Insta-Care=Insta-Drama

Yesterday was not the typical day. For one, Evan woke up sick, but after a little tylenol seemed just fine. So, off to preschool I sent him. Meanwhile, I had to pick up Evan's kindergarten packet and then go with Steve to my doctor's for our 16 week gender check. I will admit, I had some secret hopes for a girl since I keep saying this is our last kid, but of course, I'm having another boy! I'm still a member of the mother of all boys club (when is our next meeting ladies?). But hey, I'll be less stressed in the end b/c I have all the clothes and know-how. All's I'll need to get is a double stroller.

Well, after my 2 hour doctor appointment (of course, my actual time with the doctor equaled 3 min!) Steve and I go to my sister's to pick up the kids. Evan seems a little sick again, but nothing to write home about. However, while we are there eating dinner, he goes down fast and spikes a high fever. I give him more tylenol and we head home. Steve puts Justin to bed, asking me if I notice that Justin sounds a little hoarse. He does, but again, nothing to write home about, I'm more concerned about Evan. Fast forward about an hour later, it's like 8:30pm, Evan and I are in the basement playing video games when suddenly Steve comes rushing down with Justin. Justin sounds not awful, but downright scary. He can't breathe and his cough is a deep barking cough that I wonder if it's croup. I call my sis who has had past experience and ask her (though, at the time of my panic, I ask if she thinks it sounds like whooping cough. duh!). She's like, I don't know what he's got but you better rush him to InstaCare! One thing you should know about me, I"m not good in emergencies. I freak out. So, here we are with 2 sick kids, one sounding like he's dying, who should go to InstaCare?? Well, we all do! We get there and the receptionist sounds concerned about Justin and the not breathing thing, so she sends a nurse out to check on his oxygen levels. Well, Justin has a cow while they are trying to test him and they get a reading, something like 64, which, at the time, knowing nothing about oxygen levels, sounds pretty bad. So, the nurse hurries us back and the doctor comes in and starts all these breathing treatments and gives him a shot and tells us she's calling an ambulance to take him to primary children's hospital!!! Ok, by this point, I'm having a nervous breakdown in my head! I'm like, what? are you serious??? an ambulance??? The doctor said something that sounded a little flip, but I just never was thinking it was gonna come down to this. So, yeah, I got to ride in an ambulance with Justin to the hospital last night. By that time, he was stabilized and seemed much more like himself. But I was still kind of in shock. I wish I could think more clearly in urgent situations, but unfortunately that's not a gift of mine.

So, we get to the hospital and they examine him, say his oxygen levels are now good, and he doesn't have to wear an oxygen mask anymore. We have to wait around though since he could rebound in a couple of hours, so we're officially under observation. Steve comes (he went home to grab a few things and get my mom and Evan settled --bless you mom for coming over on such short notice!!!) to the hospital just in time to help with Justin getting x-rays (one of the doctors was concerned with Justin getting sick so suddenly that maybe he swallowed something and it had lodged in his throat or something and that's what was really causing the no breathing). The doctors there were really nice and none of them seemed too worried about Justin, which was good. They even said they thought the oxygen level reading must have been false b/c if it was in the 60s Justin would have been blue and not moving. Hmm. The x-rays are clear so they all conclude that Justin has a really bad case of croup, but it's under control now. So pretty much, we sit in an ER room till 1am and then are discharged. Justin was really good and just played with us and didn't even really try to crawl around on the floor (thank goodness!). On the way home, after the drama has subsided, Steve and I can't help thinking "did the InstaCare overreact??" but my theory is that Justin had to be observed for 4 hours after one of the medications that gave him and the InstaCare closes at 10pm so they couldn't do it. And the ambulance ride was probably b/c Justin still had to be on oxygen and we couldn't provide that on the way to the hospital. I so want to be right, but I still can't help thinking between an ambulance ride and a night at a hospital means "sigh, there goes our tax return..." but at least our little guy is ok in the end :) but yeah, everyone is sick today but me, so--dinners are welcome!!! hahaha!