Kids in the hospital

It's funny the things that kids can remember. 

When my kids were little, they were hospitalized 12 times for asthma.

Even though daughter Kitty is in high school now, she told me she can still remember the last time she was hospitalized at age 7. She said she was SO MAD that she had to be in the hospital AGAIN!

Kitty and Son #2 both had pneumonia (as is our usual winter activity...) and were both VERY sick. We had already:

• bumped up their maintenance inhalers (long term controller meds) 
• started breathing treatments every 4-6 hours with the nebulizer 
• started oral steroids (Prednisone) 
• started antibiotics
• then had steroid shot (Decadron)  

And they were still getting worse. Son #2 was the first to end up in the hospital. He was admitted one night around 3am (they always get worse during the night.....)

Neighbor was at home while we were getting Son #2 admitted. and she was watching Kitty. When I returned from the hospital at 4am, i gave Kitty another breathing treatment. As soon as the doctor's office opened, I was on the phone to get them to look at Kitty.

Pediatrician listened to her lungs, reviewed her medications, and said, "Well, if she gets worse, you can bring her back tomorrow." I replied, "She won't be here tomorrow, she'll be admitted tonight."

I surprised myself when I said that. I don't know how I knew....I just knew.

I watched her all day and watched for the signs of an asthma emergency  

I knew she was getting worse. The final straw was when I was using the oxygen monitor that night.

It had been steadily dropping and had reached 91 (you should be close to 100.) I knew from past experience that our hospital will admit my kids if they have all the signs of an asthma emergency and their oxygen level drop to 90 or 91.

I called Hubby at the Pediatric Unit and said, "I'm bringing Kitty down to get admitted. Meet me in the ER." By this time, I had learned "the ropes" of having a kid in the hospital for asthma.

 

As soon as we entered the ER, they took us right back to a room and could see how sick she was. I told the ER Doc that her brother was admitted the night before and I felt she needed to be admitted too - it was time for the professionals to take over. She said, "Yes, good idea."  

I asked ER Doc to call up to Pediatrics and move Son #2 to a double room so he and Kitty could share a room. (See? I told you I had learned the ropes....)

 

This is the part where Kitty gets mad because she has to be admitted to the hospital.....again. But, she got to spend time with her brother and they were able to battle pneumonia together. Until he was discharged a day later, and she was stuck there for her 7th birthday. (The birthday story can be another post on another day.)

 

It's always funny to hear what kids remember. She was mad that she was admitted to the hospital again, but doesn't remember the story leading up to it. 

 

Well, Kitty....now you know!  

My Life as an Asthma Mom! Sometimes I wonder how I have survived all the stress over the years....