Hard to believe it's been 10 days since my last post, but boy have we had a whirlwind of a time around here! Most of you know that we spent one night in the ER and 2.5 days at Dell Children's Medical Center this past week because Cooper had croup and RSV. It was the most awful thing I've ever experienced.
It all started with a runny nose and slight cough on Tuesday evening, and by Wednesday morning at 3 a.m. he was having real difficulty breathing and we were frantically (ok, maybe I was frantic) headed to the ER. Initially the diagnosis was croup and he was treated accordingly. However, after 4 hours of observation and a chest x-ray, his oxygen levels weren't improving and his breathing continued to be compromised -- even after two intense breathing treatments, a steroid shot, and a couple of hours on oxygen. So, our pediatrician admitted him to Dell Children's (DCMC) for observation and to keep him on oxygen until his levels improved. Now, this is where the real scary part happened.
So, DCMC sent their own transport team to pick us up and move us from RR Hospital to DCMC. Initially, I thought this would be no big deal...just a fairly simple ride in an ambulance so Coop could remain on oxygen while in route to the hospital. Well, when the EMS crew showed up and they analyzed Cooper and his situation, they kicked it into REALLY high gear. They began questioning us about Cooper's respiratory history, hooking him up to monitors, taking his vitals and strapping him in -- all without explaining a thing to me and Chad. Turns out his retractions were quite severe and there just wasn't time for explanations at that point -- they had to act fast. As I'm sure you can imagine, I slightly panicked as I watched this team of professionals take our son's case VERY seriously. Imagine this...I'm hurling over a trash can out of shear fear and anxiety while they're asking me who is riding with Cooper because "we have to get moving." Chad and I both couldn't go and I REALLY wanted to be with him, so I grabbed a few of those blue barf bags they have on the walls in hospitals and off we went. Nothing like a little drama, right?! Praise God, my stomach calmed down the second we got on the ambulance and I saw that I had to be strong for my frightened little guy. Didn't need the blue bags after all!
The ride to DCMC went very well...Cooper eventually calmed down and said "WEEE" each time the ambulance sped up to move a little faster through traffic. He did remarkably well with the breathing treatment they gave him on the way AND when the paramedic put the oxygen tubes in his nose. He didn't even put up a fight! His chest was still retracting quite a bit when we arrived, but he seemed to be stable and I was encouraged by the AMAZING way that EMS team worked with the Cooper. They were wonderful. And I can say the same for just about everyone who treated/saw/worked with Cooper the entire time we were there.
We began our stay on the Intermediate Care floor, but we moved up to a room by the end of our first night. And that's where we stayed for two more days. Cooper remained on oxygen until 6 p.m. Thursday night and didn't require any additional breathing treatments. He seemed to be improving, but the doctors wanted to watch his levels OFF of oxygen for at least 6 hours before we could go home. That's why we stayed overnight again. He did amazingly well without the oxygen all throughout the night. He didn't sleep much, but who can sleep in a hospital anyway?! And praise God, he got a good report from the docs Friday morning and we were cleared to head home! I don't know who was happier about that -- me, Chad or Cooper! We were all a little giddy in the car. :)
So, thank you to everyone for your prayers, encouragement, love and sweet visits. We are so grateful for Cooper's health and wonderful care while in the hospital. I pray he continues to heal and we stay far, far away from hospitals for a good while.
Before I go, here are a few pics of Coop in his hospital gown. Notice all the wires coming out from under his gown. Pathetic, I know.
And everyone loves a bootie shot in a hospital gown, right?