Sunday, October 28, 2007

Croupy croup boy

Well, Joshua got croup last night. His throat was soar and he was coughing so bad he couldn't catch his breath and then was gagging up phlegm and still couldn't take real breaths. Adam was very concerned and so was I so my ma and I took him to the hospital. Of course the symptoms got quite a bit better when we got outside, that is typical of croup as the cold air helps relieve the inflammation in the throat. So, got him there and the doc confirmed that it was croup and that he was okay and no longer in respiratory distress. I could tell as he was sleeping soundly on me by then. Doc says that he will grow out of this probably this year because the airways get bigger around 5-6 years old and then the inflammation is not a problem like it is in little kids. The doctor and nurses were the nicest ever, even though they were having a CRAZY night. Thank God Joshua was okay. He is having a little trouble talking today but his throat is not sore anymore.

The doctor said that we could give him the dose of steroid and that it would help so we wouldn't have to come back in again through the night but I decided to go with the natural method and leave a window cracked for fresh cool air as he slept. All was fine but I did end up missing church because he still has such a bad cough. So... there is it. He has had it before so once I knew that that was all it was, I was pretty relaxed. We were at the hospital for about an hour and a half as there were a lot of very serious things that had to push us further along. No big deal as I had my mom to keep me company. Scary stuff though when it started, I don't like to see my kids not be able to get breath, not fun at all. Hope tonight goes much better but really, for being sick, it went about as smoothly as possible. God bless you all!

From Kids Health
The term croup does not refer to a single illness, but rather a group of conditions involving inflammation of the upper airway that leads to a cough that sounds like a bark, particularly when a child is crying.
Most croup is caused by viruses, but similar symptoms may occasionally be caused by bacteria or an allergic reaction. The viruses most commonly involved are parainfluenza virus (accounting for most cases), adenovirus,
respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and measles.
Most children with viral croup are between the ages of 3 months and 5 years old. Croup is most likely to occur during the winter months and early spring, and symptoms are most severe in children younger than 3 years of age.
Most croup due to viruses is mild and can be treated at home, though rarely viral croup can be severe and even life-threatening. Some children are more prone to developing croup, especially those who were born
prematurely or with narrowed upper airways.

5 comments:

Jenny said...

Shay had it once when he was only a year and a half. They put the tent over him and he spent 2 days in the hospital.
Hope Joshua starts to feel better.

Charlene said...

I was concerned that it was that bad when Joshua got it last night but it wasn't so bad and I think that it was because his body is growing so it was easy for his body to remedy itself. Maybe the prayer on the way to the hospital helped also. But at the house, it was scary. Adam just told me to get him to the hospital fast. He was hardly able to breath at all! Freaky stuff!

Charlene said...
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Tanya said...

Syd used to get it too...she has asthma as well...its so hard to see them when they can't catch their breath...so glad to hear that he's doing better. Miss you in church though!

Have a good week!

Andrew Brown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.