiacian, thinking that this sort of jaundice symptom was odd given his age. Their office called us Saturday morning and wanted us to come in to have him checked out.

Side note: Joey was jaundice as a newborn. It was so minor, we weren't even aware of it until his first pediatrician appointment, a day after we were discharged from the hospital. It wasn't anything serious enough to go back to the hospital for, or do any additional testing. Lots of feeding and some indirect sunlight cleared it up relatively quickly.

On Saturday, January 13th, the pediciatrian looked him over and aside from his yellowing eyes, he looked great. We were told to monitor and come back in a week to have him checked out again, or sooner if we felt his symptoms were getting worse. By Monday, January 15th, I noticed his chest was yellowing as well, and he was starting to act a little lethargic after his morning nap. Monday afternoon we were back at the pediatrician. Again, aside from his yellowing eyes and chest, his exam went well. However, the pediatrician wanted us to get some lab work done to see if we could glean additional information from those results. We went to the INOVA outpatient lab in the same building, but because of the holiday, they were closed, as were all of the labs in the area. I called the pediciation back and asked how serious this was- whether we should go to the ER that night or go back to the lab the next day. We were told we could wait and go do the labs the next day. So first thing in the morning on Tuesday, January 16th, we headed back to the lab.

Because Joey is a little on the chunky side, it was difficult to find his veins. When they could find them, they seemed to dry up quickly. After a few attempts and lots of baby tears (and maybe a couple from mom), they gave up, only drawing enough blood to run 2 of the 3 tests. We headed home and waited to hear from the peditcitain with the results/next steps. Around 12:30pm, we heard back and were told his bilirubin levels were very high, and that we needed to pack an overnight back and head to the INOVA Fairfax ER right away.

We arrived to the ER around 1:30pm, where additional blood tests were done (still with many vein challenges), all of which were indicating things were not looking good. Probably around 4pm, conversations were starting about whether we needed to be transferred over to Georgetown. This is when Chris and I realized this was getting really serious. Due to space limitations, Georgetown couldn't accommodate Joey at that time, so then there were discussions about whether we would get admitted to INOVA until a bed opened at Georgetown, or if we would go to Hopkins. This went on for hours, until finally space was secured at Georgetown. And finally, around 2:30am on Wednesday, January 17th, the transport team arrived. Joey and I were medevacked to Georgetown, and Chris met us there with our car. Joey was officially admitted with acute liver failure upon our arrival. He also tested positive for COVID right before we left INOVA, which we found out as we arrived at Georgetown. This resulted in all three of us being quarantined if Joey's room for the next few days (during which the A/C broke and it was 80 degrees in there... it was a very rough couple of days when we first got here).

The 17th and 18th were basically dedicated to getting a central line and PICC line in place to draw enough blood to do the necessary testing to determine the state of his liver and try to get some answers. Friday, January 19th they started plasmapheresis treatments to help alleviate stress on his liver. These treatments continued up until his transplant on the 23rd. After talking with one of the transplant doctors, these treatments are likely how we was able to make it as long as he did. This still baffles Chris and me, as he was basically his normal self up until his surgery... Just a little yellow!

I have replayed the last two weeks in my mind over and over, and wish I could go back and do certain things differently, especially in those first few days. But, I am so glad that I reached out to the doctor about his eyes. I think it could have been very easy to write off for a couple of days, especially as a new mom who quite frankly doesn't know a lot about this stuff and constantly questions her decisions as it relates to her child. But a couple of days could have cost Joey his life. And I'm thankful to Chris, for supporting my concerns instead of brushing them aside.

To all the mamas out there reading this, let this be validation to trust those spidey instincts. Do not let anyone dismiss you, or make you feel paranoid. To all the partners (and relatives, friends, etc., for that matter), listen to and support the mamas. As parents, we have the responsibility (and privilege) to advocate for and ensure the well being of our children, and they depend on us to do so. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to their health.

All our love,

The Moschellas