Ady's Asthma Attack

It all started on Sunday, February 23rd. Ady generally always wheezes and coughs but this day was a bit worse than others and her rescue inhaler and normal meds weren't working like they normally do. We put her to bed but by 10pm her breathing was so labored Derek took her in to Cook Children's urgent care to get checked. After 2 hours there and some breathing treatments, her oxygen numbers were stable so they sent her home. Hindsight will be that they should have admitted her but it was late at night and what's done is done.

The next morning she really wasn't any better so I called the doctor at 8am to get in for a followup ASAP.

While we were there they couldn't get her oxygen numbers solid even with an oxygen tank and it was at that point they suggested we get to Cook Children's main camps in Fort Worth by ambulance. They didn't want her off oxygen for the ride down and I'm glad we went that route. She was terrified only for a minute when 6 grown men stormed into the tiny room and started hooking her to things.

Poor girl immediately got strapped to tons of IV's and the ER docs ran a multitude of tests to determine what was happening and why she couldn't breath on her own. It's quite terrifying to see your child struggle to breath and then read dangerously low numbers on the monitor.

Everything came back negative meaning most likely it was viral and that it just caused a severe asthma attack. It was beyond frustrating to not have black and white answers and we were admitted to the hospital for the night. 

But that night turned in to 6 loooooooong days of ups and downs and anger and tears and tests and treatments and more treatments and more tears. We would wean her off oxygen only to have her numbers tank over and over and over. Derek and I would stare at her monitor all night long just watching the numbers to make sure they didn't dip below 90. We knew we were in a wonderful facility and where she needed to be but it was just an emotional and frustrating process. Ady was an absolute champ and we worked our butts of with her doing all the walking and lung exercises they recommended throughout the week. She took all the meds and treatments like a champ and really deserved all the treats she was getting while there.

 

Her friends and classmates sent tons of cards and dropped baskets of toys and goodies off on our step at home for Derek and I to grab each time we ran home to shower. She felt SO loved and I think that helped so much. 

Finally on Sunday, March 1st she had gone 24 hours without oxygen and it was time to go home. We were all ready to get out of that little hospital room.

We are now on a different inhaler and hope to never be back there again!