A few days ago my son was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis from a UTI that came from e.coli. He's just over 3 months old and now he's in the hospital for three weeks. two weeks ago he had a UTI that we thought we had treated him for with 3 days of IV antibiotics and 7 days of oral antibiotics but that just wasnt enough. 4 days after we finished the antibiotics course he came down with a strong fever and many other unpleasant symptoms like a swollen fontanelle (soft spot). after a difficult day of waiting and diagnosing, they came back with bacterial meningitis as their diagnosis... which means a 5% fatality rate and a 20% chance of brain deficiencies as he grows up.

I'm trying not to think about all those bad parts of it... all I can do is be there for him and give him everything he needs to get through this. Just a few days of aggressive IV antibiotics later, his fever is gone, his appetite is returning, and he's smiling again.

Over the course of only 3 days, we have received a HUGE amount of support from family and friends. My teammates (on the team server) in Elders have been there for me to talk about this stuff with me and helped me process what's going on. I'm so glad for their support... it's huge. Not only are they there to distract me but also to listen to the horror story that has been unfolding for my family.

Like... I have never met ANY of you people in real life but you're here for me and I appreciate it so much.

My wife, who is friends with fellow mothers around Canada through facebook gets a ton of support there as well. There's this mother in Ontario (we're in Saskatchewan) who started a gofundme account in our name where anyone can donate money to us. It's incredible that these people who have never met us and probably never will are donating money to us. My wife is in awe... and so am I.

Now, for all you parents out there of young children... and the prospective parents. Do NOT fluff around with UTIs. They are serious business and they happen to 1 in 5 infants. If you notice that your infant is getting a fever, or is unusually fussy, or is unusually irritable... bring the kid in to get checked. Cuz there's a good chance it's because of an infection... maybe ear infection, maybe urinary tract infection, whatever. Their immune systems can't handle these things on their own and they don't have the words to tell us where it hurts... so you gotta pay close attention to your kids' behaviour and always err on the side of caution.

We DID err on the side of caution and my boy, Mal, still got meningitis from this whole fiasco. If you have any questions, send me a message or post it here. I'll be around all week.

i had a kid with an extended stay in the hospital. fluff sucks man, glad it turned out well for you.

It ain't over... we got another 18 days in the hospital to go...

No kids here, but thanks for sharing the valuable insight. I'm glad to hear your son is doing better.

I will toss up a prayer upstairs for the little guy... I've been blessed that I haven't had to deal w/ any serious situations with my kids - I feel for y'all!

pediatric hospitals are easily my least favorite place in the world. in and out for the better part of 2 years i have seen far too many sick children and desperate parents. The wonderful nurses are about the only think that make those places work.

Damn bro sorry to hear your having to deal with all that with your little one. I'm a dad of 2 and I can't even imagine what i'd do if something happened to them. I'll pray for ya to.

Hope everything works out.

thanks guys.

No fun. Best wishes brother.

If you need anything at all,never hesitate to call on me man. I've known you (via earth. Mainly ICN) for about a decade now.. and there aren't to many people that I've clicked with on the same level we have. My son was born the set before yours and I can't even imagine how horrible that situation has to be for you and your family.

Your family and mine are almost identical and in your shoes i may have had a full fledged breakdown. Between worrying about Malcolm as well as your daughter, (who's life is upside down whilst her family stays in the hospital ) and all the financial woes that accompany taking almost a month out of work...

That kind of load can cripple even the strongest daddy... i know it wasn't easy but you've managed to stay composed and strong for your family and things are seemingly getting better...

Wish there was more that I could do to help ease the situation man.. I know it's far from over but things are looking up... just know if ever you need anything that you don't need to give 2 thoughts about laying it on me, and that all my thoughts and wishes are with you and your family.

Ill see you on hots soon lol

I wish you nothing but the best

Man, I'm glad that your child is doing better now. Holey Moley, you really worried me with the first part of your post. This is a really great community to be in, even if you have to put up with trolls and trolling, and do some of your own to fit in.

A long time ago, my son got hit by a car and was rushed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia by helicopter, I on the other hand was left behind to navigate to the hospital in a very large truck. I remember being able to lean on people here to help me get past the extreme worry about whether or not my son would live through this or not.

Thank You all once again for just being the people you are that make this place so cool. Even you Fordy. :)

no doubts eh? we fight on the forums sometimes and we forget that even mr ford has a heartbeat... heston doesn't tho.

but ya... he's feeling a lot better now even though they found a blood clot in his brain. so now we're on blood thinners too to keep that from growing.

Best wishes for you and your family

Noted. Lol.

just buggin you buddy.

howd you even know i said your name? creepy.

As for the blood clot in his brain, they found it in the part of his brain that deals with making choices and decisions (executive). So hopefully his brain is resilient enough to bounce back from that... consider little dude wont make a choice in many years we won't know if this actually affects him. Theres gonna be a ton of followup.

Brain stuff is so scary, I cannot even imagine how tightly wound you guys must be right now. Stay strong man.