RSV season

Although I know most of you are very good at letting me know when you are sick with colds and flus, I still feel like I need to send out this blog for anyone who may be visiting, or in case we may be visiting you. My friend, Georgina, sent out an email recently, which I pretty much copied, that reminded me to do the same.

As you all know Alyssa was born very prematurely at 25.4 weeks to be exact, and although she is very lucky and relatively healthy in the big picture, she still has a higher risk then most babies of getting infections and becoming extremely sick and even hospitalized with something as simple as the common cold. Being back in the hospital means she would be getting regular blood pressure checks, getting held down to have her heels pricked and squeezed for blood, and possibly having an IV for medication. Which would also mean we would be away from the other half of my family, which really I think we've done long enough this summer.

Not to sound controlling or rude, but if you're even a little bit sick (snuffly nose, cough, feeling run down) or you've been around someone who's sick, we'd prefer it if you waited until you were feeling 100% before coming over to see us. We will all be getting the flu shots, and hope that if you are seeing us on a regular basis that you will too, and Alyssa will be getting a series of shots for RSV this season which is from late fall to early spring. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common, easy-to-catch infection that is similar to a cold. Although most babies catch this infection in their first 2 years, they usually have no major symptoms other then a regular cold, same as adults. However, babies who were born prematurely, and have lung damage are more at risk for serious consequences. The medication she will be receiving is not a vaccine, therefore does not prevent her from getting the virus, but it does help reduce the risk of more serious infections. For example, perhaps prevent her from being reintubated. Please read the following link for more information :

http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=3344&channel_id=2026&relation_id=18293

If you do come to the house, which we hope you do if you are healthy, please wash your hands right after coming in....we also have a bottle of hand sanitizer as you enter the house. If you sneeze or cough, please wash your hands afterwards and a good rule of thumb is to keep your hands away from your face...so cough into your sleeve, not your hand. We ask that you do not kiss her face and only touch her hands if you've washed yours, as her mouth is the first place her hands usually go. Alyssa's lungs will develop into normal and healthy lungs, hopefully before she turns 5 years old, but until then, or at least for the first two years we have to be extra cautious. Thank you for all of you who have already been extremely cautious by waiting until your colds were over before seeing us. I may be a little bit paranoid, but really I think I have every right to be, don't you??