www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer Leland 3yrs old

UPDATE:

Well the little guy was almost free and clear of the fever. He was fever free last night but this evening it flared back up. Not as strong as before but most definitely there. He won't be coming home right away.

They did a total work up on him this morning and we are waiting for the results. They did a CT scan and x-ray and any other test they could think of. They are trying to locate the infection and are searching for other possible causes. Checking his throat carefully for burns from the chemicals and lungs for scarring. until then they are assuming it is that chemical pneumonia causing the trouble and we don't know how long that will take to clear.

We were all hopeful he would have been home already..on Tuesday or Wednesday the latest. He just hasn't met their criteria for releasing yet. We talked about Leland finishing his treatment back in North Bay but there he has 10 specialists he sees on a regular basis. My concern for him is his lungs.

They put him back on I.V. and changed his antibiotic. I used my laptop to see Leland in Ottawa through his dad's laptop in the hospital. He was cranky when he woke up but settled down. He seemed confused where the voices were coming from and shyly hid behind the bed railing, then he smiled like he was trying to play peek-a-boo. He got tangled up in the lines once and his dad had to untangle him. I think I will take Erica back to Ottawa just so he can see his mother and be held by her. That one time he was free from all the lines, he walked with his dad in the halls and he was looking into the rooms calling out mom as went along.

We have Ashton on formula right now so if we had to leave the baby behind, we could. The stress and irregular feedings and poor eating habits during this time has caused his mom to loose her milk. I dread travelling with such a young child on winter roads. When we came back from Ottawa that first time, I drove with extreme caution when it started to rain and snow we were still 2 hours from North Bay. We crawled home that night because I didn't want to slide into the ditch. I've spent hours with Aston these past few days and chasing after Seth; his mom doesn't want to return home until Leland and his dad are back.

Thank you all for your prayers. Leland was able to weather having his oxygen drop to 49% without any apparent brain or organ damage during that first 48 hour period. The doctors didn't know what to do for him. He has had one bad turn when the chemical pneumonia flared up and the fevers started. Lately he's been recovering without any complications and doing well. If he can get over this infection/fever he would be on his way home soon.

I have been reading up on lamp oil poisonings. The more I read the more discouraged I get and shocked on how we have this stuff in our homes. If you must use candles in the home..make them 100% soy and not a blend. A blend can contain as little as 15% soy and the rest can be whatever they choose. Beeswax is good too.

"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that approximately 2300 children aged less than 5 years are treated in hospital EDs each year because of poisoning by petroleum distillates that are not required to be in child-resistant packaging (1). Petroleum distillates, a group of hydrocarbon-based chemicals refined from crude oil, include gasoline, kerosene, mineral spirits, and paraffin. Lamp oil consists of a combination of petroleum distillates that differ by manufacturer. Some preparations of lamp oil contain aromatic hydrocarbons, or various scents and dyes, including aniline dyes that can contribute to additional toxicities"

"Ingestion is the most common route of exposure to hydrocarbons, including lamp oil. The viscosity of the oil is an important property because it relates directly to the risk for pulmonary aspiration. Compounds with low viscosity and high volatility (e.g., gasoline, kerosene, and lighter fluid), can spread over mucosal surfaces easily and rapidly (4). When ingested, hydrocarbons produce toxic effects in several organs and organ systems including the pulmonary and central nervous systems, the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, and the hematopoietic system; some hydrocarbons cause acute intravascular hemolysis (3). Among these, the most serious damage occurs to the pulmonary system. Chemical pneumonitis is the greatest cause of death and injury"

The chemicals contained in those lamp oils contain so many cancer causing carcinogens. I really would like to know what are in the candles we have by the altar. Oh I know it's a liquid pariffin but there are no warnings on the cannisters or the box it came in. The altar servers breath that stuff in as they carry them down the aisle. At church I usually pick those candles up by the wicks to bring the cans out of the holders so I can check the amount left in each can.

Those hand sanitizers we use in the pews before we go up... well, they are listed as a poison on a couple of the poison control websites. Depending on the size of the child. I never really thought about it. They are safe as long as the product is allowed to evaporate as directed. The product if sucked on by a toddler can be deadly if the child managed to consume enough but that would be rare only because the chemical burn to the mouth and throat would be very irritating.

So you can see where my mind has been travelling these days. Maybe this week Leland will be healthy enough to return home. I use to think he would be back by now, suddenly I wonder if he is going to be home before Christmas. Do you think the 10 specialists in Ottawa will want to come and spend the holidays with us? I didn't think so. Who knows..he could be discharged Thursday or Friday. Please continue to pray for his recovery and our peace of mind.

Well it's late and I should be sleeping not writing out emails. Have a good day whether you want to or not.

Peace!

praying for Leland and those who are giving him medical care.

GLORY TO GOD!
i just got an update

Friday Leland is being transfered to North Bay General. If the weather is good they will fly Leland and his dad back to North Bay. Leland will be admitted to North Bay General and they will continue treatments there. We don't know how many days before he's discharged. He keeps running a fever. We are so relieved he will be back in town.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Prayers....

Prayers for Leland and family.

I received a really good update from my friend Liz, it is truly a Christmas present to everyone. She wrote...

Leland was released from hospital this Sunday morning around 9:30 AM. I was so happy to pick him up, we had rented a van for the week-end. We have to watch him carefully, if he develop a fever, we are to take him to the ER. We have to watch for coughs that develop and any other symptom like breathlessness or anything that seems out of the ordinary.

Thank you all for all your prayers.

Please continue to keep Leland in prayer because he's still vulnerable. I don't know when he will be in the clear. His lungs have had to take such a beating from these chemicals and they did not discover where the infection was that was causing his fever. They were satisfied he did not have a fever in the last 24 hours and released him early in the day before the expected storm got worse. We had a good snow storm this morning, lots of blowing snow. The forecast also called for temps to go up and the snow would change to rain. The rain would have been dangerous with all this snow and ice we've had.

Peace to you all and Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it is just a few short days away...

Prayers.