When Asthma Attacks... A Recap of our Labor Day Weekend.

Friday Meg was being clingy and whiny. I thought maybe she was getting this virus that Q had a week ago where you get sores in your mouth and a fever and drooling. There is nothing you can do for it, so I was just keeping an eye on it.

Saturday night, Meg woke up and wouldn't go to back to sleep. She kept coming into our room every hour and crying at the top of her lungs. Finally Heber got up with her at 6, and the went down and watched TV. I got up at 7 and we gave Meg oatmeal. She wouldn't eat it. If any of you know Meg, you know somethings wrong if she wont eat her oatmeal. So I gave her her 2nd favorite thing. Yogurt. she wouldn't eat it.

She started to breathe heavy and you could see her whole body making an effort to breathe in one short breath. I started to get worried. You could see her tummy poking in and out with every breath.

We called the dr at 10:05 and were in the dr's office at 10:15. They said to get in right away. The dr took a look at her lungs, and said She is in bad shape! we might have to keep her overnight if the breathing treatments don't work. She is having an asthma attack.

So she got a breathing treatment, and a nebulizer for us to do home treatments for 5 days every 4 hours around the clock. They also gave us a prescription for steroids to help the breathing passage way decrease in swelling. It worked great! The Dr was amazed at how quickly she was recovering, and decided she didn't need overnight treatment at the hospital. So we headed home.

On the way out of the hospital, in the parking lot, Meg threw up. So I decided to take her home before going to get the prescriptions. I took her home and told Heber that Home Health Care was going to come and drop off the nebulizer and to watch her closely. I left. I was gone for 30 minutes! (it took forever!)

I got back to see that Meg was doing just as bad as before the treatments, I was told to call back if she didnt respond to the treatments or got worse. I was told to give her a dose of the new meds, and wait for 15 minutes to see if she improved. She didnt so back to the dr we went. This time we had to see a different dr because it was a saturday and it was after hours and they rotate drs.

The dr told us that we would have to have Meg stay the night in the hospital for monotoring. She wasnt getting enough air. her air intake was 85 and its suposed to be above 95 for a healthy person. So she got an oxygen mask and we headed up to Utah Valley Hospital.

I felt so bad seeing her in this oxygen mask. Everyone who passed us gave us this interested sad look. I of couse was bawling the whole time which drew to the attention. We got there and got settled. I decided I would stay with her and Heber would take Q home.

It was a long, long night! She had to get oxygen tubes put in her nose and a monitor on her foot. She kept saying she was fine, and kept trying to take the tubes and moniters off. Sometimes we had to fight her, But mostly she was a model patient. All the dr's said how good she was, and how cute and funny she was.

Right when we got settled into the room, the nurse brought in a ton of toys and gifts that meg could keep! A blanket, a mickey mouse doll, and a little goody bag, and so much more! I am truly grateful for the volunteers that put that stuff together for the kids. She thought it was Christmas.

Grandma and Grandpa Billings, and Joe and Raylene decided to stop by for a visit. They brought her this cute little doll with a dr's kit, she was taking temperatures, and checking the heart beat, and everything. Thanks for coming to visit and for the pizza!

I asked the nurse to do a test to see what her oxygen level was. I was curious to see if it had gone up. and it had! It was holding a good level in the 90's. It was enough to not have to have her on oxygen if she continues to do well. She didn't have to get back on oxygen after that.

I finally got her to sleep at 9, and then it was my turn to calm myself down. I couldn't sleep because her monitor was set to go off when her levels got to 89 and it kept going off and waking me up. They were low, but they decided not to put the oxygen back on at this time to see if it would work itself out. When they wern't going off, someone was coming in to give her a breathing treatment, or vitals or whatever. She had to get a breathing treatment every 4 hours around the clock. It was a long night!

We stopped the wheezing in her lungs and Sunday at 4 they decided it was ok to come home to continue treatments. Its going to be a long week. We all are so exhausted, but Meg is doing great, and as long as she continues to keep this up then all will be well.

We believe this was attack was triggered by a cold and a high fever. We aren't sure if this is going to be a long term thing or a one time thing. Only time will tell.