Happy Fall Y'all...

It's October.  It's officially fall, my very favorite season.  We have had a rough start to October.  Actually, a very sickly start to October.  We just got home from vacation, while we were gone four of our six children had strep throat and croup...luckily, most of them held out until the lat day or two.  Praise Jesus for that.  Upon returning, Emmy decided to start showing symptoms of sickness...however, in true Emmy fashion, she did it bigger and better than the other 5.  With Emmy's sickle cell, a fever can be a sign of a life threatening infection...we treat every fever as such.  Monday morning I took Emmy to Aflac for a fever, cough and swollen spleen.  It was determined Emmy had strep throat and croup just like the others, but because of her sickle cell, she was also in the middle of a spleen sequestration.  What is a spleen sequestration?

Here's the short answer:

Splenic sequestration crisis is a problem that is sometimes seen in children who have sickle cell disease. The name means:
Splenic – the problem occurs in the spleen Sequestration – blood in the spleen is separated from the
rest of the blood in the body
Crisis – the problem is an emergency
The spleen is an organ to the left and slightly above the stomach. It is protected by the ribs. The spleen helps to:
Fight infection
Make and store red blood cells Cleans the blood
Splenic sequestration crisis:
Can happen as early as 6 to 9 months of age
Is often seen before 5 years of age
Can occur in older children with hemoglobin SC disease and Sickle Beta+ Thalassemia

What happens with splenic sequestration crisis?
With splenic sequestration crisis, the spleen suddenly gets swollen and big because:
The sickle red blood cells block the blood vessels inside the spleen. This prevents the blood from leaving the spleen.
Once this happens, a large amount of blood gets trapped in the spleen. This causes the spleen to get quite swollen.
Since the blood cannot get back into the circulation, the hemoglobin level (red blood cell count) can fall to very low levels
There may not be enough blood left in the circulation for vital organs like the heart and lungs to work normally.
This can lead to shock and is an emergency. 

So, we spent the entire week back and forth between home and Aflac.  Emmy's hemoglobin dropped to below 7 and her platelets at their lowest were 40k.  In addition to all this, Emmy's ear drum ruptured, and is still oozing thanks to those low platelets.  UGH!! 

All that to say, we've had a rough start to October, but today we had a GREAT day!  Today we went to Burt's Pumpkin Farm, it was Emory and I's 10th year!  Love family traditions. The kiddos love it.  Pumpkin picking always promises lots of pumpkins, boiled peanuts, hayrides, family pictures and a gorgeous drive through the mountains.  Who could ask for more?  Especially after the week we have had!  Here are some fun pics from today!!!  

Happy Fall Y'all!!!