Maggie Follow Up

The weekend we got home from the hospital was spent cuddling, laying low and watching basketball. Miss Maggie was spoiled with care packages, love and tv shout outs from ESPN announcers and Coach Prohm during the basketball games. 

The Monday following Maggie's ordeal, we had a follow up with her pediatrician here in Ames, Dr. Patten. We love Dr. Patten, she was a wonderful support while we were in the hospital by calling daily, text message check ins and giving up some insight to tests being run and lingo being used by doctors. At Maggie's follow up, it was discovered she had another ear infection (of course) but the antibiotics she was on would clear it up. Dr. Patten decided to consult with Blank Children's Hospital and some fellow pediatricians on Maggie's chart history and recent hospitalization, but in the mean time, we would do blood work to test her Prevnar13 (pneumonia) vaccination and check her immunoglobulin levels. 

Her blood work that was sent to Mayo Clinic revealed that Maggie was borderline immune deficiency and that her body rejected her Prevnar13 vaccination. She received three doses of the vaccination her first year of life and is supposed to protect her against 13 types of pneumonia. Her body was only protecting her against two. After consulting with an infectious disease specialist at Blank's, they decided to give Maggie a vaccination that they give the very sick (one kidney, cancer patients, etc) that would protect her against 23 strains of pneumonia. She received that new vaccination mid-December and we will check to see that her body accepted in in early February. At that time, we will also re-check her immunoglobulin levels.

Maggie also had an EEG done in mid-December. Standard for young kids that experience complex seizures like Maggie did. All turned out fine. 

So what do we know now? Well, Maggie will be prone to febrile seizures and we are now equipped with what to do if her fever spikes like that again. 104* temperature is Maggie's trigger point. We also know that her history of ear infections, sinus infections, many bouts of croup, constantly getting the common cold, is explained and we aren't crazy thinking she's always sick! Her immune system just isn't up to par and is infect a crappy one! But you know what? I would take this over anything else. It could have been so much worse for her and we are incredibly lucky that with her weakened immune system, that she never got this sick prior.