We got to the hospital and the staff were already prepared for us, they performed a spinal tap and admitted Carson. They started him on antibiotics right away and had him quarantined in a private room, where only a few family and the staff were allowed inside, and even then under strict washing and safety protocols.
We were told quickly that he had meningitis, but it took three days to narrow down that he had a very rare form of bacterial meningitis called Capnocytophaga canimorsus. It is carried in the saliva of cats and dogs and is usually transferred through a bite. My baby had never been bitten, he didn't have so much as a scratch, but there were animals in the home. He was only the 19th reported case for having this form of bacterial meningitis and they were not sure how to treat him, and as an infant even more unsure.
I stayed by his side for over a month as they pumped him full of antibiotics, repeatedly having to find new veins, putting in a PIC line in his head and watching him lose weight and go from a healthy 9lbs to a sickly, lethargic 7lb baby. It took over a month for Carson to show enough improvement that we were confident he would make it.
After a month and a half we took him home, three months later he was tested for after effects and everyone was astonished that he had no hearing loss and after nine more years he is a healthy, happy, strong little boy
CHRISTINE SMITH
DECEMBER 2012