Elliott
On Friday, April 17th both Elliott and Aaron had colds. Elliott started wheezing around dinner so I gave him a xopenex breathing treatment before he went to bed. Around midnight he woke up crying. It is unusual for him to do that so I went in to see if he was alright. He was really working hard to breathe so I gave him another xopenex breathing treatment. Elliott has never woken up in the night because of difficulty breathing. It was strange for him to do this and it didn't seem like the xopenex helped. I don't believe that he went back to sleep. He talked in his bed, woke up Aaron and they had a conversation. He rolled around and around 4:30 he started to fuss. I did another xopenex treatment with him and knew that it did nothing. His tummy was moving a lot when he was breathing, his neck was sucking in and he was breathing fast and hard. Aaron woke up and Andrew was trying to get him back to sleep since he wasn't going to do it on his own with Elliott and I in the boys room. It was after 5am by this time. Andrew and I talked about what to do. I didn't think that I should give him another neb so soon and was told that if I did have to one each hour that I would need to takie him to the ER. After further discussion and me crying a bit it was decided to take him to the ER. I was worried about making an unneccessary trip to the ER and taking up the Dr's time when some else could really be sick. I knew that we shouldn't wait until Medpointe was open and I really don't have much confidence in the Dr's and nurses at medpointe. So off we went to the ER. I was little panicked becuase it seems like each time he gets a cold and needs nebs its a little worse. I didn't understand why the xopenex didn't help at all the time and was hoping that the worst would not be realized. We were in the ER forever. It was terrible. They took his temp rectally several times and it was only 101. They were so very concerned with this low fever. Elliott and I were both exhausted after not sleeping. They had me do an albuteral neb with him and it seemed to help. After 20 minutes his O2 sats were not good so it was decided that he would need a continuous 30 minute neb treatment to see if that could get his O2 sats up. After the 30 minutes his O2 was 91...the lowest it had been. It should be about 97. 91 is very low and scary. Somewhere in there he was taken to have a chest X-Ray. This was done in a terrible contraption called a Pigg O Stat. I will never forget his face. I could not stay in the room with him because I am pregnant. I think that was good because I don't think I could have been able to just stand there and watch him be terrified. Here is a picture of a kid in a Pigg O Stat....this kid looks like he doesn't like it...I wish Elliott would have just not liked it. He looked very scared and mad. I cried...I could cry remembering even today!
The chest X-Ray came out fine but since he was unable to keep his O2 sats up and was still working so very hard to breath, they decided to admit him. It was after noon by the time he got to a room. He was given applesauce in the ER and was so so so very hungry. The applesauce was all he had eaten all day. I also was super hungry...I hadn't eaten anything but I did get something to drink which actually felt better than food! Oh...also in the ER he was given an IV. I had to help hold him. He kept kicking his legs out and preventing the nurses from being able to get the IV in. He was VERY mad to be held down. It was hard to watch but I didn't want them to have to pike him again so I did what I had to do. He didn't get any more upset when the needle was actually put in his arm. He was also very mad after that he couldn't bend his arm. He quickly adapted to it though. So...we finally got to his room on the peds floor. They brought lunch up for both of us, asked a million questions and left us alone for a few minutes at a time. Elliott was getting nebs every 3 hours. I worked to get him to sleep and then they would come in and wake him up to check his sats and breathing and temp or do a breathing treatment. It was nuts. It was a very long day. Andrew had to work. My mom was staying with Aaron. I was missing Aaron something terrible!!! Elliott and I were so tired. I was so scared for my little guy. They didn't know why he was working so hard but nobody really seemed to be worried. I was just wanting to go home. The oncall doctor was worried about how tired Elliott seemed. I tried to tell him that he hasn't slept more than 45 minutes total since midnight and that would make him tired!
soooo...it is now November 27th..I think I started this blog in May! I hope I can remember everything. I am just going to end Elliotts story by saying that they couldn't find any reason for him to stay so they let us go home. He had Prednisone (I am sure that is not spelled right but if I want to get this blog finished I can't be looking up things!!!) to take when we got home and now has Pulmicort nebs twice a day. The Pulmicort is supposed to stop him from needing either Xopenex or Albuterol. As of today, it has done its job!!! They say he could out grow this breathing junk and not end up with Asthma.
Now on to Aaron's story. I don't know what day thing happened but I do remember WHAT happened. I was putting the boys down from their afternoon nap and Aaron felt a little warm. I took his temp and it was 100.1...not a big deal right? I put them down and tried to nap myself....I had a secret at the time...I was pregnant and soooo tired. Elliott wouldn't go to sleep and he just kept playing. I tried rocking him again after Aaron fell asleep but it didn't work. I sat in my room listening to Elliott when I heard a weired sound. Elliott was quiet and I didn't want to get him all crazy again by going in the room so I listened to the sound at their door. The sound stopped after a few minutes and Aaron started screaming. I went in and picked him up and he was just limp...like a noodle...he couldn't even hold his head up. I sat down in the rocking chair with him while he whimpered pinching him to try to get some sort of response. Meanwhile Elliott was all happy and running around...I thought that maybe he had had a seizure but I just didn't know. I wondered if he had injured himself somehow and was paralyzed! After what seemed like an eternity he started to be able to talk a bit and had more muscle tone. I took him into the living room and took his temp and he didn't have one. I just held him and he acted like he does when he is sick. I texted Julie and she said to call the Ped and it sounded like a seizure. I tried to reach Andrew a million times. I texted him and called...I had called the pediatrician who said that it did sound like a seizure and that they didn't have any appointments...to go to medPointe. I ended up calling the store to reach Andrew. I told him that I thought Aaron had a seizure and that I needed to take him to MedPointe. He came right home and Aaron and I left. Aaron seemed back to normal at this point. I brought some water and teddy grahams since it was close to supper time. While we waited, he ate a few teddy grahams. He temp at the office was 101. They diagnosed him with an ear infection and said that it was probably a febrile seizure. An antibiotic was prescribed and sent to the Target pharmacy. They said that if he had another seizure to take him to the ER. It was rainy out so instead of going to Target I decided to just go home and send Andrew back out for the meds. I called Andrew and told him what was going on and then called my mom to tell her what was happening. We had just passed Proctor Hospital when I heard the noise again. I pulled over and saw my baby having a seizure...words can not describe the terror I felt. I told my mom what was happening and took off to Methodist...I don't know why I didn't turn around and go to Proctor...I have no idea how I made it all the way to Methodist...driving....with Aaron seizing right behind me...I kept telling him it was ok, he was going to be fine, and please don't die! He didn't stop until we were almost to the ER. That was close to 10 minutes. He had his jacket on even though it wasn't super cold out because of the rain. I carefully took him out of his carseat and carried him into the ER. He was limp and his eyes were all unfocused and scary. I told the receptionist that I thought that he had just had or was having a seizure...she grabbed him from me yelling at me to let him go and I was trying to and was terrified! We were rushed back to a room where they quickly took his temp (104) and got him down to his diaper. I felt so stupid for having a jacket on him and stood there trying to explain why. They hooked up an IV...he didn't move....I will never for the rest of my life forget how he looked. It was just moaning and soon looking very scared but not looking like himself. I was able to sit next to him and hold his hand but I was afraid to touch him thinking that my body heat would make him hot but all I wanted to do in the world was hold him! A nurse came in after he started "waking" up more and crying and told me I could hold him. I gave him his lovie and soon another nurse took it from him saying that he shouldn't have a blanket on! Its little...not like a blanket at all. I felt so bad for my Aaron. he didn't know what happened...he was scared and in a strange place with a needle in his arm. I was working hard not to sob. At one point an nurse hugged me. Aaron kept shaking....they couldn't decide if it was the normal after seizure things or if it was a continued seizure. It was taking him so long to come out of it. They talked about a spinal tap and a cath to get a clean urine sample....They wanted to know where the fever was coming from. After over an hour of continued little shakes we were told that he would be admitted over night and that they would not be doing a spinal tap. Andrew got there before we were moved to a room. Aaron just kept crying but seemed to be glad Andrew was there. We watched Handy Manny on his phone and he ate a bit of crackers. They told me that his sugar was a little high and asked if he had eaten anything...it was the teddy grahams. Andrew decided to stay the night at the hospital like he did with Elliott. It was hard to leave him but I left to get some sleep at home. His nurse told Andrew that she was going to refuse to Cath Aaron because she didn't see any reason to do it but it didn't end up coming down to that. The next morning my mom, Elliott, and I went to the hospital to see Aaron and to have Andrew leave to get ready for work. Aaron seemed super happy and was fine. He was a little wobbly. Mom and Andrew took Elliott home and I stayed with Aaron, waiting to see when he would be released. His nurse was the same that Elliott had. Nothing really exciting happened. Aaron's IV started to come out so the nurse took it out...Finally the orders came to release him and to follow up with the ped. I called Target on the way home to tell them I wasn't getting the meds since they ended up saying he didn't have an ear infection. ....that was so crazy...one dr said yes then another would come in and say no...another would say yes...ugh. We got home and Aaron was still wobbly...stayed that way for a couple days. He may never have a seizure again or maybe he will but they aren't harmful. I don't think if it happens again that I will be more prepared....I don't know that anybody can be OK seeing their kid seize...but at least I will know what to do. He might just be getting tylenol at the slightest hint of a fever to try to make sure he never gets a fever again! No fever means no febrile seizure!
