Is a better tomorrow a pipe dream we are chasing? (Day 1 of ICU - Critical state)

Well, I had hoped for a better tomorrow yesterday. It didn't happen. Infact, this has been the worst day till now.

Shivam was in severe pain, nausea and was vomiting the whole of last night. He also had a low grade fever which kept us awake and monitoring him. Around 7 AM, his fever touched 100.8 and that's when Dr. Rabi Hanna told us over phone to rush to emergency. We reached here and were whisked into the room for checkups.

Shivam's condition started deteriorating very rapidly here. His sugar fell to low 50's and was not getting up in spite of large doses of sugar. His fever was out of control. He was extremely dehydrated and was near fainting. His oxygen level dropped to low 80's (should be near 100) and in spite of continuous supply via mask, he was not breathing on his own. They were pumping meds (all sorts - antibiotics, saline, for pulse, etc.) but he was not responding. To further complicate the situation, his BP dropped very low. The lower number was fluctuating around 12 - 16 which is very very low. They declared him a high risk patient and immediately there was a flurry of doctors and nurses and they worked together to bring him up.

Around 4 hours and little more stabilization, they decided to move him into ICU for tighter monitoring. Meds were continually being pumped into him. X-rays of chest and abdomen were taken. Blood samples drawn. The doctor talked with us about adding 2 more IV lines as his port was insufficient for the number of infusions and draws that were needed. They worked like a well oiled machine and in a few hours he had 2 more lines - one on his neck and one on his hand.

Things were a little blurry as our little baby was in extreme pain and we were just standing on the side helplessly watching modern machines do their jobs. He went low on platelets and blood and the doctor ordered several transfusions. The platelets were given in the evening and blood is going on right now. His BP is now better than before. But he still is not able to breathe on his own and needs continuous oxygen.

Some more reports confirmed that the bacteria had invaded his blood stream and he has what is known as blood poisoning. The antibiotics are killing the bacteria and they are releasing toxins into the blood stream. His abdomen wall has also been invaded.

The doctors have declared him to be "very sick" and have said that next 24-48 hours are very critical. His survival depends on his recovery pattern.

The hardest part is that he keeps on waking up every 5 mins and asks for water. But we cannot give him. Explaining him is a nightmare. Urmila and I are taking turns sleeping for 1/2 hour each.

Is a better tomorrow a pipe dream we are chasing?