The Most Terrifying 10 Minutes Of My Life…
I was working in my office, next door was my son, sleeping in his room. It was around 1:15 pm when it all happened…
Earlier that morning my son, Ryder (he’s 2), woke up very sleepy, and very hot. We took his temperature. It was 101. Our doctor said not to bother calling unless it was 102 or higher. So we let him sleep, and put a cold compress on his forehead.
He tried to get up at around 11am, but he just didn’t have the energy and fell back to sleep.
So we put him in his crib around noon. I went back to my home office to work.
At 1:20 or so, I heard movement in his crib. A sound I’ve heard many times before as he begins to wake.
I walked to his door, opened it, and approached his crib with my loving smile; eager to see his smiling face…he’s always smiling when he wakes up…
But what I saw is burned into my memory banks forever…
His lips were blue, his eyes where glazed over, his mouth was bubbling slightly, and he looked like he was choking…arching his back uncontrollably. I grabbed him and turned him on his side thinking it might be vomit that he was choking on and hoping it would come out as I tapped his back. All this while I was on my way to the kitchen telephone.
I was terrified…almost out of body as I look back…
After trying to relieve his choking, I tried mouth to mouth. Nothing changed. I was panicking…
I laid him on the kitchen floor on his side, picked up the telephone to call 911, and the line was dead. I couldn’t get dial tone (my wife unplugged it earlier so that it wouldn’t wake him up). I threw it aside and then grabbed for my cell phone which as right next to the telephone and called 911, totally out of my mind with terror. They picked up and I was screaming our address into the phone.
My son was barely making a sound at this point. He stopped arching his back. I thought I was losing him.
His lips where still blue and his mouth was bubbling. Not a breath.
After a few minutes with the 911 operator I couldn’t take it anymore. I picked him up off the floor, and at the same time my wife came in through the back sliding door. She was on the phone outside speaking with one of our managers.
She said, ‘Oh My God’, and I yelled, ‘Get The Door’, and at that very moment as we approached the front door there was a knock. It was a Police Officer. He asked for my son, we went to our couch and laid him down.
At this moment it appeared as though there was color back in his lips, but his eyes where glazed over, and I noticed a little breath creeping through his nose and mouth.
Then, the Paramedics arrived.
They said his heart rate was in a normal range under the circumstances, his temperature was 101, and they said he probably had a Fibrol Seizure, and that although it looks terrible, but that he is probably going to be fine. But to be sure, they wanted to bring him to Emergency. I totally lost it, sobbing for several seconds.
I rode with him in the Ambulance (he loves Ambulances and Fire Trucks…) and my wife met us at the Hospital.
He slept on our chests as we took turn with him, my wife and I. A couple hours later he spoke a little bit, and he was coming along fine.
We eventually went home, and he was almost normal except for his scratchy voice. I couldn’t believe the change that occurred, but I was so amazingly happy he was OK. Nothing else mattered.
He ate a small dinner, even took a bath.
When he want to sleep I lost it again as I re-lived the experience…the look on his face…
My wife re-assured me that he was going to be fine. And he is. Thank God.
Thanks for listening.
17 Responses
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Posted on September 30th, 2008 by admin and filed under Uncategorized |
September 30th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
My heart goes out to you both as I know how terrifying that was for you. My son had the same thing happen when he was about a year and a half, and continued to have them until about the time he started kindergarten, which his doctor said was very typical. I’m sure your pediatrician has mentioned this so you know what to expect in the future. However, it does not ease the horror of reliving the whole thing. Thank God everything is now ok.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Brian.
Your account of what happened is quite scary. Thank God your son is OK. This really hits home when you have kids of you own. Nothing in this world is more important.
Take care
Dave Dugas
September 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Just curious, did he recently receive a vaccination? Febrile seizures in infants have been reported frequently among children who receive certain vaccinations.
Check out: http://www.thedoctorwithin.com
September 30th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Brian,
we had a terminally ill child when we lived in CA. who lived for 7 years. He was in ICU at Childrens Hospital in Oakland for a 2 weeks. Twice while he was there, he stopped breathing and only thru medical help and a higher power, he lived. When we got him home, he lived with us for 1 year but the financial toll of having a nurse 8 hours a day finally caught up with us and we had to find 24 hour care, which we did at Sonoma Developmental Center, Our son Cameron lived another 6 years and during that time we thought we had lost him 2-3 times and so we experienced what you have and can only say that we feel for what you went thru and we will never forget the joy he brought along with the sadness of his quality of life. I hope your son has a long and healthy life, I’m sure God’s blessings are upon you and your family.
Mike Landers
September 30th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Brian
Thank you for share your experience. My wife and I are not yet parents (we are adopting after many years of trying), but I can only imagine what you went through. Probably what my wife went through some years ago when I was injured while away and about ready to enter the operating room by the time she was notified, 20 hours later and 3 hours away from home.
You and your family are in my thoughts.
Patrick
September 30th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
that has to be the worst day of your life. God Bless you and your family. I hope you do believe in God. Since yu have a new son in him
September 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Wow. Glad it all worked out. Thank God I never had to have anything like that happen with my son. He’s 32 now and has always been healthy. Not sure if I’d have been able to handle that.
Jim
September 30th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
glad it turned out well.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
OMG what a terrifying experience. Thank goodness your little one is okay. Thank you for sharing, it may be helpful for anyone else this happens to.
God Bless!
September 30th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Thank God your son is doing fine. Your experience can be very helpful to someone else. Thanks for sharing your experience with your readers. Will keep you and family in my prayers.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:14 am
Brain,
Thank god, He is alright.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:00 am
God speed to you and all of us. May we walk in the light with Jesus, as he walked her on earth let us walk his way too. Amen
October 1st, 2008 at 8:51 am
Brian,
As a single Dad of a teenager, I have never had to go through something like that,(The usual bumps & bruises don’t count) so I can’t imagine what you went through.
I am very thankful to hear that your son is ok.
Peace and love to you and your family.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:53 pm
[...] I was not prepared for the outpouring of support, kind words, and other parents experiences (Mike, I really feel for you man), in regards to our terrifying experience. [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Thank God, Ryder is good now.
God bless your family, Brian.
October 1st, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Wow Brian…
Man, having 2 small kids I guess I could imagine what you & your wife were going through. But, I can’t…we never had an occurence like THAT! Gee wiz dude, my heart was pounding just from reading the first few paragraphs, I can’t imagine what yours was doing.
Hey man, thank the good Lord that he is fine. Our prayers go out to you & your wife & Ryder.
My best,
Jim Rodante
October 1st, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Both our girls did that. The Docs told us it is inherited…my husband did that when he was young.
Yes it is horrible, but thank god you were with him and everything worked out fine. It happens because the fever rises too fast. We learned that constantly taking their temps and putting them in tepid water, even though you think it is warm…to them it is colder will bring the temp down and putting peppermint essential oil on the bottom of their feet also brings temps down.
My kids are grown and have their own families now but I still worry with the grandkids. Everything happens for a reason. Don’t take things for granted. Love life ..love deeply.