The paed called without a new plan for the goopy eared girl.

That is to say, he wasn’t sure what to do with her.

Along with the other children and her father, she also has, what can only be described as flu

and

the MRSA is back or never left, really, so that is his first priority -  to get rid of that.

Yes, I know the PICC came out way too soon.

So does he.

I’m sure you all do.

However, it came out and so the question now is:

Do we put it back in?

David and I would like to see it go back in with  at least four weeks of IV antibiotics and then leaving it in for some time to make sure the MRSA is gone.

The paed isn’t sure.

Our various family members have mixed thoughts.

It’s another general anaesthetic, more time in hospital, preschool will exclude her for all of the time she has the long line in. They should not have taken it out in the first place…the list goes on and on.

We know all of that but still we feel Ivy would be better to have it back in.

Another option we thought we could explore with the paed is a port - a - cath.

A port - a - cath is more permanent and sits underneath the skin, near the collarbone. 

If she were to have a port, it would mean no more canulation, no more collapsed veins.

No more tears after three attempts for a successful stick.

Preschool will allow her to attend with a port

and if (I won’t say when, I won’t) she gets sick again, long term antibiotics won’t be such a huge issue because she will already have access.

Various family members are balking at this.

It is a bigger operation.

It’s basically a big badge that says “I’m sick”

and of course we haven’t talked about it with the doctor, who eludes us still.

He had us give her ear drops over the weekend and Monday to kill off the pseudomonas and while it does look better, it has not cured it.

It’s still gunky.

His other suggestion was to do  long term therapy of Rifampicin and Fusidic Acid.

The aim of that medication is to break down the cell formation of the staph.

It does have risks, just like the Dapsone that she took last year, it is taxing on the liver and it is known to have caused pemphigus outbreaks.

 We are not really sure what the right thing to do is.

The PICC and the port have risks of infection. Especially in an immune compromised child.

So are they worth it?

Is the medication?

Our thoughts are that the eardrops and the hateful pumping of the pinna are not.