The Scoop on Jonathan's cooties

OK here is the scoop. I am updating you from the Hospital room as Jonathan lay sipping sprite, watching scooby doo and begging for more pancakes (all a good sign). He is hooked up to heart monitor and an O2 sensor. All though it may sound scary this is the least scary moment in the last 4 days. Here is how it started:

Friday: He came home from school with a headache, by bedtime he had a fever. Gave him some Tylenol and tucked him in bed.

Saturday: pretty basic fever, not hungry, headache, coughing a little, staying on top of the nebulizer meds.

Sunday Morning: had a little cough, but not too worried he sometimes just coughs he has asthma after all. Saturday evening coughing more so I called the doc on call and added another nebulizer treatment.

Monday Morning about 10 Am :Jonathan was hacking, coughing, choking, couldn't catch his breath, had a fever, hovered over the trash while he panicked to catch his breath. He was coughing so hard it would make him choke and throw up. Called the Dr office again, he said go to the ER. Called Matt, he rushed home to take care of the other 2 so I could concentrate on what Jonathan needed. I was pretty sure he was dehydrated. Loaded up and went to Centerpoint Hospital. (11 AM) Had a breathing treatment some Tylenol, and some IV fluid. Got him calmed down, went home(3:30ish). about 4 hours after we left the ER it started all over again. Gave him another treatment. His nebulizer (albuteral) was NOT working. gave him a few minutes after his medicine to see if he could recover. NOPE! Went back to Centerppoint Hospital. (7 PM ish) They gave him more breathing treatments, watched him and after about 5 hours we went home again. Tucked the little guy in at midnight. heard a couple coughs in the night but he didn't wake up.

6 AM on Tuesday Morning. He comes in my room says I cant (cough) stop (cough) coughing, and I don't (cough) feel good. and so began the coughing fit. decided this time Centerpoint has no clue how to treat my kid. loaded up and took him to Children's Mercy South. (6:30 AM) Hoping they had respiratory care that would better fit a child's needs. Got right in the place was empty and all the attention was on "chick magnet" (the nurses named him that). Breathing treatments here were not working. The Doctor and the respiratory Therapist would sit in the room with us and watch him breathe it in. we would talk for a minute and 5 minutes later he would be coughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath again. Tried to get some orapred (steroids) in him but he would cough and choke it back up. So we had no other option really than to do another IV with some fluids and IV steroids. A couple more breathing treatments later he was finally opening up enough and not coughing as much he could eat a little snack and drink some apple juice. watched him a an hour or so and sent us home. (12 PM) We stopped at the hospital food court (yummy by the way) had a little snack. Then we headed out to see Dr Clarke ( Chiropractor) after a little adjustment we headed towards the pharmacy to get his medicine filled. They were all out of the medicine prescribed and told us to check a big name pharmacy. On the way to CVS. (2 PM) he started coughing again. I pulled over in a parking lot and gave him the inhaler even though he was coughing so hard. sat there and gave him a couple more puffs while he coughed so hard he threw up a couple more times. (thank God I keep a trash can in the van) called the Children's mercy phone number to the urgent care we just left 2 and 1/2 hours before. They said hang out where we were and see if the inhaler helps if not to come back. Guess What???? It didn't help. I knew he had already had the max amount of steroids a boy his age and weight could have for one day so I jumped back in the car, turned around and headed back. In case you missed it we had NOT made it home. I called his Asthma Dr on the drive back (we had been keeping in touch through this whole process). Dr Neiburger told me to go in there and demand they admit him until this is completely under control. If they had a problem to call him directly he would help.

After we saw the Dr. AGAIN they started him on an HOUR long breathing treatment (like 4 in 1) and he was still coughing. The doctor (who was a jerk and is a whole new story i am preferring not to rehash do to the damage to my phyche) Decided to try something new. I can not remember the name of it but basically it is an inhaled epinephrine. After that he finally had some relief! FINALLY the boy rested. I didn't hear a cough not a single cough for 20 minutes straight. A record from the last 2 days! They did admit him and he has finally found relief and is back to almost normal. It is looking like we may get to go home in about an hour! I really hope this time we get to stay home! I am praying that between the treatment last night and the treatment this morning and now that the steroids have soaked in a little that this might just be the the trip home that sticks.

Final Diagnosis: Exacerbated asthma attack with Bronchial spasms and Acute Respiratory Distress. It started as an upper Respiratory infection, flared his Asthma and caused serious inflammation of lungs and upper airway, possibly also croup.