Sick Joshua

We have all been sick around here. Some worse than others with bronchitis. The kids are on antibiotics, but I think they have a virus too. We took Minna to the doctor Saturday, and Joshua got sick Sunday afternoon, so we took him Monday morning. The whole way to the doctor Joshua kept saying "I'm not sick" over and over again. After the doctor looked at him and pronounced him sick and prescribed him medicine, Joshua walked out of the doctor's office telling everyone, "the doctor says I am not sick". He kept that up until we were almost home, then he decided he felt worse.

Later after his nap he came down, and I was reminding him to drink but just casually, and not checking up to make sure he was. He was also looking really pitiful so I got him a pillow and tucked him in on the couch.

I didn't think to check his temperature, it was 101 that morning, which isn't so high I used to worry about it. I guess his fever spiked while he was watching TV, and it was compounded by the blanket and being dehydrated. Anyway I walked in the living room and Joshua was having a febrile seizure. Brian was on the phone, and I told him to hang up, which he did and called 911.

It was the scariest thing ever to watch him have the seizure. He started choking on his drool and started turning blue/gray. I guess that is normal to turn a little blue anyway, but the 911 people told us to get him on the floor on his side, and that helped bring his color back. The paramedics showed up and gave him some oxygen, and Brian and Joshua went on an ambulance ride to the hospital. (Hopefully this isn't a every 3 1/2 year event). Minna and I got some things together and went a few minutes later and met our wonderful home teacher there, who helped me navigate the emergency room to find Joshua, helped Brian give Joshua a blessing, stuck around for a while for moral support, and then took Minna home where he and his wife put Minna to bed.

When Joshua got to the hospital his temperature was 103, and they say that a seizure is the body's way to bring down the temperature. They gave him some Tylenol, did an x-ray, because his lungs sounded yucky, but he didn't have pneumonia. Then they did blood work, and put an IV in. They used the IV to hydrate him and later gave him some Motrin. By 9:00 that night he was much happier, so we were able to get out of the hospital and go pick up Minna. Once Joshua really woke up, he kept asking about Minna and wanted her to come home.

So now going forward we can only let his temperature get to 101 before we treat his fever, and I will be much more careful about making him take fluids. The kid has been spoiled today, lots of juice, popsicles, and what ever else he wants to eat.