Bracing for Flu and Cold Season

Every time Roxie coughs or gets a runny nose Phelps and I get a little anxious.  It is impossible to forget the severe RSV and psnumonia Roxie battled last January at Hemby Children's Hospital.  I sometimes have flash backs while I'm in the shower of her surrounded by doctors and nurses helping her breath as monitor alarms buzz and beep (a sound that will forever make me tense) or of her sedated and breathing for weeks with the help of a vent.  Doctors had previously warned us that Roxie is "at risk" for severe illness because of her muscle weakness and Mitochondrial Disease.  But until last January we had been relatively lucky as far as her health goes.  And she did finally recover in early February after 17 days in the hospital and a few weeks on a TPN line at home.  Since then she has been relatively healthy.  Unfortunately over the past two months Roxie has had 3 seizure episodes and 2 illnesses resulting in trips to the ER, but luckily no overnight stays at the hospital. Phelps and I are more than a little worried about any illness that this cold and flu season could bring to Roxie.  She had her flu shot a few weeks ago and we stress the importance of hand washing to her teachers at school and CAP workers at home. We know that totally avoiding germs is impossible especially with the kids in her class. But when an illness does strike we are a little calmer because we are more experienced at administering the Diastat shot given when she goes into status epilepticus (a long convulsive seizure lasting more than a few minutes) and know that in the past her vitals have remained stable during the seizures. So although we are worried about the next 4 months, hopefully we won't have any overnight hospital stays or too many trips to the doctor this winter.  Please remember that everyone should get a flu shot and wash your hands more often to keep our community a safer place for at risk kids like Roxie.