(Warning: Longest. Post. Ever.)
To wrap up the long, Labor Day weekend, we spent our Monday off enjoying breakfast out and a play date with Lisa and Hadley. After nap time, we spent time outside and then after an early dinner, we out for froyo. Both boys were in good spirits, and aside from Cole's runny nose (an extremely common occurrence with that kid), all was good. Later that evening, Cole was coughing and started to wheeze a bit, similar to something he went through back in May during a cold which required an inhaler for a few days to clear up a cold that had moved to his chest.
Later that evening, he began coughing a lot and could only sleep for short periods before waking up coughing, then crying which would lead to worse wheezing. We tried the inhaler we still had on hand, and while that helped for brief periods, the coughing/crying/wheezing cycle continued and seemed to get worse. By 4 a.m., he was exhausted and seemed to be struggling to breathe, and after a quick search of nearby urgent cares confirmed that nothing was open, we decided it was time to head to the ER to get checked out. So Corey headed there, while I stayed back with Jackson.
I just assumed it was similar to the May episode, and that they'd be home shortly with a new inhaler but as I was getting Jackson ready for school, Corey texted saying that they wanted to transfer Cole from Swedish Issaquah to First Hill as they had a better pediatrics unit, and that he'd likely need to stay for a few days. Poor baby!
I got J to school and headed to the hospital, where Cole finished up a treatment and then he and I headed to First Hill in an ambulance.
J loved visiting Cole that night, giving him hugs and taking everything in. The first thing he said to Corey when I brought him in was, "Daddy, tell me everything about Cole!" Then he spent the rest of his stay asking what all the machines and vitals were for, what each button did, opening doors and cupboards, etc.
That first day, Cole was on oxygen and received albuteral every two hours which meant numerous cords attached to him, but because he was so tired, it wasn't too difficult to deal with. That evening though, I cuddled with him until he fell asleep and then transferred him to the crib where he'd sleep fine until he went to roll over (he moves all over his crib when he sleeps), and all the cords would make this impossible. After many wake-ups, cuddle sessions and nurse/respiratory therapist visits, we made it through the night.
Cole woke up around 6 a.m. and was much more himself - chatty, active and had a bit more of an appetite. While I was so glad to see him in better spirits, that second day in the hospital was the longest day ever. Keeping a 19-month old happy and entertained in a very small space, while attached to various machines, proved to be very difficult. But, we survived between several naps, many climbs into and out of the chair in the room, opening/closing drawers and the fridge, cartoons, books, toys, and looking out the window (lots of trucks, buses, cars and airplanes!). Finally, we were able to remove some wires and he was able to roam around a bit more.
They extended the time he went between treatments and switched over to an inhaler and after a few rounds of that, we were given the go-ahead to head home. The net is that while they can't officially diagnose asthma at this age, this appears to be in-line with asthma. That said, the only triggers have been colds/coughs at this point; we're not sure if there are other triggers we just haven't come across yet, or if it's just colds that could trigger it. But we have a good plan in place and inhalers on hand, to help avoid us getting to the point of wheezing and difficulty breathing.
Cole's been sleeping great since our arrival home and has gone right back to bed after we've had to wake him for an inhaler treatment before we head to bed. He's completely back to himself, climbing on things, wanting to go outside, eat, chat and play and we are so thankful for all of his great doctors and nurses. And he was honestly such a trooper - he handled everything and everyone he encountered like a champ. The nurses were impressed with how well he was dealing with all the monitoring and check-ups at such a young age. For being so brave, the first hospital gave him a teddy bear (which he cuddled non-stop during his entire stay) and the second hospital gave him a cool dump truck toy.
It was a long, stressful and exhausting week but we are all so glad our crazy Coley is back in action!
Getting ready to get in the ambulance. That's his car seat on the stretcher to ensure he was safely strapped in.
Day 1 was full of lots of sleeping and snuggling.
He loved these V8 smoothies from the hospital cafeteria.
Night night, sweet boy.
Good morning, Seattle! He loved looking out the window onto Broadway. So many vehicles to see.
Car seats and snacks are a great way to keep kiddos occupied in a hospital room (and yes, he wanted to be strapped in).
Playing with the toys the hospital loaned him. He was so excited to see these after waking up from a nap.
Best text from Corey, as Cole was discharged.
Jackson loved having his bro back
You'd never know this kiddo was in the hospital just 24 hours earlier
