Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Our Nemesis is Back...

...making it's Fall 2009 debut in the Bailey household...our old nemesis...the CROUP!!!!!

After Max's wild night ending in an ambulance ride to the ER and 4 breathing treatments back in November 2008 and then another late night trip to the ER in early February, I was REALLY hoping we would not have to slay this dragon again.

Well, Croup came slinking back into town and through our door as we slept unsuspecting. He didn't bother Max this time however...he found a new victim...a sweet precious 2 year old yet to be touched by his breath stealing, seal barking cough self. Yep, Croup woke Lucy up at 12:50am this morning. She woke up crying (which she has been doing for about a week now anyway) so John went to check on her and hold her. As soon as he picked her up to calm her down I heard the horrible sound...the cough...you know the one...barking.

I got to her room and grabbed her and the blanket and we went and sat outside on the front porch to try the cold night air trick...didn't help. We then went to the bathroom and turned on the shower to hot and sat in the steam...didn't help. John held her in the rocking chair next to an open window while I headed upstairs to get dressed in case I needed to take her to the ER.

By the time I got downstairs she had calmed down and her breathing wasn't as labored. I wasn't ready to lay her back down in the bed yet so I stayed up with her in the rocking chair and we went back and forth from the chair to the couch numerous times before she finally told me she was ready to go back to bed at 3am. She was feeling much better and was talking to me and walking around so I felt okay about putting her down. The fact that she wanted to go also made me feel better because I figured she wouldn't get upset and start the whole coughing gasping for breath thing all over again.

She went to sleep fine and slept until 6:45 this morning. She woke up crying again and had a croupy cough but the breathing wasn't as bad. I told John I thought it was kind of ironic that she would get the croup on the one night that I had decided to move Max's humidifier into her room to help with the congestion she had been having.

I have made her an appointment with her pediatrician for this afternoon just in case. I was praying last night as I was getting dressed that I wouldn't have to take her to the ER. Normally I would not have thought twice about it if I thought she needed to go but what worried me the most was that I kept wondering how many cases of the Swine Flu might be sitting in the waiting room at the ER.

Okay, Lucy is down for a nap and I think I'm going to skip some chores this morning and grab a few winks myself before we have to pick up Abby from school. I have to conserve my energy to fight the croup war (and any other germy villain who dares to cross our threshold)!!!!!

WANTED: Preferably DEAD!

GERMS

other known aliases...

croup, flu (seasonal and SWINE), colds, upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, etc.

WARNING! They should be considered armed and dangerous.

Please take any and all safety precautions as these villains can strike anywhere at any time.




1 comment:

Kmama said...

Oh no!! We are very lucky and thankful that we have not had to deal with croup. of course we've had myriad of other issues (right now the stomach bug), but not croup. I hope she's doing better.