Alternate title: Brielle's first ambulance ride
Warning: This post contains words like phlegm and vomit. If those things make you gag, probably don't read this.
Warning: This post contains words like phlegm and vomit. If those things make you gag, probably don't read this.
Tuesday morning started as most normal mornings do. Breakfast, morning chores, pack lunches, walk to the bus stop....puffy eyes? Sadly it took me til about then to realizes Brielle's eyes were a little extra puffy. Not enough to make me really worried but enough to make a mental note to "keep an eye on it".
Fast forward to lunch time, add sneezing and a runny nose to the puffy eyes. At this point I chalk it all up to seasonal allergies and the ridiculous pollen floating around Virginia's air. About 1 o'clock I gave her benadryl fed her lunch and put her down for a nap. She slept great woke up about 4 happy as can be ate two helpings of dinner that night and went out to play with the older kids outside while I cleaned up the kitchen.
Chris left to go to the church at about 6:30. Why do things like this always happen when he is not home? WHY?!
Around 7 Brielle came back in the house acting quite agitated. I offered the usual, a drink, a snack, a cuddle... but nothing was helping and I couldn't figure out what she needed. It was about 7:30 things got really interesting, she went for agitated to unconsolable and started violently throwing up. I lost track but I would guess there were about 6 or 7 rounds of vomiting. I was front row to it all and couldn't clean it up as fast as it was coming. It didn't seem like normal throw up either. It was super phlegmy almost like she had drunk a bucket of snot and was throwing it all back up. (Gross I know. Sorry, I warned you. ) The worst part was each time the vomit seemed to get stuck in her throat and she would choke on it for a few seconds before finally getting it all the way out. Once the vomiting spells calmed down to just small gagging I took her upstairs to put her in the tub. When I took her shirt off I noticed huge hives all over her belly and neck she immediately started scratching at them and pulling at her ears. It was about this time Chris got home. (welcome home honey) Once Brielle was in the tub she calmed down significantly. At this point it was about 8:30 and past her bed time, she looked exhausted. I pulled her out of the tub put her in pajamas and called the doctor. All of my mom senses said something wasn't right, but I didn't want to rush to the emergency room without at least running it by a doctor. I got the answering service and a lady promised I would hear back from a doctor soon. I waited, and watched her eyes swell more and her breathing slowly get more wheezy, I couldn't wait any longer I put her in the car and we headed to an after hours kid clinic.
(As a side note Brielle had a similar though MUCH milder episode about a week prior when I had given her Benadryl. I was worried she might be reacting to the Benadryl so didn't give her a second dose.)
To make a very very very long, emotional, stressful night short...
We got to the clinic, they took one look at her and gave her an epi shot, put her on a nebulizer to stop the "wheezing" hooked her up to an IV and a heart monitor and told me we would be transferred to the nearest hospital where she would be monitored for the next 18 hours.
Diagnosis- Anaphylactic Shock
Cause- unknown
The ambulance showed up and we finally made it to the hospital about 1:00am
After lots and lots of questions the doctors finally concluded the reaction was probably due to a bug bite. We will soon be headed to an allergist to have her tested for different bug venoms. A bee sting is what their guess is but without testing there is no way to tell. They also think that her first initial reaction started early in the day but was calmed by the first does of Benadryl. Often with anaphylaxis there is a post reaction 6 up to 17 hour later. In Brielle's case they think the night episode was a post much more severe reaction.
At one point in the question and answer sessions the doctor looked at me and said "good call brining her in, you probably saved her life." Which left me speechless. I don't ever like to think of my kids being that close to a life or death situation. -- Thanks, mom senses -- aka The Holy Ghost.
We left the hospital the next afternoon with 4 prescriptions and now have epi-pens on the ready.
I don't know that I have ever been so tired and grateful. Modern medicine truly is a gift straight from Heavenly Father, I know it.
I snapped a few pictures in the hours we were waiting for all the transfer procedure from the clinic to the hospital. Hands down the worst night of this little girls life.
Fast forward to lunch time, add sneezing and a runny nose to the puffy eyes. At this point I chalk it all up to seasonal allergies and the ridiculous pollen floating around Virginia's air. About 1 o'clock I gave her benadryl fed her lunch and put her down for a nap. She slept great woke up about 4 happy as can be ate two helpings of dinner that night and went out to play with the older kids outside while I cleaned up the kitchen.
Chris left to go to the church at about 6:30. Why do things like this always happen when he is not home? WHY?!
Around 7 Brielle came back in the house acting quite agitated. I offered the usual, a drink, a snack, a cuddle... but nothing was helping and I couldn't figure out what she needed. It was about 7:30 things got really interesting, she went for agitated to unconsolable and started violently throwing up. I lost track but I would guess there were about 6 or 7 rounds of vomiting. I was front row to it all and couldn't clean it up as fast as it was coming. It didn't seem like normal throw up either. It was super phlegmy almost like she had drunk a bucket of snot and was throwing it all back up. (Gross I know. Sorry, I warned you. ) The worst part was each time the vomit seemed to get stuck in her throat and she would choke on it for a few seconds before finally getting it all the way out. Once the vomiting spells calmed down to just small gagging I took her upstairs to put her in the tub. When I took her shirt off I noticed huge hives all over her belly and neck she immediately started scratching at them and pulling at her ears. It was about this time Chris got home. (welcome home honey) Once Brielle was in the tub she calmed down significantly. At this point it was about 8:30 and past her bed time, she looked exhausted. I pulled her out of the tub put her in pajamas and called the doctor. All of my mom senses said something wasn't right, but I didn't want to rush to the emergency room without at least running it by a doctor. I got the answering service and a lady promised I would hear back from a doctor soon. I waited, and watched her eyes swell more and her breathing slowly get more wheezy, I couldn't wait any longer I put her in the car and we headed to an after hours kid clinic.
(As a side note Brielle had a similar though MUCH milder episode about a week prior when I had given her Benadryl. I was worried she might be reacting to the Benadryl so didn't give her a second dose.)
To make a very very very long, emotional, stressful night short...
We got to the clinic, they took one look at her and gave her an epi shot, put her on a nebulizer to stop the "wheezing" hooked her up to an IV and a heart monitor and told me we would be transferred to the nearest hospital where she would be monitored for the next 18 hours.
Diagnosis- Anaphylactic Shock
Cause- unknown
The ambulance showed up and we finally made it to the hospital about 1:00am
After lots and lots of questions the doctors finally concluded the reaction was probably due to a bug bite. We will soon be headed to an allergist to have her tested for different bug venoms. A bee sting is what their guess is but without testing there is no way to tell. They also think that her first initial reaction started early in the day but was calmed by the first does of Benadryl. Often with anaphylaxis there is a post reaction 6 up to 17 hour later. In Brielle's case they think the night episode was a post much more severe reaction.
At one point in the question and answer sessions the doctor looked at me and said "good call brining her in, you probably saved her life." Which left me speechless. I don't ever like to think of my kids being that close to a life or death situation. -- Thanks, mom senses -- aka The Holy Ghost.
We left the hospital the next afternoon with 4 prescriptions and now have epi-pens on the ready.
I don't know that I have ever been so tired and grateful. Modern medicine truly is a gift straight from Heavenly Father, I know it.
I snapped a few pictures in the hours we were waiting for all the transfer procedure from the clinic to the hospital. Hands down the worst night of this little girls life.
 |
| She didn't really like the stickers on her belly. |
 |
| Anyone touching her elicited ear piercing screams |
 |
| The hardest part of the night by far was holding her while they put in the IV. It was traumatizing for both of us. |
 |
| She got yogurt and muffins for breakfast two of her favorite things |
 |
| If any doctor or nurse walked in the room the next day they were immediately greeted with this look. She remembered all to well what they had done to her the night before. |
 |
| Daddy joined us the next morning after the older kids were in school. |
 |
| Addi was the only one who enjoyed any of this ordeal. She thought eating cereal in bed while watching Sheriff Callie was pretty much heaven. |
No comments:
Post a Comment