Well technically it has 5 letters, but I think it belongs with all the other terrible 4 letter words. Our family has been functioning on minimal sleep and much stress. Thankfully Parker can make up for this lack of sleep during the day but Ben and I are out of luck at work/school/the hospital. Looking at the pictures we took from Easter I realized how a lack on sleep can take a physical toll on you...major swollen eyes. I was around family all day, someone could have warned me ;)
A few weekends ago we had put Parker down to sleep just like any other night around 8:00pm. At 10:30 Ben heard a strange noise coming from his room so he went to check it out. He brought Parker out to the living room and I saw that he was having a lot of trouble breathing. I can't even fully describe what it sounded like. It was almost like he was gasping for a breath but the air wouldn't pass through his throat. Let me tell you what, that puts BIG TIME fear in a mom and dad's heart. I told Ben to call 911, and the ambulance was here in just a few short minutes. I was able to ride in the ambulance with him but Ben had to follow in the car. Once they gave him some oxygen he started coughing (the only time that sound is music to my ears). Once he started coughing I immediately knew it was croup because of the characteristic barking cough. At the hospital they gave him oral steroids and a breathing treatment that helped him immediately. 30 seconds after the breathing treatment he was smiling at the nurses, respiratory tech and doctor. We had to stay for 2 hours of observation after the treatment. His breathing slowly started getting worse. When the doctor came back to check on him he told us he was ready to be discharged. Once the nurse came back in I pointed out several things that were going on with him that means he was NOT ready to go home. Parker's chest was sinking in with each breath and the skin in between his ribs was doing the same. Those are called retractions which indicate respiratory distress...he was just not ready to go home. So the doctor came back in and decided he needed another breathing treatment. We left the ER after about 8 hours.
The next few days at home were not easy. His breathing would get worse at night so we stayed awake to monitor him. After 2-3 nights of that it just turned into a nasty cough. It had been over 2 weeks since this has happened and he still wakes himself up coughing at least 4 times a night starting around 11:30. It is difficult to watch your sweet baby be so sick. In the meantime I have learned how to survive on a few hours of sleep at night. It includes pots of coffee.
During this time we have had so much help from family. There was a full week he needed to be closely watched and could not go to the daycare and everyone took turns watching him for us while I was at the hospital and in class. I will never take living in Huntsville for granted and having Parker's grandparents and greatgrandparents surrounding us, ready and willing to help. We love you all!
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