The initial symptoms of
RSV are the tickle in your throat, the congestion in your head, and the cough from your mouth. Then the entire family gets sick. The infant has trouble breathing and goes into the hospital for a day. Yay!
Anyway, RSV is an initialism, versus an acronym, that stands for respiratory syncytial virus. An
acronym is said like a word instead of the individual letters. For example, BYU is an initialism for Brigham Young University, and SLCC (slick) is an acronym for Salt Lake Community College.
RSV seems like the common cold, but it is a different virus. It is nastier than cold viruses because it creates thicker mucus. Thus, babies have a harder time breathing. It generally last 10 days and peaks at 5 days. Don't trust my medical knowledge.
My husband caught the "cold," then my two older boys, then the two youngest boys and me. Just the common cold, I thought.
My husband was zonked for two weeks and is only just recovering.
The toddler had a fever all Thursday and Friday. He is usually bouncing off the walls, but he was lethargic for 24 hours. Friday morning, my husband took in the toddler, and I decided to join him with the infant. On a whim, I decided to get the smiley infant checked out too.
The medical technician took a few vitals, but instantly asked to see our infant's chest. She said he was retracting.
The nurse and the doctor rushed to see the infant. They took a look and sent us to the ER. They weren't as worried about the toddler. Just said to visit the urgent care with him later.
The ER doctor admitted my infant into the hospital because his oxygen saturation levels dipped. The mucus test results came back with RSV.
We never had anyone check our toddler.
On Saturday, I took my toddler into the urgent care. His oxygen saturation level was low, so they sent us to the ER. Again.
I bawled the entire drive over and for awhile at the ER. Would I have two kids in the hospital?
The ER doctor wasn't concerned about my toddler. Just gave us a prescription. So simple.
Luckily, my infant was able to come home on Saturday evening.
