Our First ER experience

I hate the unknown. And for us going to the ER was a BIG unknown. Here is a detailed account of our experience so far...

Yesterday morning when Audrie woke up I was feeding her her bottle and I could hear some congestion in her chest. She has had a runny nose for a few weeks, but the doc said it was the weather and she didnt ever run fever. So I check her temperature mouth (pacifier thermometer), rectal and underarm. She has no fever. And is acting fine. Playing and smiling. So we bring her to church and we pick this Sunday to be her first Sunday in the church nursery. Well, she did fine. When I picked her up, the worker said she played and played the whole time. She never fussed. We went to eat with our friends, the on the way home, Audrie started coughing and crying. It sounded like a seal. I bring her inside and put her on her changing table to suction her nose. It made it worst. She couldnt breath. So I picked her up. Called the weekend nurse. She said go to the ER. GT is driving 90 to nothing with his hazards on. We get here and a nurse at the front desk ask me whats wrong. I start explaining it, then she hears Audrie. So she picks her up calls the back and says, "we have a baby respiratory distress". That freaked me out. First off, she took my baby from me, 2nd of all, what do you mean respiratory distress? It does not sound good.

So they take us back to a ER room. 4 nurses come in and start doing all sorts of things. Drawing blood, doing an IV, taking a urine sample with a catheter, doing nose swabs, chest x-rays, etc... They tell us it might be RSV or croup. The whole time Audrie is screaming and not breathing well. Her cry sounds like a seal mixed with a barking dog. It is very scary. I was crying the whole time. And they kept asking me if I was ok. GT was in the corner getting mad because they were hurting his little girl. It was a mess. So finally they are done running test, so I pick her up and hold her. Also, I failed to mention, she hadnt slept all day since she woke up at 8 and its about 2 at this time. Usually she would have had 2 1hr naps. So I holding her and she is kind of sleeping. The nurse comes in to give her steroids and cant get the IV to flush. So he has to re-do it. No fun. Then the doc comes in. Explains its either RSV or croup and will be getting results shortly. And he said he wants an x-ray of her neck to check out the flap on the esophagus. The nurse checks her temp its 101.7. So we give her tylenol. Doc comes in a little later says its not RSV but her white blood count is high. It is croup. Prior to this experience, I thought croup was the name they gave sickness if it was nothing else. You know, like, if a baby is fussy for no apparent reason, they are colicky. But I was wrong. Here is the definition found on google: a disease of infants and young children; harsh coughing and hoarseness and fever and difficult breathing". Treatment for croup is steroids and breathing treatments. They admitted Audrie into the hospital since she was so little and her airway was so constricted.

We got into a room about 6:30 last night. Grammy and Pappy came to help out. She was given 3 breathing treatments through-out yesterday, along with steroids and anti-biotics. Last night, she started to smile and laugh again. Poor little girl. She was such a trooper. She went to sleep for good at midnight, after a bottle and a breathing treatment. When they came in at 3 to give her steroids, her IV wasnt flushing again so that was a mess. She went back to sleep right when they were done. Then woke up at 7. Our pediatrician came this morning. He said as long as she can go 12 hours without a breathing treatment we can home, which will be at noon.

This experience so far was very scary. My mom always told me when I hurt, she hurt. I never understood until now. It is like you are helpless and you would do anything to make your child stop hurting. You wish it could be you and not her. It was scary too because it happened SO fast. In like an hour.



I am so grateful for everyone praying for us. I knew God had his hand in it all the time. His plan is perfect even though we sometimes cannot understand it. My dad reminded me yesterday how children do not belong to us but the Heavenly Father. And in times like these we have to continue giving God the control of His children. It is a hard lesson to learn and I re-learn it every day. Audrie does belong to God and I am extremely thankful and humbled that He chose GT and I to be her earthly parents. I feel that I am so unworthy. He is Good and Faithful always.