The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.
-Buechner

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Good Times In The ER

When we shared our adoption news, there were several hesitations and questions about health. Africa has become known for HIV, AIDS, and other such diseases. Concerns also included the Heps, TB, and other communicables.

While all adoption holds much unknown, biological children do to.

While we always knew our biological children would not be born with FAS, etc, we didn't know exactly what would be included in "their" package. Babies are born with malformed hearts all the time. Trisomy 21 reveals itself often "randomly". Apparently, healthy parents often give birth to children who aren't.

We've always been fortunate to have healthy kids. We work hard at it - you know, the normal things - good eating, lots of fresh air, exercise, laughter. Yet, Tait has always been succeptible to lung problems. When he was just over a year we thought he had a bad cough - actually it was a double ear infection and near bronchitis/pneumonia. Oops. He's a tough kid.

So, yesterday when he began to wheeze a bit we were mildly concerned and I made a mental note, (Ben a verbal one) to book him in with our GP this week. By the time he went to bed, his little tummy was really working to get air in and out. He was quite wheezy but still his usual chipper, feisty self. The words, too, a bit more effort but when he asked for things like "blankie" there was still a please Daddy and tink-you Daddy to preface and conclude the request.

We were more concerned when he woke up at 9 something the breathing was still laboured. So, around 10pm, he and I headed into the ER.

Fun.

About 1/2 way there he threw up all over himself and the carseat.

Excellent.

Fortunately, it was quiet. We were in and out in about 2 hrs - which from my experience in the ER is pretty good. After listening to his chest, his cough, checkin' the other body parts and giving him a really good doze of Ventolin we were discharged. Oh - he screamed blue murder during the mask of ventolin. Pinning a freakishly strong 2 yr old at the end of a long day, in an ER with a lady a curtain away who was about to get a blood transfusion and then head up to the OR (moaning, may-I-add) wasn't how I'd planned my June 1st. It worked wonders though - the ventolin, not the screaming.

"He's got quite the set of lungs?!" the doctor remarked as she returned to our room.

"No sh**, lady" I thought. The verbal filter is a little lacking at midnight. I can assure you. (I'm also thinking - you ain't seen nothin'! Let him go when he's not exhausted and sick and we could give you a real show.) My rudeness aside (and I did keep it inside) she was a very very kind, young doctor. It was a "good night" to hit emerg...if there ever is one.

A new inhaler in hand, and the instructions to use the old one at home (flovent), we were discharged. It was midnight by the time we were in the car and Tait was calling Daddy to let him know that he'd be in Noah's seat on the way home. (His was of course covered in puke.)

Finally about 1/2 way home he fell asleep.

Then he puked again. Everywhere.

Super.

Ever tried to pull your half-asleep, puking, 2 yr old child out of the car on the side of a road after screeching to a halt at midnight and a half?

Not cool.

So the moral is this:
You never know what you're gonna get.
Home Made
or
Globally Sought Out.
You just never know.

1 comment:

7gmama said...

Tait is taking after his Daddy in this, I am sorry to say. Ben was on inhalers most of his first six years of life. With his ears, he had tubes put in at two. That was after they rupture twice. It is a Keizer thing I am thinking as Ben cousins and his brothers had these kind of problems too.