Thankyou, we had a day of drs umming and ahhing as to whether he could go home or not. The trouble being his sats - the community nurse wasn't happy with his levels (low 80s, occasionally dipping into 70s) but wants to do another sleep study at home when he has finished the course of antibiotics we have been sent home with.
The problem was that his sats during the day occassionally drop below 90 as well. They said they wouldn't send us home until he had had sats over 90 for 8 hours, but it was impossible to continuously monitor him, because he was freaking out every time we tried to keep him on the bed - the only time he stopped screaming was when he was being pushed around the wards in a teeny red stroller that belonged to the hospital, or carried in his sling ('the back killer')
Anyhoo, eventually we got hold of the consultant who originally said we could go home, and he agreed that we could go home, if we get his oxygen levels and chest checked at the drs daily, have open access to the ward, and that he trusts us to know when ds is struggling.
He thinks he may need oxygen at home, for nighttimes (although god knows how we'll manage that, because he ripped out the nasal cannula, and kicked the dr in the cojones when he tried to put the mask over his face.
This consultant thinks there is something going on with his immune system, hence the blood tests, this is his field of expertise, so maybe he was seeing things through the prism of his speciality. But he agreed that ds needs to see a specialist about his chest (finally).
Oh and, Sallybear - we had a lesson in chest physio - ds loved it, and he coughed so well afterwards. Unfortunately he didn't cough up enough for a sample, and the physio said she wasn't keen to try to aspirate some out of his chest with a tube.
I am having post hospital collapse today, after days of holding it all together, I have collapsed on the sofa in a crumpled heap of shakiness!