September 2012

September 1 Eli again started having trouble breathing.  We took him to the ER because the pediatricians don’t come into the office until 9:30 and I couldn’t wait that long.  We had received an Albuterol inhaler after the previous pneumonia issue, and were told if he had a problem to try that, and if he couldn’t breathe within 15 minutes to take him in.  So that’s what he did, but there’s so much more.  It also so happened that Rameses had a teeth cleaning appointment he had to arrive for at 8, and Halle had to be dropped off for school at 8.  I took Rameses to the vet with the plan to then go to the ER with Eli.  Well, on the way, Eli started going into a panic and threw up a gazillion times and was screaming like crazy.  I had to call Jared to bring me a change of clothes, blankies, and to come get the car seat and clean it (this is important later).  At the ER he received two breathing treatments and an IV.  The breathing treatments put him to sleep because he was able to breathe so easily.

He got a pig for being so good for the xray, where they only saw traces of pneumonia that looked like it was clearing up.

Because he had this issue so close to the last one, they made us go to Primary Children’s.  BUT we had to get escorted in an ambulance.  Luckily (or not?) we spent almost 3 hours at the ER, which gave Jared enough time to take the car seat home to be cleaned.  It was still damp when he arrived, but he walked in at the exact moment the EMTs did with the stretcher.  The reasoning behind the ambulance was that he was on oxygen, and earlier when he had fallen asleep his oxygen levels had gone down.  They were afraid that his oxygen levels would dip.  For the record…the 25 minute ambulance cost $1,900, which was more than the 3 hour ER visit, including IV, breathing treatments, and xray.  Don’t take an ambulance if you don’t have to.  I love insurance.

At Primary’s we ate some lunch and he took a little nap.  We were there until 8 pm.  I spent the last 2 hours dragging him around the hospital in a wagon because he was such a grouch and just wanted out of that place and his IV out.  He was feeling so much better.

In the end he was diagnosed with reactive airway disease.  At this age they are too young to diagnose asthma.  He’s supposed to take an inhaler 4 times a day – twice in the morning and twice at night – to keep his airway open.  Then if he does get sick they don’t close up on him so fast, and maybe our at home albuterol inhaler will be enough to keep him out of the ER.  So far so good, and I’ve even downed his dose to twice/day.  One of the side effects is a runny nose, but others that we can’t be sure he had – are a sore throat and headache.  He was such a grump for a few months there, that I made my own decision to cut down the number of treatments because I was afraid he was having all of those issues and that’s why he was so grumpy.  He’s been a lot happier lately, and his nose isn’t constantly draining.

Halle continued to do well in soccer.

Jared forgot to take diapers to work and didn’t want to go across the street to Target to get more since we just bought a bunch.  So he improvised.  Eli is wearing a Target bag stuffed with paper towels.  Men.

Eli started going to Little Gym.  Do you think he likes it?

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We spent countless hours during the summer at Lagoon.  This might be the only picture I have to show for it, but I love Hayden’s face.

Halle fell asleep on the couch the last day of September…

…and woke up sick.  She was absolutely devastated about missing school, but quickly learned the joys of staying home from school.  She got to lay in bed and play dad’s iPad all day, and be served her meals in bed.  We didn’t want her near Eli after everything he had gone through during the month so she was confined to her room and I’m pretty sure she loved every minute of it.