Last night Wyatt woke up around 10 pm, with quite a startle and some coughing. I got up out of bed to check in him and noticed he was turning a funny shade, his coughing switched to choking/retching and he was gargling on some secretions while doing some jerky body movements. I knew something was off, but his dad wasn’t home (he’s the calm one) so I called the neighbor, who is an EMT. She rushed over, assessed the situation and directed me to call an ambulance. We popped him back on BiPAP to help support his breathing and waited for help to arrive. His vitals were off the charts, with HR getting into the 200’s and sats bouncing between normal and abnormal.
When the paramedics arrived, we gave them the run down and they packed him up to head to the hospital. We were able to get him stable enough to make the longer trek to Hopkins, which is always preferred since that’s where his medical team is, along with access to more intensive services.
We arrived at Hopkins, we ran through a whole host of tests, and ruled out pneumonia and UTI, which are the normal culprits of his issues, and waited for the viral panel and RSV test to return. Spent the night in the ER waiting for a bed, as many other children were sick as well. Got a bed around noon today and waited for the results of his outstanding tests, while proactively doing IV fluids and an IV antibiotic. He had a few other episodes of coughing fits, with some unusual vitals again.
RSV test returned negative and viral panel showed rhinovirus, which is often the culprit of many viral infections and likely a croup diagnosis, which explains the barking cough and the fever. We will hang out here again tonight, hoping for discharge tomorrow if he’s at a point we can care for him at home.
Between Tylenol doses and breathing treatments, we saw our normal happy boy. He’s back to some of his old shenanigans and telling the staff here just what he thinks of their poking and prodding.
As always, we will take some positive vibes and prayers for improved health. We know cold and flu season is still very much a concern, so we will continue to be diligent about germ precautions. So thankful for our calm in emergencies neighbor and her heads up thinking, along with his medical team here at Hopkins.
Hoping for a restful and quiet night tonight. But now that I’ve suggested it, I’m sure he will have other ideas.
