Helping families at RVI PICU xx
Donation protected
Hi my name is Ami and I'd like to share my story with you in the hope of raising some money to donate to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Crawford House at the RVI Hospital Newcastle.
On Saturday 19th of December 2015 my 5 week old little girl Libby was admitted to A&E due to being very lethargic, refusing feeds and struggling a little to breathe.
We were told by a consultant that she had bronchiolitis which is the swelling of the lower airways. We were informed that over the next 24 hours she would get worse. Within an hour of being admitted to hospital she was given nasal oxygen and also had a tube inserted from her nose down into her stomach to feed her as she wasn't taking anything from a bottle as she was too unwell.
Adam and I were told everyday she was going to get worse and all I could think was how on earth could she get worse??? surely this is the worst... But just as the consultant said she did progressively get worse over the next 48 hours to the point she struggled so much to breathe properly on nasal oxygen and needed a stronger machine (opti flow) She was also taken off milk feeds and only given a fluid drip as her body was completely exhausted and working too hard to break the milk down which was then affecting her heart rate and breathing even more. It was heartbreaking to see in her eyes how tired she was and grasping for breath.
Our world then turned upside down on the 22nd of December when she took a complete turn for the worse whilst her big sister was visiting her. Libby's heart rate was sky high, she was fighting so hard to breathe and she started to hold her breath and her lips turned blue, the panic and urgency across the ward set in and It was at that point she was taken to intensive care.
Walking through the ward to Libbys cot was heartbreaking seeing how many poorly children there were and I completely broke down.
Libby was monitored for a couple of hours and she was hooked up to heart machines etc this is when everything again got worse! her heart rate then kept plummeting to dangerously low levels (severe bradycardia) due to her working so hard to breathe, The noise of the machines alerting the staff still haunt me to this day! She was then intubated and ventilated and put into an induced coma to give her body time to rest and help her to recover.
At times when all of the machines were ringing with alarms because her heart rate was pIummeting and seeing the slight look of fear on the Nurses faces that I sat and thought I was going to lose her and it really was touch and go for a period of time.
Libby tested positive for RSV bronchiolitis, a superbug and pneumococcal. My poorly baby was fighting off 3 different infections all at once.
As a family we spent all of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by her bedside and tried to keep everything as normal as possible in that situation for her big brother and sisters were amazing and took it all in their stride and for that I'm so proud of how they all dealt with Christmas being turned upside down.
Libby began to get stronger throughout Christmas Day and she was trying to breathe for herself. She was finally taken off the ventilator at around 10:30pm on Christmas Day and when she was placed into my arms ( I hadn't been able to cuddle her for 3 days) she opened her eyes ... It was so overwhelming and the best Christmas present I could ever wish for.
From there Libby continually improved and we were placed onto a specialist respiratory ward where she was closely monitored and we finally made it home for New Year.
I honestly cannot thank the Staff on PICU for their compassion and support, I had a few meltdowns whilst sitting at her bedside and their kind words will stay with me forever.
Whilst Libby was in intensive care we were given a room at Crawford House at the RVI which is a home from home so we could be onsite and close by if we needed to get to Libby urgently.
We were also completely overwhelmed at how many Christmas gifts which Libby received on the ward from complete strangers and also ourselves which were donated from local churches / charities and families who have been in similar situations and this is where I would like your help to donate as little or as much as you wish to help give back to those who helped us in the most heartbreaking time of our lives.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you all so much for the love and support we have already received,
Thankfully Libby is now a happy healthy 7 month old but the memories of that awful time will stay with us forever.
Ami & Adam
Xx
On Saturday 19th of December 2015 my 5 week old little girl Libby was admitted to A&E due to being very lethargic, refusing feeds and struggling a little to breathe.
We were told by a consultant that she had bronchiolitis which is the swelling of the lower airways. We were informed that over the next 24 hours she would get worse. Within an hour of being admitted to hospital she was given nasal oxygen and also had a tube inserted from her nose down into her stomach to feed her as she wasn't taking anything from a bottle as she was too unwell.
Adam and I were told everyday she was going to get worse and all I could think was how on earth could she get worse??? surely this is the worst... But just as the consultant said she did progressively get worse over the next 48 hours to the point she struggled so much to breathe properly on nasal oxygen and needed a stronger machine (opti flow) She was also taken off milk feeds and only given a fluid drip as her body was completely exhausted and working too hard to break the milk down which was then affecting her heart rate and breathing even more. It was heartbreaking to see in her eyes how tired she was and grasping for breath.
Our world then turned upside down on the 22nd of December when she took a complete turn for the worse whilst her big sister was visiting her. Libby's heart rate was sky high, she was fighting so hard to breathe and she started to hold her breath and her lips turned blue, the panic and urgency across the ward set in and It was at that point she was taken to intensive care.
Walking through the ward to Libbys cot was heartbreaking seeing how many poorly children there were and I completely broke down.
Libby was monitored for a couple of hours and she was hooked up to heart machines etc this is when everything again got worse! her heart rate then kept plummeting to dangerously low levels (severe bradycardia) due to her working so hard to breathe, The noise of the machines alerting the staff still haunt me to this day! She was then intubated and ventilated and put into an induced coma to give her body time to rest and help her to recover.
At times when all of the machines were ringing with alarms because her heart rate was pIummeting and seeing the slight look of fear on the Nurses faces that I sat and thought I was going to lose her and it really was touch and go for a period of time.
Libby tested positive for RSV bronchiolitis, a superbug and pneumococcal. My poorly baby was fighting off 3 different infections all at once.
As a family we spent all of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by her bedside and tried to keep everything as normal as possible in that situation for her big brother and sisters were amazing and took it all in their stride and for that I'm so proud of how they all dealt with Christmas being turned upside down.
Libby began to get stronger throughout Christmas Day and she was trying to breathe for herself. She was finally taken off the ventilator at around 10:30pm on Christmas Day and when she was placed into my arms ( I hadn't been able to cuddle her for 3 days) she opened her eyes ... It was so overwhelming and the best Christmas present I could ever wish for.
From there Libby continually improved and we were placed onto a specialist respiratory ward where she was closely monitored and we finally made it home for New Year.
I honestly cannot thank the Staff on PICU for their compassion and support, I had a few meltdowns whilst sitting at her bedside and their kind words will stay with me forever.
Whilst Libby was in intensive care we were given a room at Crawford House at the RVI which is a home from home so we could be onsite and close by if we needed to get to Libby urgently.
We were also completely overwhelmed at how many Christmas gifts which Libby received on the ward from complete strangers and also ourselves which were donated from local churches / charities and families who have been in similar situations and this is where I would like your help to donate as little or as much as you wish to help give back to those who helped us in the most heartbreaking time of our lives.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you all so much for the love and support we have already received,
Thankfully Libby is now a happy healthy 7 month old but the memories of that awful time will stay with us forever.
Ami & Adam
Xx
Organizer
Ami Davison
Organizer
