Saturday, March 21, 2009

Panic and Guilt

OMG you guys--I had the absolute worst scare today!

I have mentioned that Gooser wasn't feeling well this week--he came down with something late Monday and had a slight fever and a little cough--he had also mentioned that his throat hurt in the middle of the night Monday, but after that it didn't seem to.

So I kept him home from school most of the week, but he really wanted to go yesterday because there was a field trip--so I let him go, but his teacher called halfway through the day to say he just wasn't "himself" and that I should come and get him.

I didn't send him to school today since it was the last day before Spring Break and I just wanted him to rest so he would be all better in time for our trip.

So after the older kids went off to school I took Gooser and Pickle to Target so we could pick up some little things for the airplane ride like snacks and toys. He seemed fine while we were there and rode in the cart the whole time.

When we got home, he was excited to open this new toy I had bought him so he was sitting at the kitchen table putting it together. Meanwhile I was fumbling around with my cell phone trying to retrieve a message (because my home phone has been broken and the phone company lied to me about when they would fix it...but that's another blog...).

So as I was looking down at the phone I heard a crash and for a second i thought the box with Gooser's toy in it had fallen, but then I realized that Gooser was face-down on the floor. Now, my kids are always like slipping and sliding out of the kitchen chairs--so it's not unusual for them to fall--but when I called his name, he didn't move.

I started screaming for him to get up as I was running toward him, but he was just laying there.

When I picked him up he seemed very limp, but he was conscious and stirring a little, but very groggy. I said "Did you fall out of the chair?" and he just kind of muttered "I don't feel well."

Then I realized that his face was as white as a sheet and lips as well as the skin surrounding his lips were blue.

I was so freaked out I barely knew what I was doing, but I managed to call 911.

As I waited for the ambulance to come, he seemed very out of it and I just kept talking to him.

The ambulance got there super fast-like probably two minutes--and suddenly my house was full of about seven or eight paramedics and firefighters. By the time they got here, Gooser had perked up more and, though he was still very pale, the blueness had gone away.

They examined him and thought he'd better go to the emergency room so Gooser, Pickle and I had to ride in the ambulance. Pickle freaked out a little because I had to strap her into a little seat and, of course, Gooser was terrified, but being very brave. The paramedics offered them these nice stuffed animals, but they were so scared they didn't want them. At some point I called Don and briefly let him know what was happening and he immediately left work to head for the hospital.

When we got there, Gooser was thoroughly examined, had his blood drawn, throat swabbed and an EKG done. Turns out he has strep throat--that's the part I feel really guilty about. I feel awful because I just thought he had a cold and since he only said his throat hurt that one time in the middle of the night, it didn't even occur to me that he might have strep.

So on top of that, he had a little fever which made me feel extra guilty because I hadn't given him any Tylenol this morning. The doctors were thinking that maybe he was a little dehydrated and that was what caused the passing out episode. This surprised me because I had given him a huge cup of apple juice at breakfast--but they seemed pretty confident that this was the cause, so they let him go home with a prescription for antibiotics and an order to follow up with the pediatrician tomorrow.

At one point, the super sweet paramedic came into the room and brought the stuffed animals--this time, both kids wanted them. I was so grateful for that paramedic because the distraction of the toys was a very good thing! Gooser named his bear "Ambulance Bear."

When we got home, I realized that he hadn't touched the apple juice I had given him that morning, so I'm thinking (and hoping) that they are right and the dehydration was the cause.

Since we've been home I've really been pushing the fluids and the Popsicles. The weird thing is that he's not thirsty at all so I really have to beg him to drink--but I think he got enough in.

So in the morning I'll take him back to the doctor to recheck him--and in the mean time, I sit here riddled with guilt and with a good ten years taken off my life from the panic!
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20 comments:

SouthernDogwoods said...

Oh, please do not feel guilty! I know it is hard not to - I recently felt bad to find out that Emma had a double ear infection (all she had was a high fever). And I felt horrible because I knew her ears were probably hurting and I had no idea.

Don't be so hard on yourself. So glad he got some antibiotics and he will be fine soon!

Heather said...

OH (((Jen))))!!! I'm so sorry you guys had to go through all that!!

Do not feel bad - I had a similar experience with Kiddo and strep last spring (http://nobody-but-yourself.blogspot.com/2008/04/first-bout-of-strep.html) and while we didn't wind up calling 911, it was close. I did race her to the doctors as she was limp and unresponsive. UGH.

I hope Gooser doesn't have the next part of the strep that Kiddo had with the vomiting, because that was spectacularly bad as well. Pushing fluids on a kid when they don't want them is so hard, too - our doc had us give her 1 tablespoon of gatorade every five minutes until she'd ingested a certain amount, and it was nervewracking from start to finish. Oh, and also - Kiddo's strep then turned into pneumonia a few weeks later, which no one warned us could happen, and I was gobsmacked to find out she had freaking pneumonia after her only symptoms were a slight cough and some crankiness!

(((hugs)))

Good luck with everything - I hope Gooser is already substantially improved from the meds overnight and continues to recover quickly. Thinking of you guys!!

Anonymous said...

Oh I can't even imagine! Don't feel guilty Nick has had strep 2x this winter and never once said his throat hurt, if it wasn't for the fever I would have never known. After 2 days of antibiotics he perked right up, I hope Gosser feels well soon!!

Erin said...

Wow- you must have been so scared!!
Glad to hear you are home.

Anonymous said...

Oh Jennifer, no guilt necessary. If that were the case all parents are guilty of neglect, you have done/did nothing we have all done/did to our kids, or didn't do.

Scary as hell, nonetheless.

Hope Gooser is well again, kids are pretty resiliant.

AV

Becky said...

Oh HOW SCARY! OH my gosh! I have chills! That must have been terrifying!

Poor gooser! Poor you! I'm glad it was something as fixable as strep!

He will be better so fast now that he has antibodics! My kids get strep all the time and once they get the meds they perk right up!

Jennifer said...

Oh Jen, that must have been so scary. I hope the antibiotic kicks in and he feels better soon.

Hugs.

Sandi said...

Jen-I am so sorry. Nothing is scarier than that! I am so glad things turned out okay.

Rebecca Jo said...

Oh my gosh... I gasped reading the story... poor Gooser!!! But dont feel guilty! You kept him home, you were keepng an eye on him... these things happen... Glad you were there quickly for him & thought clearly enough to get the ambulance there.

I bet Gooser & Pickle will remember that for awhile!

Glad that's all it is & I'm sure he'll be bouncing around before you know it!

Anonymous said...

OMG Jen, I would have freaked and sometimes think I wouldn't even be able to get to the phone to call. Poor little guy. Dehydration can really do that to you but did they push some fluids into him by IV? Seems like they would have to get him going again. That is just so, so scary and thank goodness he didn't injure himself when he fainted because that is often worse. Okay, let us know how he is doing.

Jen said...

Oh that is so scary. Dehydration can happen so fast in small children. I have have a scare like this with one of my kids. Don't beat yourself up, you are human and you got him the help that he needed.
I sure hope he feels better soon.

Sugar Boogers & Tantrums said...

I am just glad that Gooser is ok. How scary!! Oh I hope your not beating yourself up for it. I've made mistakes just like this. It's hard to know the right thing to do sometimes. I know it's hard not to feel guilty b/c they're your kids and you love them so much. The blue around his lips concerns me though. But I used to get strep all the time when I was a kid and it would make me pass out almost everytime. The passing out is what would give my mom the warning sign that it was strep. Strep is so ugly. I hope this helps.

Sugar Boogers & Tantrums said...

ps...gatorade always works on Andrew. I love to give it to him when he has a fever.

Ronda's Rants said...

I am so very sorry...I hope he is better...how really frightening that must have been...sounds like he will be fine!

Mimi said...

Poor Gooser & Mom! I can only imagine what was going thru your mind. Give him an extra hug for me & don't beat yourself up!

CaraBee said...

How scary! It's so tough to decide when the illness is bad enough to warrant a visit to the doctor. Every time (luckily, I guess) that I have taken my daughter when she was sick, the doctor kind of gave me the feeling that I was overreacting, which makes me not want to bring her back unless she's really bad. But then, how do you know when they're really bad, because they are good at hiding their symptoms. So hard.

I'm happy to hear that he's on the mend and I hope you are still able to have a good trip!

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

No guilt allowed! That could've been any of us. There have been many times when my kids didn't seem "that sick", but they were...and many times when they seemed REALLY sick but when I took them to the dr., they brushed it off as "just a virus". All we can do is the best we can!
That sounds SO scary, I'm glad everything is OK and I hope he's feeling much better now.

Heather of the EO said...

How terrifying!! I'm so sorry, for all of you, so scary!

I hope things have calmed down A LOT and that you're all well.

Especially since I see your going on vacation. I hope it's RELAXING!
Peace,
Heather

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

You poor Mama! Don't feel guilty...we've all been there...

My daughter walked around on a broken foot for 2 weeks before we figured out she needed an xray!

Hope little Gooser is feeling much better:)

Jen said...

Oh Jen... I'm so sorry to hear this! I'm sooo glad Gooser is alright & nothing major was wrong with him! Hopefully he's feeling much better now!