Beware of M&Ms

On Monday we had to take Alayna back to the ER for difficulty breathing. They think that she has croup based on what we told them. Of course, she did not have the symptoms the whole time we were there. They just said to put Vicks vapor rub on her pajamas and put her in the bathroom with the shower on if she has difficulty breathing. She seems to be doing better.

You always see a variety of different people and issues when you go to the ER. It started with a small child approximately 4 yrs old screaming at his mom in the waiting area telling her what he would and would not do. Amazingly, Alayna who was right across from him continued sleeping.

The most interesting case we came across was when we got back to Alayna's room at the ER. We heard the nurses and doctor as they looked in awe at a chest xray of a five year old little boy. It showed a definite obstruction in one of his lungs. Apparently, the little boy had swallowed an M&M and it went into his lung!!! They had to transport him to John's Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for surgery. They were commenting that M&Ms may melt in your mouth but not in your lung. What a scarry thing!!

Trip to the ER

We had to take our first trip to the emergency room last night with Alayna. She has had a cold for about one week. However, late yesterday afternoon Brandon noticed that she was wheezing and you could feel her rattling in her back. I called the doctor and since it was after hours she told us to take her to the ER to be evaluated.

We went to Upper Chesapeake and were not surprised to find a waiting room full of people. We checked in and were told that it would only be a few minutes because Alayna would go to the pediatric er. I was a little skeptical but we were called within five minutes and taken directly back to a room. It is very nice because there is a totally seperate pediatric er with pediatricians on duty 24 hours a day.

Alayna did pretty well. She had a few crying fits but nothing major in our opinion. They gave her a breathing treatment which really did help. They also checked for RSV and the flu. Thankfully they were both negative. She was diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection. They didn't prescribe any medications because she is still too small.

We returned to our pediatrician today and were pleased to find out that her lungs were clear. We still have to watch her and the doctor said based on family history (me having asthma)she still may need a nebulizer at home.

She does seem to be doing better today. She is talking to her Pooh on her bouncer and giving him an occasionally whack. :)

First Cold

I had to take Alayna to the doctor's on Thursday. She officially has her first cold. Fortunately it is pretty mild and she is already doing much better. As you can see from our pictures it did wipe her out for a few days.

We had to go out and buy a vaporizer and a new thermometer. I asked the pediatrician what type of thermometer she recommended and she said a temporal scanner. I had never heard of such a thing. Brandon found one at Walmart for about $35. It is actually pretty cool because you just scan it across the forehead. We are learning about all kind of new things as parents!! :)