Kawaski Disease

Well, here I sit on day two of my 'blogging journey'. As stated in my previous post, my life is truly not that interesting so there are times when I will really have to stretch to find a topic to talk about. Upon arriving home today, from a very long, boring day at work, I was pleasantly surprised to find a package addressed to me!! I didn't remember ordering anything so I was curious as to what it was. The return address was not offering any clues. The package was light and didn't make any sound as I gently shook it. As I tore off the tape that was holding the surprise hostage, a bubble-wrapped package fell to the table. Don't you just love bubble-wrap?? Popping those bubbles is such fun, but I regress. Although the wrapping was translucent - I still could not see what it contained. There was no tape holding it closed, so I gently unrolled it and found three bracelets! Now, these were not ordinary bracelets, but those that are so popular these days to wear in support of a cause. The cause these bracelets represented is one that is very near and dear to my heart. Have you ever heard of Kawasaki Disease? No, I didn't think you did. It's a disease that is not well known and missed frequently by most pediatricians. But without proper diagnosis and treatment it is potentially fatal. Kawasaki Disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. It causes aneurysms in the coronay arteries. Symptoms of this disease include: fever for more than 5 days, rash, red eyes, red lips and tongue, red hands and feet, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Children exhibiting a combination of any of these symptoms should be seen by a pediatrician immediately. There are many speculations as to what causes this disease - but none are conclusive and there is no medical test to diagnose it. Treatment, which includes high dose aspirin therapy and IVGG need be be administered before day 10 of the progression - after that time the damage as been done. The reason for my heart for this disease? Her name is Breanna. When she was 3 years old she had Kawasaki. She started off with a 104 temp and was just basically lethargic. When the fever lasted 24 hours and produced no reaction to Tylenol or Advil we called the doctor. They tested and treated her for a variety of things - none of which responded to treatment. As each day progressed, her health was failing - finally by day 4 we called the doctor again - this time issuing an ultimatum - you either see her now in your office or later in the ER. We weren't messing around - she was basically comatose by this point. We got her in - they took one look at her and immediately sent her to the Children's Hospital about 40 miles from home - they diagnosed her with Kawasaki. For the next 8 days she was poked and prodded, put on exhibition, she couldn't walk, she couldn't even open her eyes they were so swollen shut. She cried in pain from the joints that were aching - but she never really woke up. The fever hung on - never going below 104 and peaking at 106. The first attempt at administering the IV resulted in her havine seizures. It was two days before they tried again. On day 9 the fever broke and she woke up. The transformation was nothing short of a miracle. Today she is a happy, healthy 7 y/o. We don't know the long term affects of this disease as the CDC has done no tracking on the children who have had it. We are tracking and making our own studies as we grow with our KD kids. I've rambled. I apologize, but when I am passionate about something - I talk about it. I'm signing off for now. Praying for a blessed day for you - wherever you may be.