Not so Happy Easter

Well, our Easter was not quite as happy as I had hoped.  After church Ross and I laid down in the floor and took a nap.  When we got up I noticed he felt a little warm.  I was going to give him some medicine when he asked for juice and a snack.  I thought he must not feel too bad if he's asking for food.  So, I gave him some juice and a clementine orange and sat him at his little picnic table in the kitchen.  A few minutes later I hear a strange noise.   I found Ross slumped over making a gurgling noise that I had heard before.  To my horror, he was beginning to have a febrile seizure (he had one about a year and half ago with a fever that spiked to 104.5).   I stuck my finger in his mouth to make sure his airway was clear because he had eaten a piece of his orange.  At this point he clamped down on my finger and I could not get it out. Sam had to pry his mouth open just enough to get my finger out (I honestly thought I was going to loose my finger, but he barely broke the skin).  We rushed him to the ER.

 We live so close to the hospital, but that was the longest drive of my life.  I was in the backseat holding him...watching him, trying to soothe him to no avail.  It is terrifying to look into the face of your child and realize they are looking at you, but aren't seeing you.  He was convulsing and his lips were beginning to turn purple.  We got to the ER , I jumped out and rushed him back to a room while Sam parked the truck.  When the attending staff learned it was not his first seizure they seemed a little more concerned and worked a little more diligently (not that they weren't working fast enough, but I think they thought I was overreacting...at first.)  He was still seizing and it was clear that this was a sick little boy. He was given oxygen and a tylenol bullet (suppository) to bring down his fever which was 102.3. Then they tried to get an IV started and get a blood sample.  He started coming around at this point and was not happy about being poked with needles (I wasn't happy about it either, but I have never been so happy to hear him cry...Is that mean?)  It took four people and 10-12 needle sticks (I'm not joking) to finally get just enough blood to do a culture (they decided to junk the IV because his veins were so tiny and they kept moving every time they tried to get into a vein). They also did chest x-rays and put on a wee bag to get a urine sample that they never got.  

Meanwhile, poor Sammy is in the waiting room by himself.  He was so worried about Ross (we all were).  He is such a good big brother.   I am also so grateful for Sam.  He is my rock.  He is able to calm me when I would otherwise panic.   He was so brave and strong and at the same time so gentle and empathic to his child's suffering.

We were released after about four hours and a mega-doze of antibiotic (two nurses tag teamed him and each gave him a shot...one in each thigh).  We found out that his white count was elevated, which is to be expected after a seizure...but basically his blood was fine as well as his lungs, throat and ears.  All we know is that the fever caused his seizure, but we don't know what caused the fever.  We are to follow up with the pediatrician a.s.a.p.

Before they discharged us the nurse came in to check on Ross and to take his temperature (rectally) one final time to make sure his fever had completely subsided.  As the nurse is giving us the temperature reading Ross says to the nurse, "thanks".   She almost lost it as well as the rest of us (Sam, Sammy and I).   She could honestly say she has never had that happen before.  After everything Ross had been through the little sweetheart still remembered his manners.   The child that left the ER was not the same sick little boy that arrived with his terrified family having a full blown febrile seizure.  He is doing much better now.  I don't know that I can say the same of his mother.