A Real Scare...A True Miracle

As you probably know from my earlier post, Alayna has not been feeling too good and was possibly suffering from RSV. On Friday night, Dana and I got the scare of our life. Around 11:00 pm I decided to give Alayna one last breathing treatment before taking her up to bed. I was just finishing up the treatment when she started to act like she was going to gag or spit up. Dana grabbed her from her bouncy seat and she wouldn't respond. She was not able to clear her airway and she stopped breathing.

Without thinking I called 911 and Dana layed her on the floor and began CPR. For what seemed like an eternity, which was probably more like a minute to a minute and a half, Alayna had no breathing and was totally unresponsive. I can only describe her as a limp doll that was tinted blue. Both of us honestly thought that for a moment we were going to lose our baby girl. Finally though, she made a sound. I relayed that to the 911 dispatcher and then she made another sound. Dana got a bunch of formula and liquid secretions to come out during the CPR and he got her to gasp and take a breath. Dana saved Alayna's life. I am so thankful that he has the training and expertise as an EMT and that he was there. I can only imagine what I would have done if I were by myself. I believe God was watching over all of us that night and this is what was needed to get the attention she required. Like I said, I really thought I had lost her for a moment. But then afterwards, while following the ambulance to the hospital, a somewhat kind of peace came over me. I knew in my heart that everything was going to be alright. God brings peace to my life and he lives within us.

So now, we arrive at Trinity around midnight. She did very well in the ambulance and was kicking and moving around. She even had a major bowel movement which was so desperately needed all week. Immediately they put an IV in her hand, hocked her up to monitors, and took a sample from her nose to test for RSV. The test came back positive for RSV. Alayna also got a chest X-ray and they thought she may possibly have pneumonia.

At 2:30 am we were transferred up the the pediatrics floor 6. Alayna was the only patient and got two nurses all to herself. That was nice. She was put in an oxygen/mist tent and began nebulizer treatments immediately. Blood was also drawn for a CBC. Her white blood cell count in the ER was around 13,000 which is somewhat normal for her. Finally, at 5:00 am I got to lay down...or I should say sit up and sleep in the recliner. That unfortunately only lasted until 6:30 am when Dr. Brodd from the Pediatric Group came in.

Dr. Brodd asked a lot of questions about what had happened, her history, and assessed her. It was his recommendation that if she didn't perk up a bit by mid afternoon that he would talk to me about transferring her to either Peoria or Iowa City where they are better equipped to take care of sick babies. By 2:10 pm, Alayna was having her first helicopter ride to Iowa City to the Children's Hospital. It was Iowa game day, so the ambulance didn't want to get stuck in traffic. Dana and I decided to choose Iowa City simply for the fact that it is highly recommended to us and only 45 minutes from home. So far,we are very glad we made that choice. Anyway, we met the helicopter crew and pilot, watched them get her ready, walked her out with them and then witnessed it going up into the air. It was a bit nerve-racking, but I knew she needed to go to a better facility for better care. Dr. Brodd made a very good decision and I thank him for that.

So, now Dana and I head to Iowa City by car around 3:30 pm. She is on floor 2 in the general pediatric unit. The facility is absolutely gorgeous and her room looks like we are in a hotel. Other than I don't have a bed. The nurses have been wonderful and so far her favorite is her day nurse Stacia. Alayna is doing okay. She is extremely fussy which is not her usual self. She isn't feeling well, hasn't eaten in over 36 hours, and is tired and just irritable. I can't say I blame her! She is a really trooper.

Last night was a bit rough because she would wake up like clock work every 30 minutes to a half hour. So, I was up and down all night. Thank goodness for Diet Coke and peanut M&M's! I've spoke with 2 pulmonary doctors who are very nice and very wise. They also asked tons of questions about what had happened and are primarily concerned with the fact that she stopped breathing. At first it was believed that Alayna had pneumonia on top of RSV. But they are not 100% convinced. Her lungs show something, but they think it could be just inflammation from the RSV or that she may have aspirated some fluid into her lungs. On Monday, they plan to do another swallow study test (had one in Peoria in May) just to make sure she isn't an "aspirating" child. We surely wouldn't want this to ever happen again.

So, it looks like we'll be here at least until Wednesday. I pray we can have turkey dinner at home with family. If not, this will be the second holiday we've spent in the hospital. I'm doing okay. I do feel like I'm reliving the Peoria visit again though. It's tough, but we love her so much we'll do what we have to do. Again, Alayna has drawn out strength in me that I never knew existed.

RSV is a bad thing and this was life-threatening for Alayna. She scared us good. Just another incident reinforcing the fact that life is so precious. This has really shaken Dana up a lot. I can't thank him enough for his calmness and grace during those minutes on Friday night. I love you. This time of year is a time to give thanks.....I give thanks to my husband, my children, my family, my friends, and of course to the good Lord above.

I'll try to post later when I get a minute to step out of the room. She's up a lot and it's hard leaving her.