Well I will start with the end... Baby is doing great!
Monday morning the baby had a slight fever which he has had off and on for days with all his nice new teeth coming in. Well he was doing great all day and despite not feeling well rather happy. Mom had been home all morning as was 8.5 yo since he woke with a fever. I had to go see my Dr so the wife stayed home so I would not have to take 2 sick kids to Preschool Drop Off and my Dr appointment. He had a wonderful morning despite being cranky, but his mom and oldest brother were around which made him very happy. After mom went back to work we played a little, ate and then he fell asleep at around 2:00 pm and napped restlessly for about an hour. When he woke up he was cranky and pretty warm so he happily took a nice bath and played. He splashed around, but had no interest in playing for a long time. Afterward he laid down on me while we relaxed watching TV. He was happy cuddling up to me and playing with his favorite stuffed animal that one of his brothers thoughtfully brought to him and of course going to town on a binky. He was restless, but his binky and stuffed toy made him happy as well as smelling his favorite blanket. All of a sudden he stopped going to town on the binky which I thought was a sign he fell back asleep, but his right arm started to twitch. Within seconds his right leg started to twitch so I moved him to see what was going on and his eyes were rolled back into his head, he was drooling and non responsive. Without even thinking I Grabbed phone called 911... At this panicky moment I had my 8.5 yo run to get the neighbor since I had to focus on the 911 call and the baby. While on the phone I dialed the wife two times and she picked up the second having to speak with a panicking 8.5yo while I spoke the 911 operator. The neighbor ran in just moments before the Police arrived (less then 3 minutes) and was able to speak with the wife. The first officer on scene quickly moved to my little boys twitching body and examined him while radioing to the rescue vehicle. He was also able to relax me enough to not panic, but thee sight of my baby not responding and twitching was enough to drive me mad. A few minutes later which seemed like an eternity the paramedics were pulling up to the house. I could see them pull up from an angle out one of my windows. One of the officers not waiting for the paramedics picked up the baby and ran him to the ambulance meeting the paramedics in the front yard. The paramedics asked a few questions while they strapped the little guy in and they were off. I quickly made sure the other boys were safe with the neighbor and took off in the van 2 minutes behind them. I called the wife in the middle of it all and she actually pulled into the hospital just ahead of the ambulance. The drive to the hospital 7 miles away was horrific. I could only see his little body not responding in my head the whole way there. I parked rather badly (noticed later) ran into the ER and without waiting rudely asked where my son was. They quickly brought me back to where he was with my wife at his side and six others attending to him. Seeing him with the O2 mask on, wires and tubes everywhere actually made me weak at the knees until a nurse grabbed my attention letting me know what was going on.
Well the Doctors had him under control right away and he was pumped with drugs. He came in at 102.8 after being down below 100 before 2:00. Well as we fear every time he teethes he had an ear infection to go along with his seizure. It took them a little while to get ever thing for us to not be going crazy. The pediatricians office called to make sure all was well and make sure they were treating him well. The local fire department also called to find out how he was doing.
He had a Febrile Seizure which is common in infants and toddlers (apparently) when they have a sudden and drastic rise in temperature. I do not know how many of you have witnessed an infant have a seizure, but that was probably they most frightening things I have ever witnessed. The blank look on his face, the rolled eyes and the gaping mouth will haunt me forever...
After a few hours and a bunch of tests including a CT Scan and xray he started to come out of the drug induced stupor.
We went to our pediatrician Tuesday morning and had a really good chat about the whole episode. On the way to the hospital yesterday I called them to let them know and spoke with one of the nurses that knows us. Unfortunately the hospital closest is not one my pediatrician is affiliated with, but that is fine they still did a good job. At the time I only cared about one thing getting him to the hospital ASAP.
After talking with the Dr he does have one concern since the seizure was localized to one side of the body. It could just be an unusual case (not unheard of) but in a few weeks we will be going in for an EEG to make sure everything is firing right in the brain.
He talked about from this point on whenever he gets a fever to start a Tylenol/Motrin regiment to keep the fever down. Since he had one he has a 30% higher chance of having another seizure. The Dr said he may never have one again. If he does have another one however they will train us on how to administer Valium to stop the Seizures.
The Dr was also very happy with my panic mode response and getting the paramedics there ASAP. It is rare that there are any damages from a Febrile seizure, but it could be something else underlying that is the cause. This time it was an Ear Infection, but it could just as easily be anything from Meningitis to Pneumonia.
The Nurse I spoke to Monday in transit that has a blast with the boys was the one there this morning. She said she hardly slept that night thinking about The baby. She said just the thought of me (the Big Dad) in tears had her beside herself. (Everyone Loves Him) Some of the other staff even mentioned how much she was pacing that morning until we had the appointment set. It is nice to know our Pediatricians office has such a connection to us. She even mentioned that she knows most kids by name, but would need the chart to kick in who they were. My boys and I she would recognize on the street. I am the rare Dad that comes in all the time, plus I am not a small man so I tend to be a little unforgettable.
So we have a followup on the ear infection in a couple weeks and then need to set an appointment for an EEG...
This is something I hope to never again have to go through. Needless to say I have been extra lax in writing since I have been rather sidetracked with this frightening experience.
"Take It One Day At A Time"
