Thursday, October 28, 2010

Powdered Sugar is No Friend of MINE

I tell you it is craziness this life we live! One moment life is flowing and the next your world is turned upside down and crazy!

Leave it to us to have an episode that doctors weren't even sure what would happen next.

QUICK RE-CAP

A week ago Monday we try to home school like any good home school family. And like any good home school family THERE WILL BE interruptions!

A quick - "someone come here, HE'S CHOKING"

We find - toddler with chair next to cabinet, he has pulled down a big bag of powdered sugar, grabbed a big spoon, and is helping himself to his delight!

The result - a quick grin, puff of white smoke, and an immediate coughing fit that lasted an entire day!

(7 HOURS later we decide it is time to pull in the experts! After several calls to a doctor friend, then our pediatrician, and later an after hour clinic, we are on toddler watch for pneumonia. Two weeks we must watch! Oh, or his lips turning blue!)

Wake up the next day to a cough free toddler...yippee!

Feeling we are in the all clear with a good laugh here and there, we awake early Saturday morning to a fever coughing toddler. (6 days later) Being a mom of so many at some point you get your experience with croup. I am thinking he has croup but it could be pneumonia related to the powdered sugar?

A quick - phone call to doctor friend, a hospital, then after hours clinic (same doctor from earlier in week calls us back and says, "oh, its the powdered sugar bandit" I remember you!) Great! Toddler has been labeled!

We find - nobody is quite sure what is happening and we probably need x-rays to rule out pneumonia.

The result - off the to ER we go with one very lethargic baby!

A cough here and there and everyone agrees it's croup. But with the powdered sugar incident (we are now known as the incident) all feel an x-ray is a must. X-ray reveals some great lungs, doc concludes croup it is. They force a much hated dose of steroids down toddler. A spit here and a spit there and he grabs a paper towels and eagerly scrubs his tongue from the awful stuff. A peppy toddler is off leaving the hospital. As we arrived he could barely hold his head or hand up, but as we left he eagerly waved and sent shouts of "BYE" to every crossing stranger.

What happened next???? (you know there is more!)
Three minutes from our house and we have projectile vomiting in the car!

A quick - STOP the car!

We find - we find he has vomited up powdered sugar clumps (tsp and bigger)

The result - he no longer has a croup cough!!!! WHAT???

Now the real fun begins! Two very long nights of fever over 103! Hot baby! Coughing baby (but not croup cough)! He is a sick little guy. Talk to doctor friend again we decide to ride this out at home. Both of us confused at why powdered sugar shows up 6 days later and the croup cough ends in less than a day!!!!

There is more!

Still with sick baby, oils were applied (because after 2 sleepless nights I had friends driving in for an oil info meeting from Houston. I couldn't very well send them away. Thankful they came because they knew what to apply.) and 20 minutes later that little guy is running around. NO more fever and an appetite has returned, or has it?

A quick - realization that toddler is devouring food, but NOT swallowing!

We find - this continues for 4 days! YES, we are calling doctor friend again! (Have I mentioned I love her:) Deciding to wait it out another couple of days we watch and wait.

The result - two days later, its time to either see toddler eat or take the child in AGAIN! I caved...I needed to know...I bought a donut to see whether he would eat or not. The entire family sits and watches him eat. YES, an entire donut eaten. (we gave him more sugar:/)

I learned a couple of things....
  • DON'T let toddler reach powdered sugar
  • children will always become ill after hours or on weekends (the medical field SHOULD change the times they are open!)
  • after hours clinics will only help with certain things. And possible pneumonia is not it! Nor are x-rays, basically JUST the common cold.
  • go to the ER prior to 6 p.m. (we were in and out in 2 hours, but when we left the waiting room was completely packed!)
  • liquid steroids must taste REALLY bad!
  • powdered sugar can possibly exit 6 days later, NOT the way you expect!
  • it is a God send to have a medical friend to talk things over with
  • whatever state you left the house in upon going to ER, it will look the EXACT same 5 days later!
  • caring for sick children is tough, but MOM will always be there to hug, kiss, and snuggle during your worst hours! And it is our pleasure to do that for our children!

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