Can I just say that I am over going to the ER? The past month or so has had more than enough trips.
There was the mystery rash; the feared concussion; the migraine we thought was a stroke; and now because everything else wasn't enough excitement....the baby hardly being able to breath.
Friday night went fairly smoothly, both boys played, were in generally good moods, ate good, drank good...everything was honky dory. I have a habit of checking on my babes before I go to sleep, or before I take a shower, or do anything were I won't be as aware of something going on in their room. Sleeping like little angels before I took a nice long shower, still sleeping peacefully when I checked on them after, re-tucked in the Toddler, smoothed out a blanket close to the Big D's face. All good in the hood.
Then about an hour later I was getting ready to shut off the lamp, put away my book and actually try to get some sleep. I heard gasping from the next room and some harsh coughing, attempted crying. I went in and picked up the Big D and my first thought was he was choking on something. He was coughing but not quite getting it out, he was trying to gasp for air but seemed to be getting interrupted by attempted coughing, I could tell he was trying to cry and that wasn't coming out either. I flipped him over on his belly, sat down and balanced him on my forearm with his head towards the ground and did a quick attempt at the baby heimlich maneuver. Put my ear up to his back and decided it was a breathing issue. We rushed straight to the pickup, I called a Great Aunt, fumbling while barely holding the phone, trying to protect my baby from the rain, said something about the Big D having trouble breathing, the Toddler asleep, going to the ER please stay at the house. I tried to check and see if his nostrils were flared, if I could see the skin sinking in between his ribs (both signs of not getting air) but he was throwing such a fit I couldn't tell. I just knew he sounded bad, and sounded like he wasn't breathing very well.
We didn't even sign in once we got to the ER. First thing they did while walking back to the room was ask about when it started (I brought him in as soon as I knew), how long (5 minutes tops), any other symptoms (no fever, lots of normal diapers, a bit of a stuffy nose) and he was getting the first nebulizer treatment of albuterol. The on call Dr came in and immediately she gave another nebulizer. He sounded a little better but still rough, he could breath enough to cry now. They gave him a steroid and then another nebulize, epinephrine. Finally after that one he sounded normal and started to calm down. One more nebulizer of a saline solution and he was taken for chest x-rays. No pneumonia. The verdict was a sudden onset of Acute Viral Croup, and a pretty severe case of it. Thankfully they ruled out epiglottitis, and once again glad we vaccinate.
We stayed for another hour for observation and were cleared to go home as long as the symptoms didn't start to return. We both fell asleep in the chair and were woke up by the Dr so she could check his lungs again and go over at home care with me. While we were waiting another 15 minutes for the discharge papers, you couldn't have told the Big D was sick at all. He kept crawling down off my lap and running down the hall trying to explore and flirt with the nurses. He was all smiles and a million miles an hour. The nurse explained that all the treatments were uppers...so he might have trouble sleeping. Back home around 2:00am thankfully all I had to do was lay him down and we were both ready for bed.
That was five days ago. Today we used the last of his meds and are heading into the Big City for his 15 month checkup and shots. He still has a super runny nose and I can still hear the wheezing in his lungs. However he has been in a great mood and playing, just a little cuddlier than usual. I still go into his room to check on him everytime I wake up at night. Hopefully he will be cleared for daycare when we get home this afternoon. The Toddler wasn't impressed with my dropping him off because "I needs my baby brodder!"
There was the mystery rash; the feared concussion; the migraine we thought was a stroke; and now because everything else wasn't enough excitement....the baby hardly being able to breath.
Friday night went fairly smoothly, both boys played, were in generally good moods, ate good, drank good...everything was honky dory. I have a habit of checking on my babes before I go to sleep, or before I take a shower, or do anything were I won't be as aware of something going on in their room. Sleeping like little angels before I took a nice long shower, still sleeping peacefully when I checked on them after, re-tucked in the Toddler, smoothed out a blanket close to the Big D's face. All good in the hood.
Then about an hour later I was getting ready to shut off the lamp, put away my book and actually try to get some sleep. I heard gasping from the next room and some harsh coughing, attempted crying. I went in and picked up the Big D and my first thought was he was choking on something. He was coughing but not quite getting it out, he was trying to gasp for air but seemed to be getting interrupted by attempted coughing, I could tell he was trying to cry and that wasn't coming out either. I flipped him over on his belly, sat down and balanced him on my forearm with his head towards the ground and did a quick attempt at the baby heimlich maneuver. Put my ear up to his back and decided it was a breathing issue. We rushed straight to the pickup, I called a Great Aunt, fumbling while barely holding the phone, trying to protect my baby from the rain, said something about the Big D having trouble breathing, the Toddler asleep, going to the ER please stay at the house. I tried to check and see if his nostrils were flared, if I could see the skin sinking in between his ribs (both signs of not getting air) but he was throwing such a fit I couldn't tell. I just knew he sounded bad, and sounded like he wasn't breathing very well.
 |
| Waiting at the ER |
We stayed for another hour for observation and were cleared to go home as long as the symptoms didn't start to return. We both fell asleep in the chair and were woke up by the Dr so she could check his lungs again and go over at home care with me. While we were waiting another 15 minutes for the discharge papers, you couldn't have told the Big D was sick at all. He kept crawling down off my lap and running down the hall trying to explore and flirt with the nurses. He was all smiles and a million miles an hour. The nurse explained that all the treatments were uppers...so he might have trouble sleeping. Back home around 2:00am thankfully all I had to do was lay him down and we were both ready for bed.
That was five days ago. Today we used the last of his meds and are heading into the Big City for his 15 month checkup and shots. He still has a super runny nose and I can still hear the wheezing in his lungs. However he has been in a great mood and playing, just a little cuddlier than usual. I still go into his room to check on him everytime I wake up at night. Hopefully he will be cleared for daycare when we get home this afternoon. The Toddler wasn't impressed with my dropping him off because "I needs my baby brodder!"
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