Monday, October 6, 2008

Another ambulance ride

A lot has been going on for us in the past few days. I'll start with the bad and save the good for another post. We got home from a weekend in Iowa yesterday afternoon. We were all exhausted, so we took a 2-hour nap. The rest of the afternoon/evening went normally and we put Elijah to bed a little bit early because of some sleep he had missed over the weekend. I noticed throughout the day that he had been sneezing a bit more than usual and that his nose seemed slightly congested. Other than that, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary.

About two hours after Elijah went to bed, we heard him struggling to breathe over the baby monitor. We both immediately recognized the sound because this same thing happened a few months ago. Dan got Elijah out of bed while I got the nebulizer ready and turned on the shower. After giving him the neb and sitting in the steamy bathroom for a while, we realized that he was really having a hard time breathing. I asked Dan if I should call 911 and he said yes. When Dan says yes to that question without hesitating, there is a concern. The paramedics came and assessed the situation and said, "We need to take him in!" His heart rate was super high and he still wasn't breathing normally. I got into the ambulance with him while they got an IV line started in his arm. Dan followed us in the car to Childrens. That was our first ambulance trip where they actually drove fast and used sirens. They were worried, so that made me extra worried.

Once we got there they gave Elijah steroids through his IV line which helped to open up his airway. His croupey breathing started to sound a bit better almost immediately. His heart rate came back down. His sats hovered around 95-96%, which is a bit low for him, but nobody seemed too concerned. After a clear chest xray, it was decided that he was not holding onto any excess fluid, which has actually been a concern of ours for the past couple days. He has had slightly puffy eyelids in the mornings, so I've been worrying about fluid retention, which would most likely mean heart failure. So this news was a relief. We sat in the ER for quite a while as they monitored him. He threw up once all over himself and me, but other than that he was in pretty good spirits. He stayed awake and watched cartoons for a long time. In the wee morning hours they decided to let us go home. Of course Elijah had JUST fallen asleep so he was a mad baby when they started messing with him.

We got home and put him to sleep. I didn't get much sleep because I kept checking on him to make sure he was breathing normally. He did fine and, amazingly, even after missing most of the night's sleep, still woke up at his usual 6:00 time. His internal clock is amazing! It's the most sophisticated system I've ever seen in my life.

Dan watched Elijah while I got a nap this morning. Dan is walking around like a zombie so I'm going to watch Elijah while he sleeps for a bit and then I'll head into work (yes, missing more work time that I DON'T have). Our little man could use some prayers. Last night was a scary night. Sickness is very bad for him and it's so hard on his little body. Thanks for checking in on us. A more positive post to follow, with really cute pics...

18 comments:

Krista said...

Wow...not what I was expecting to read this morning. I am so glad he's okay and back to his spunky self...but still NO FUN for mom & dad.

These heart kids are amazing...so strong...but yet, at times...the smallest little bug just throws them for a whirl!

Praying for you...and some sleep...

Krista said...

Wow...not what I was expecting to read this morning. I am so glad he's okay and back to his spunky self...but still NO FUN for mom & dad.

These heart kids are amazing...so strong...but yet, at times...the smallest little bug just throws them for a whirl!

Praying for you...and some sleep...

Krista said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ThePicks said...

Yikes, what a stressful evening for you guys. Poor little Eli; sure glad you called the ambulance so he could get the medical attention he needed right away. We'll be thinking of you guys and hoping the sickness goes away quickly. All the best =)

Love,
The RA

mina said...

Poor Elijah! I hope the breathing is better today. Did they ever say why this happens? I hope you don't have to go through that again. And it stinks to have to go to work.

Dina said...

Sorry to hear you had to take and ambulance ride but glad to hear Elijah is feeling better. Hope you and Dan both get some much needed rest.

Dina

Samantha said...

I did not expect this...but for some reason I knew something was not right. I am praying for your little guy...you knew this was coming last week (not the scary stuff but the sick stuff)...us moms have amazing baby radars...call me if you need me...I am home all day with a sick princess.

Much love and many, many prayers.
Samantha

Jane said...

Oh no! I'm sorry that you guys had to go through this, how scary :(

I'm hoping you guys are on the mend soon...and I can't wait to see the pictures of your weekend.

Anonymous said...

Hey Portas,
I'm sorry the tail of your weekend was so stressful and I hope you all get some rest today and tonight.

Kathy said...

These babies are going to give us heart attacks!!

I'm glad that the steroids worked for him. Has he been diagnosed with asthma yet?? He sounds just like Joe when he has trouble breathing.

I hope you all get sleep today...and your little puff ball breathes better today and tonight.

We will keep him in our prayers...oh, sweet Elijah.

Love,
kathy

Andrea said...

Oh! Your title made me feel sick to my stomach. I'm sorry you had such a scary night but I'm glad you are all back at home. I'll be praying for your sweet boy!

The Willaerts said...

You guys! I'm so glad everything is okay. I wish I could do your work for you and then you wouldn't have to worry about time off in addition to all of this . . .I will be praying.

Anonymous said...

Oh Megan and Dan, I'm so sorry to read this! Glad you recognized the signs and got him in right away. Our thoughts are with you, sleep well......... luv, Kendis & Chris

Ehlan said...

Lots of prayers! i hope Elijah is feeling better today!

Unknown said...

I hope he gets to feeling better real soon, I am so sorry you had to go through that, what an awfull experiance. I have been there several times and it is no fun. I am so glad he is better. Our prayers go out to you. Karen

Anonymous said...

Omigoodness, how scary. This was so unexpected. I hope that he is doing better, and you're able to get a bit more rest in. As always, I pray for you and your little one. Love, Jen

Unknown said...

I have been slacking reading everyone's blog. I am so sorry this happened to you guys. How scary, an ambulance ride and everything. I'm so glad he is okay.

Not sure if you've read my latest post but I'm concerned about Arianna's puffy eyes lately. We don't see the cardiologist until February and our pedi until next month but I'm concerned. Her pulse ox is at 98% awake which is higher than normal for her, but I won't complain. I guess just reading your concerns about Elijah's puffy eyes and possible heart failure just freaked me out. Should I be concerned about this?

I love having you other heat moms to talk to. You make me feel less crazy. :)

Love,

Vanessa

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Wow... these kids will give us heart attacks one day..
I swear...

sure glad he's okay...


big sigh ... you'll have a heart attack when you see how much the ambulance ride was.... *big eyes*