Zane is sick again!

If anyone knows us, they know that last year at this time (hot season) I, Danae, copped out and went back to the states with Zane for a month.  

Well, they also know that I had a very good reason to do this!  Zane was sick with fevers for 5 weeks.  We went through treatments for malaria (primaquine, quinine, malarone, mefloquine, artemether and fansidar) and finally typhoid (azithromycin, amoxicillin and bactrim), but nothing seemed to do the trick.  That is until we got on the airplane to the states.  That very day marked no more fevers.  

We went to the fancy hospitals and had him fully worked up.  (He actually got to see the pediatric tropical infectious disease specialists at the University of Maryland, where there’s a malaria center!)  Nothing showed up.  Of that we were thankful.  Thankful it wasn’t cancer (leukemia) at least.  When Olen and Lyol were sweating it up in 100 + degree weather Zane and I were enjoying nice cool April weather in D.C.  So….after a month fever free, we came back to Tchad.  

Then a few days later, the fevers started again.  We eventually ended up giving him 10 days of IV ceftriaxone to treat presumed relapsed typhoid fever.  His fevers slowly decreased and eventually went away.  We never really knew for sure what his diagnosis was.  Typhoid or some weird virus that would have gotten better on it’s own anyways.  End of that story, right?  

Eating mangoes just fine.  And managing to get the arm board all goey.

Not so easy!  

They’re back this year!  Ya that’s right, the stinkin’ fevers are back.  And it’s hot season which means it’s really hot here.  So one COULD throw away all medical training and THINK that the heat is causing this, but we don’t really think that’s the case.  Our little boy sweats normally and is growing, eating, playing, speaking normally (for a 21 month old).  He’s even catching on to pooping in the toilet!

A month ago marks his first fever of 101 something.  Remembering last year, I decided to keep a good fever diary.  He got a malaria test that was negative.  But here you treat anyways because it always COULD still be malaria.  The tests are not perfect and malaria kills, so we treated him with oral quinine for a week.  He was a champ and was rewarded each time with candy for taking the crushed up pills with water.  

First day with IV.  Already learned how to carry
his sippy cup with bandaged up hand

After several days of treatment, his fevers continued, so we started to think something else was up.  

A nice friend sent us some new information on typhoid treatment that says you can treat kids with cipro now.  So we did that for 2 weeks.  Still the fevers.  

So now, Zane’s on his 9^th day of IV ceftriaxone.  We’ll give it for 14 days to treat presumed typhoid.  Today he was 100.6.

Then…..if that doesn’t work…..maybe we’ll be FORCED to use an air conditioner (in Zane’s room).  I’m pretty sure I would camp out on the floor though.  Or Olen will make the trip back to America with Zane to see real pediatric doctors.  I don’t have the breastfeeding excuse anymore.  

Zane enjoying black frosting from Nana'sw birthday cake.

Please keep Zane in your prayers as well.  He’s doing well.  His first IV lasted 7 days, so we were thankful for that.