23, 51 and CMV...

What do these things have in common? JOEL! Our 23 month old has run a low grade fever for 51 days now and in the words of that great Medical Professional Doc McStuffins, "We have a diagnosis!" CMV (Cytomegalovirus). He has been tested and tested over the last 7 weeks...3 rounds of blood work, 2 urine samples, stool sample, chest xray and abdominal ultrasound...We've had 2 visits to Dr. Kevin Cassady at Children's Infections Disease clinic and he called today to confirm why Joel has had this asymptomatic low grade fever - CMV. Very common, we all probably have antibodies built up to it...common in kids who go to day care...But can you sing Hallelujah with us?!?!! thank the Lord for no long term issues with this virus and that he's doing what his body should do and build up the antibodies to it. He has never looked or felt sick in any of these 51 days...the only reason we checked his temp the very first time on Dec 28 was that he was clingy and fussy around dinner time and he never does that...(he used to with ear infection but he has tubes now). It was 100.5 then and we kept checking it to see if we could get passed the 24 hour fever free mark and we never did...3 weeks into it we met with Dr. Cassady and he cleared him to return to school and assured us that he was not contagious or immunosuppressed. Joel basically has hit 101-101-5. for the last 51 days...including today. Jeff and I played tag team for most of that first 3 weeks and had help from our sweet friend Sarah from our Sunday School class! Joel still asks for Mrs Sarah! So many thanks to all who have prayed for him and us as we journeyed through a forever fever and can take a deep breath of relief that we now know what he's been fighting! So encouraging to have such great family and friends who have checked on him/us so regularly! What a blessing from God! So we want to name a new Superhero after him...Instead of Superboy we have FeverBoy!!! So from here we "press on!"