1st Emergency Room Experience #ERvisit

I knew eventually that I would end up with one of my children in the Emergency room. I just figured it would be because of a silly fall when they are pretending to be one of the characters in Star Wars or from jumping off a bed. I didn't think it would be because I feared my son was having trouble breathing.

Handsome has had severe allergies from the beginning. It started with major eczema. He had it all over his eyebrow and scalp as an infant. Then it became something that came out all over legs and his arms. We finally had him checked out by an allergist and we found out he is allergic to trees, grass and nuts. Yeah!

So, obviously in the Spring we have some major allergy issues. You know in April and May when the weather is beautiful, we are stuck indoors waiting for the pollen count to dip below an 8.

Thursday when we got out of school I took him home and we headed into the shower. Whenever we come indoors I take him to the shower to get the pollen off. In the shower he coughed and said his chest hurt. He put both hands across his chest each time he coughed and said, "ouch". The cough had only be here for about 2 hours. I know that pain you get after spending days coughing but this was a new cough.

When he got out of the shower, I set him up on the couch with a pillow, blanket and brought over some Dimetapp for him to take for his cough.

Not 15 minutes later, he complained about his chest again but this time there was wheezing. I asked if it hurt when he coughed or when he took a breath. He said, when he coughed. When I looked at his throat, you know right between the collarbone where there is that little circle indentation, I saw it going in very deeply every time he took a breath in. Was he laboring? It seemed like he was working too hard to breath. I am not a crazy, neurotic mom and don't rush the kids to the doctor for everything. I can count on my fingers how many times I have called to ask a question since they were born. This was a first and I was nervous.

I called his pediatrician and explained how bad his allergies have been, about the chest pain and how it seemed he had to work hard to breath. He told me to bring him to the emergency room if I wasn't comfortable. I hung up and watched him. I asked him again if he was having trouble breathing and he said, "I'm going to be ok mom." I said, "I think we should go to the doctor." He said, "No, I'm ok. We can go tomorrow."

When his dad got home I headed out to the hospital. We walked in and waited for only about an hour to be seen. Not bad considering. I knew the triage nurse which made things much better. He was cooperative and answered all her questions.

She told me that he was getting enough air and that his pulse was elevated slightly. We checked his temperature and there was nothing. This was concerning to me. Why the elevated heart rate? Why the wheezing and breathing issue?

I kept him out of school on Friday. Sad, because it was his class picture day but I felt it was better to let him rest. I made a follow up with the doctor and had him checked. All seems well.

When we get home, he says, he is cold. I give him a shower and afterwards put him on the couch under a comforter and the TV on. He asks if he can watch something else and I say of course. Two seconds later he is snoring loudly.

He slept for about 2 hours and when he woke there was a fever. It was 101.4. I call my triage friend and we celebrate the fever. Odd? Maybe but at least we now know where his pulse was elevated.

His fever shot up to 102.3 and he is fighting something.

Today at the doctor, he is cooperative. The doctor tells me how good my children are and praises my parenting ability. Hooray for me. He says they are well mannered and smart. Still a fever but he is no longer complaining of a pain in his chest.

Thank goodness all seems well but we have another follow up with the doctor to make sure.