We were so happy to be home. We were very exhausted and jet lagged. We unplugged the phone and tried to catch up on sleep. I decided to establish a routine with her meals right away since that is where we had the majority of our issues. I fed her small amounts of food every few hours and she clung to a sealed snack container of cheerios.


It was difficult to get a sleeping routine down at first as we were wide-awake at night and wanted to sleep all day. I truly cant put into words how draining the trip home was. It takes a long time to recover from that type of sleep deprivation and having a sick toddler just made it so much worse.


I took Livi to the pediatrician and we had her tested for parasites. I knew that she had to have Giardia, never have I seen so much poop. It was not uncommon to go through 20 diapers a day. I was changing her every 15 to 30 minutes, some days every 5 minutes. She would wake up covered in it. We could not leave the house for a short errand without at least two changes of clothes and 5 diapers.

It was no surprise to me when the doctor’s office called to tell me that she did have Giardia as well as an intestinal infection Camptbacter virus that also was causing her diarrhea. She immediately started Flagyl and an antibiotic. She completed the Flagyl but was still symptomatic. Looking back I can see how sick she truly was.


I begged that she be re tested but our pediatrician did not want to retest- so long as her stool was not bloody or pus filled he was not going to retest. I had no time to fight the issue, as John was getting very Ill. John was feeling run down since we got home, I had just been treated for bronchitis and an ear infection. We assumed that John had a similar infection. John was vomiting and unable to eat. He went to his physician and was told he had a stomach bug and sent home to rest.


I woke at 3 am and something told me that I needed to take him to the ER immediately. I told him to get dressed or I was calling an ambulance. We got to the ER and he was admitted to intensive care. This was serious. It was our third wedding anniversary and we were in the intensive care unit. I had to go home without my husband.

We found out that John had contracted Hepatitis A and he also developed a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. He was critically ill. I will never forget seeing a priest exit his room dressed in scrubs, his room was sealed off as they were still trying to find out what he had contracted. I felt as someone punched me in the stomach.


I called Liv’s pediatrician and he tested her and she also tested positive for Hepatitis A. John most likely contracted it from our daughter. Hepatitis A tends to be more serious in adults than in children. The fact the John was a diabetic only made matters worse. He spent over two weeks in intensive care. It was very scary few weeks.


My Husband slowly improved and was able to come home. I learned so much during our first month home. I learned that what really matters in life are the people who make our life worthwhile. I learned to appreciate my husband and never to take him for granted.

I learned that a hospital scare can change your outlook on life.All of a sudden the little stuff does not seem like such a big deal. A home filled with a child’s laughter and a healthy husband is all I really need to be happy. Our journey is just beginning.

Stay Tuned for my closing comments on our trip, tips and what I would have done differently.

picture- Visiting Papa in the hospital after he was out of intensive care