Emergency Room

Last night was a seemingly normal night. Emma ate dinner around 6:30 and we were playing with the refridgerator magnets around 6:45. By 6:50, it began to go downhill. Emma started coughing. Not out of the ordinary right now so at first we weren't alarmed. But after about 5 straight minutes of this, we got her inhaler to see if that would help. No change.

We decided to take her in the living room and turn on the tv in hopes of calming her down and maybe that would make her stop. No change. After another 5 minutes, we got her breathing treatment down and got about half of it in her before she became too hysterical from the coughing to hold her down. Still no change.

Then Josh called the emergency line at her pediatrician's office and they said we had done everything they would suggest, so we needed to head to the Children's Emergency Room. Before even one minute had passed, we were all three in the car and headed to the ER. It was pouring rain and Emma was having a hard time breathing at this point from coughing so severly for what had been about an hour by the time we arrived at the ER. Clearly at this point, I am terrified and crying.

I pulled myself together long enough to check her in. After a couple of minutes in the waiting room, Emma all of a sudden stopped the coughing fit. We decided to stay anyway since she had already been checked by the nurse and we were so close to being called back to a room. Her face, hands, feet and chest were completely red and her heart was beating so fast.

The doctor was concerned that since the coughing began and ended so abruptly, that she had swallowed something. So we had to get a chest xray and do a 45 breathing treatment to see if that would help. Then we had to go back to xray to do two different angels. None of the xrays showed anything, so they were comfortable she didn't asperate anything.

They finally concluded that it was most likely an allergic reaction to something. To what, we have absolutely no idea. But they did give her Benedryl since her face, hands, feet and chest were so red and that did seem to help so they are pretty sure that was the overall cause.

In addition, the doctor was not happy with the sound of her breathing. He thought it should be more improved after being on a steroid and 4 breathing treatments a day since Sunday. He wants us to go see her regular doctor in a few days for a follow up.

So, after FIVE hours at the ER, Emma was finally discharged. On the bright side, she had a good time exploring everything in her hospital room. And she flirted BIG time with her doctor. She already has her sights set on a doctor!

Isn't she a cute patient?
Playing with the Emergency Room Visitor stickers - you know how she loves stickers.

Trying to relax for a few minutes.

Being adorable even though she is sick.
Daddy playing with her trying to keep her spirits up even though it was WAY past her bedtime.
Approximately 20 seconds after pulling out from the ER...so tuckered out.