Blog # 5

 My Terrible Week  
         
                 My son, who is two years old, was coughing for 2 days, just a regular cough, nothing unusual. But suddenly he started to breath so heavy and his body temperature was getting higher. Tylenol did not help and I decided to take him to the emergency room on Monday evening. When we came to the emergency, there were already been a lot of people waiting to be seen. After few hours of waiting in the lobby the nurse finally called my son’s name. She gave us questions, paperwork, and est.….which took another hour before we got to see the doctor. Finally, when doctor came, he assigned a few breathing treatments for my son, because he still breathed very heavily. As he explained me about the kids on that age, especially a three year old or under, can get sick very easily because of their immune system, theirs is much weaker than the immune system of the older kids. And especially right now when the weather is not stable they can catch a cold fast. After an X- ray and blood test was done, the doctor decided to transfer my son to the hospital, at the pediatric department. Around 6 a.m. (Tuesday already) an ambulance brought us to the hospital. We were so tired; my son was crying most of the time.

We stayed in the hospital until Friday. It was very hard, especially with him being two years old. Every time when someone was opening the door he was automatically crying because he though the nurse will hurt him somehow. He was so scared; therefore, he was not letting the nurse measure his temperature and did not open his mouth to take the medicine, all the time we have to hold his hands and head. He was with the oxygen mask for two days and was getting antibiotics through IV (intravenous feeding). Then on the third day the doctor decided to turn off the oxygen and see if my son will be able breath without oxygen. And he did it. Temperature got stable and we were hoping to go home on Friday.

He is better right now. I still have to give him antibiotic for another couple days, but when we are at home, it is much easier to handle with him than in the hospital. He started to eat better and when I’m looking at him, I start to sometimes remember those days that come to my mind as a nightmare.