On July 23rd Tyler complained of a headache at 9 a.m. It's not the first time he has had a headache so I did what I normally do (turn off the video games/TV, lay down in a dark room, eat a snack) to see if it would go away on its own. It didn't. So I gave him Tylenol. Still didn't go away. 4 hours later I gave him Motrin. Still didn't go away and it seemed to be getting worse. The way he was describing it sounded like when I get migraines. Come 7 p.m. he had a fever and headache with no relief. My gut was telling me something wasn't right so I took him to the After Hours urgent care and fortunately they got us in quickly (probably had something to do with the lethargic, crying kid). They tried some stuff but every time they checked him his fever got higher and higher until it hit 104. He didn't have a stiff neck so they weren't really sure what to do. Eventually we decided to should take him to Primary Children’s ER because something just wasn't right. When we got to the ER we only had to sit in the waiting room for a few minutes before they got us into a room (again, his appearance, crying, lethargy- it was evident something was wrong). An IV, several exams by every level of medicine possible, an attempt at drinking juice which resulted in vomiting, and lots and lots of observation and they just didn't know what to do. He looked like meningitis but without the stiff neck. After being there all they decided to admit him to the RTU to watch him overnight. I was grateful to have a place for me to lay down and see if we could get some sleep (we both got very little). The next morning he still had headache and fever and now he threw up with every movement. I asked the doctor to please do an MRI of his brain, the Dr. wanted to do a spinal tap instead. We did, I stayed in the room to be a comfort to Tyler but it was really hard for me to watch on my own child go through this, and when I saw the fluid was clear I thought we were out of the woods. 30 minutes later the doc comes in in full protective clothing. Tyler was now in isolation because he had meningitis. We didn't know if it was bacterial or viral. Bacterial and he was being admitted to PICU. Viral and he would be discharged home as soon as his symptoms were under control. Several hours later it was determined to be viral but took about 24 more hours to get his symptoms under control. He spent the next couple of days at home resting and recuperating and is now back to his normal self. We were very fortunate to have caught this and had such a good outcome. This was scary and an emotional time because I was schedule to leave on a business trip within a week and didn't know if I would still be able to go. The moral of the story and the advice I would give to any parent? Trust your gut. He didn't have the classic stiff neck symptom associated with meningitis and yet he still had meningitis. Today he is back to his normal self but he still has occasional headaches so we will be seeing the pediatrician about this.

Ok, so my last post was written during a little emotional breakdown. You'll be happy to know I am back to my usual self. That's not saying much but take it for what it's worth. Back to the Summer catch-up...

Over Memorial Day weekend my Grandpa Thacker had a massive stroke and died a few days later. It was very sudden even though his health had been declining in the previous months. I was fortunate enough to have been able to drive out to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center twice to see him before he passed. It was harder for me than I expected because I considered him a connection to my Dad. They looked similar, their voices were similar and when Grandpa would laugh it was like looking at my Dad. Something about the way his tongue would touch his bottom teeth. His funeral was out in the Uintah Basin where he and Grandma both grew up and now live and he was buried near Heber. The funeral was beautiful and I am so proud to be his granddaughter. He was an incredible man and I am grateful to be a forever family. It also makes me happy to think of the reunion he had with my Dad and my uncle Clyde who was killed about a year and a half after my Dad. Grandpa had lived nearly 14 and 12 years respectively without his two eldest sons and I bet that was an amazing reunion. I will love you forever Grandpa!