
These photos were taken about 20 minutes ago. Last night didn't continue on as well as it had started at the time of my blog entry. At around 12:30 I went up to bed and Charlie had a coughing fit, woke up and then was gasping for air. The last few nights when this happened, he managed to put himself back to sleep within minutes. Not last night. So I went down to his room, held him upright, opened the window to see if the cold air would help. It didn't. Kirk came down and we tried the steam in the bathroom... still no different. We offered milk... he only managed half his bottle. His stomach was caving in, ribs showing, then his throat was also recessing and he was panting and taking lots of rapid breaths. I swore I could see his upper lip looking pale though Kirk didn't notice any different. We went back and forth on what we should do, called my MIL in the US so she could hear Charlie's gasping (she's a nurse) and I'm just glad we decided on the ER though it was nearly 2am. I stayed home as there was no reason to wake Noemie and drag her to the hospital but it sure felt weird being home with only half the family. No typical Charlie sounds through the monitor either.
Luckily two friends were still up on The Pad so we all chatted and they helped me pass the time. Kirk sent a few email updates though it just wasn't the same as being there. Luckily the ER wasn't crowded (our hospital has a separate Pediatric ER from the main one) and they were seen immediately, steroid syrup given to ease the swelling in his throat and he was able to breath a lot better. They decided to keep him in over night though as they were hearing wheezing that wasn't usually what you got with Croup. The nurse tried to put a tube down each nostril to check for obstructions and they couldn't get it down the left side so that raised other questions. Kirk and Charlie were finally admitted to the wards at 4:30am so I went to sleep knowing there wasn't much more to do.
Up at 9am with Noemie, fed her breakfast then went up to the hospital. Charlie was his usual happy self, smiling and cooing and chatting up a storm. Apparently he was like this with all the nurses and Drs so they kept coming around to see him! Kirk went home with Noemie for lunch and her nap and I stayed to speak to the consultant to find out what was next. They explained things to me and I grasped the overall concept but don't know the medical terms. The concern with the nasal blockage was something to do with a plate that is in your throat/nose area that has little holes in it to let air and such pass through. If one side is blocked it might mean that Charlie was having to work harder to breath. His SATS were totally normal though so it was all a bit confusing. Another consultant came by to give it one last try before they referred us to an ENT (?) surgeon. She managed to get the tube in so it turns out that the swelling was that bad that they couldn't get it down last night. They discharged us, said to keep an eye on him and that if we have a repeat of last night to bring him back to the ER but that most likely, it would all be fine.
We're all a bit tired to say the least as Kirk and I have both had very little sleep the past several nights. At least I got 4-1/2 hours in bed this morning, he "slept" on a chair next to Charlie's bed. It was not fun going back to the same ward where we were last summer for Noemie's hernia operation. All Kirk had to do was tell me the ward name and I knew where to find it. We know the drill from having spent enough time in hospitals. I am grateful that things have turned out well in all cases so far, as I know others aren't so lucky and have ongoing things to deal with. Hopefully Noemie does not come down with this cold. I'm nearly better, Kirk is on the mend, Charlie too we hope and Noemie so far so good. My poor Dad has caught it now and sounds pretty rough but I'm sure my Mom will take good care of him and he'll be fine.
What a tiring weekend! Hope the week is more relaxing.