To the Hospital

Last Thursday morning little Tessa woke up with a fever that caused Whitney and Darin to feel concerned enough to get Tessa in to see her pediatrician. Tessa had just finished a 10 day round of antibiotics the Sunday before that was treating a double ear infection. While at the doctor's office, the concern spread. Tessa's left ear was still infected and her lungs did not sound how he would have hoped. The pediatrician was very preoccupied with her unusual behavior, weak and strained cries, and overall flushed appearance. Tessa's doctor sent them to Baptist Medical Center immediately. The doctors were concerned that she might have a blood infection or menengitis, therefore admitted her to the Pediatric care unit and began blood work and performed a spinal tap. The spinal tap results were back within the hour and showed no evidence of menengitis, which was great news; however, it would take 72hours to get the blood cultures back before they could know any more. It was the beginning of days to come in the hospital.

Whitney's sisters got to Oklahoma from Texas about 11:30 Thursday night. It was a long day for everyone! Tessa had a strange episode(possible seizure) that evening that caused doctors enough concern to order a CT scan and EEG first thing Friday morning. Whitney and Darin only got about 3 hrs of sleep, so were tired and very ready to get a few answers on things.

Friday afternoon they received devastating news. Tessa has brain damage from a virus she got before birth. The virus is called CMV and it shows itself on the CT scan as calcium deposits on her brain. The doctors told Whitney and Darin that more than likely the 'colic' behaviors that they have described of Tessa over the first 3 months of her life have been seizures/or the result of seizures all along. The Congenital CMV condition was more than likely magnified at this moment because of the current infection she had and the overwhelming amount of stress she had been under from the tests that were performed earlier in the day Thursday. They made plans to do an MRI to determine the extent of the brain damage as was possible to tell for now. There is NO treatment for CMV, only treatment of the symptomatic seizures. There is a broad spectrum of how the brain damage will affect Tessa as she grows and only time will reveal the extent of the damage.

Whitney and Darin have felt lost, devastated, confused, angry and on their knees trying to find the strength to go through this.




(posted by Hillarie)