Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The world is a beautiful place

Last night, my husband and I were so tired, we went to bed immediately after the kids went to bed. Fellan had been coughing, so we gave him some Mucinex before he went to bed.

At 1:30, however, Fellan woke up crying. He was coughing and having a really hard time breathing. He kept saying that he couldn't catch his breath.

So, we took him downstairs and tried to give him some more Mucinex, but he ended up coughing so hard that it made him throw up and the taste of the Mucinex also made him throw up.

By this time, we were getting worried because he was clearly having a lot of trouble breathing.

I asked my husband if he wanted to take him to the emergency room and I don't think the words had left my mouth before he said, "Yes."

So, they got dressed and went off to the emergency room. I knew in the back of my mind that Fellan's airway would get better in the cold air, and it did, but then as they were checking in, apparently, he starting having trouble breathing again, panicked, and threw up. My husband says he thinks that moved them up in the line some. :)

They saw someone within about 30 minutes of getting there and they diagnosed Fellan with croup. So, they gave him an oral steroid and then told them they'd have to wait 4 to 5 hours to see a doctor before they could leave.

Luckily, it was only about a 2.5 hour wait. The doctor said that croup is a virus that only affects the trachea and that Fellan's lungs sounded nice and clear. He also asked if Fellan's airway got better in the cold air (which it did) - and said that croup is the only virus to respond really well to cold air. I knew there was a reason I thought he would breathe easier outside...

So, that's it. Fellan's at home today, but we doubt that he'll get any sleep anytime soon. My husband said that Fellan was so high on life, happy to feel better, and so happy to be coming home to see me and to show Marxo his "hostible" wristband that as they drove up to the house, Fellan said, "The world is a beautiful place."

2 comments:

Courtney said...

Poor guy! Does he have breathing treatments? I know how scary it is when they can't breathe!

Sara said...

I expected them to give him a breathing treatment and told him beforehand that they might put a mask over his face, but apparently, that wasn't necessary. I guess the 'roids are supposed to be enough to help his throat heal.

He looks and sounds perfectly fine now - he's not even coughing!

You know, as we were listening to him gasping and trying to figure out what to do for him, I just kept thinking what it must have been like for parents before modern medicine. No wonder people believed in evil spirits and sacrificing anything they could find to appease the gods. I would have done it in a heartbeat.