A whole week has gone by without any posts. I guess you can tell that we’ve been fighting an uphill battle with Stanton’s health over the Thanksgiving holiday. We don’t ever really travel or go anywhere. It’s simply too hard and Stanton always seems to get sick. Just a couple of weeks ago in Cincinnati, we ended up in the ER. Stanton swallowed some bath water, got upset, started throwing up and aspirated. The bathtub episode was quickly followed by the tell-tale strider breathing which landed us in the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital ER.
This time around was a bit more sneaky. After about 30 minutes in the car, Stanton started coughing. The coughing continued to escalate as we drove 2 ½ hours north to Mimmie’s house (John’s grandmother). He played well at Mimmie’s and had fun playing in the cold pasture – so far to run without restrictions! After lunch we traveled 2 ½ more hours north to my grandmother’s house. My Mamie moved into this very house when she was just 16 years old and a newlywed. My grandparents have both passed so the house is now empty, however, my mom and aunts stay at the house frequently and keep it ready for company. Stanton’s coughing continued to brew and grow deeper and more frequent. By the night, we were up most of the night with him coughing. By Friday, the wheezing and shallow breathing kicked in.
Friday night my Dad’s side of the family all gathered at my Uncle Ed’s house. Uncle Ed is a family doctor. He greeted us at the door and immediately noticed Stanton’s cough and breathing. I quickly explained what was going on and he asked to take a listen. He asked when Stanton’s last aspiration episode was and I let him know it happened two weeks ago in Cincinnati. Uncle Ed asked if anyone had diagnosed Stanton with asthma. He said the wheezing was really deep and in Stanton’s left lower lobe. He went to his clinic and brought back a nebulizer and some steroid shots. Every two hours he gave Stanton a breathing treatment, but after two treatments, the wheezing wasn’t any better so he gave him a shot. After an hour, Stanton’s wheezing was completely gone and we received the green light to drive home where our panda bear nebulizer was waiting in the closet. Uncle Ed said we should give Stanton a breathing treatment every two to four hours.
So, here we are at home, with a child who is miserable….coughing constantly….can’t get comfortable….can’t sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time….fighting the breathing treatments….won’t eat or drink anything……shall I go on?
Why does this always seem to happen on a holiday or a weekend, when all doctor offices are closed. Is this serious enough to warrant an ER visit? We haven’t decided yet…
John and I have two view points as to why Stanton got sick this go round, so I thought I’d share both and you can decide for yourself:
John’s version:
Stanton started coughing in the car. It got worse and worse and I think Stanton was allergic to something in the car. I did pack some hunting clothes that have been in the attic and maybe they were dusty/moldy. Then we slept in an old, old, cold house which I’m sure didn’t help.
Ginger’s version:
The night before we left, Stanton ate ¾ of a scrambled egg. The team in Cincinnati suggested we try offering it again to monitor the response. Stanton tried a couple of bites of egg in Cincinnati and got a big whelp on his checks. We offered him egg last week, but he only licked one bite and didn’t swallow it. I couldn’t believe he ate nearly the entire egg this time. He didn’t get a rash, or get sick and keep it down! The coughing began the next morning accompanied with a huge dose of all around grouchiness, and you know the rest of the story. From what I’m reading and learning about the elimination diet, this could be a response to the egg. Stanton’s track record of illness has 99.9% of the time been linked to his digestive system so I’m apt to look there first and find a connection.
Since I’m the one writing this blog (Ginger) I thought I’d say a bit more about my theory...
...The rules of an elimination diet are to offer a small amount of the test food and continue to offer it throughout the day so that by the end of the day, a “normal” amount has been eaten. Watch for symptoms. If symptoms occur during the night or the next morning, the tried food could be to blame. You are to stop offering the suspect food until seeing the doctor. Symptoms can include canker sores, bed-wetting, tightening of joints, ear fluid build-up, bowel problems, hives, and asthma. Children with delayed gastric emptying may have delayed reactions as the food is slowly being processed in their bodies.
Today is now a waiting game. Thank you in advance for your prayers and positive thoughts! I’ll try to keep everyone posted with the choices ahead of us. I also must say a huge THANK YOU to my Bryant family. Uncle Ed really helped Stanton and kept us from going to the hospital. All my sweet cousins....I'm so sad I couldn't really visit with any of you, but it was great to just be with you all.
Ginger
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