Esme Goes Home

Esme got discharged from Kapiolani Hospital yesterday in good health!  She had been fever free for 24 hours after her Remicaid infusion and passed her second echocardiogram.  No cardiac changes noted so all is well.  She's to remain on a dose of baby aspirin once daily for the next month until our next follow up at Kapiolani on November 13th.  If all's well at that visit then we shouldn't have to check up with them anymore.  In the next month we need to monitor her closely for any fevers and if she has one then we need to go back to Kapiolani too.  Esme had tons of energy on her last day in the hospital which was a nice change from when we admitted.  However by the time we flew home she seemed overwhelmed and tired.  It's been a lot to take in for a little girl like her.

Her rash is still slightly present but the pains seem to have subsided.  Her lips are going through a molting process and she refuses to put anything on them.  I tried to smear Vaseline at night and that seemed to help slough off the dry layer that developed.  Her hands and feet might also peel in the next few weeks too which is part of the healing process.

Since there's a genetic component to this disease the doc advised us that Chan and all Esme's cousins are now candidates for it too.  Yikes!  She also told us there's a 12% chance of getting it if you're Japanese or Korean, and an 8% chance if you're Chinese.  We participated in some research study to look at the genetic component and hopefully isolate the gene that predisposes a child to this disease.  Now we're all well educated on Kawasaki's Disease but hopefully no one else gets it!