We're All Gonna Die

Right off the bat, let me tell you that Luke is currently feeling much better.

But here's the story if you want it:

So, last Tuesday night Luke went back into the ER.

He left the hospital last week not feeling 100% better, but the doctors were out of ideas of what was wrong, so we went home. He was still having some pain and his fevers were coming and going. Tuesday afternoon everything got bad, and it did so, very quickly. His temperature went from normal to 102 in less than an hour and his abdominal pain was really bad.

I called in for backup (aka: my mom) to take care of the baby and whisked Luke off to OHSU hospital. There was a TON of people waiting in the ER. Some had been there for six hours. Luke was in a lot of pain, not to mention his temperature and heart rate were rising so he was admitted in two hours. (My mom showed up around this time and took Z back to the apartment – THANK YOU MOM!).

The nurses got Luke on fluids, potassium (though no one knows why those levels were low because he wasn’t doing anything that would make him lose potassium) and morphine. We actually had some of the same doctors and nurses that we had the first time we went into the ER – they were not pleased to see us back so they were really nice.

*ER room*

Luke got a CT scan and everything looked normal – which was a good and a bad thing. Good because everything looked normal; bad because that meant that the doctors still didn’t know what was making him so sick.

Since the ER was crammed and virus was the only answer he could give us, one of the doctors actually asked us to go home. We were offended, to say the least. Luke was in no condition to go home and we wanted to know what was wrong with him. Another doctor came in, took one look at Luke in his pathetic, feeling-like-I’m-going-to-die state and told us that we needed to stay. Luke tried to get some sleep and I stayed at the hospital until 5 AM and my boobs couldn’t take it anymore (too much information?).

When I went back to the hospital around 10 AM we were told by a new doctor that Luke needed to be admitted so that an internal specialist could look at him.

He was admitted around 4 PM. The new internal specialist doctors became very interested in Luke’s abnormally large spleen (when we went into the ER the first time his liver was swollen so that fact interested them too). They were also surprised that Luke’s blood counts were getting worse the longer he was in the hospital.

*New room. He likes this room much more than the smelly ER room*


Almost all of Luke’s immediate family is in the healthcare industry – dad, mom, brother, two sisters. They were checking in, wanting updates, helping and calming us through some of the more sensitive situations at the hospital. We LOVE YOU for all you do and did!

The doctors did some more specific tests and by Thursday afternoon (which is when we checked out of the hospital with perscriptions in hand) came up with what they think was – and still is –wrong with Luke.

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

Epstein-Barr virus. It’s like mononucleosis…but not. Both of Luke’s mono tests came back negative. Most of Luke’s symptoms fit the profile; some don’t. We have to be on the lookout for any new or worsening symptoms. We are also loading up his diet with potassium and protein because those levels remain low.

Still, doctors are optimistic that he should be better in 6 – 8 weeks. Yeah, lasts just as long as mono. Joy. Oh, and it gets “better,” I can’t kiss my husband for that amount of time.

Chances are that I already have it, considering how affectionate Luke and I were…or is it are... ? *Smiles very sneaky-like* Just kidding! We’re being good little kids and trying to keep me healthy.

From what we read and what the doctor said, Z should be fine. Still, we’re being very careful. We don’t want to take her to the hospital.


P.S. On a more chipper note: Whoever can name the movie the blog post title comes from gets a million points. Hint: Disney.