Landon and a UTI

Landon's happy to be home!!

Wow what a week! Last Wednesday our grief support group had a potluck for spring break and we brought Brennan, Landon, Brooke & Daddy. Hailey was so excited to bring her family :) We realized about 15 minutes into the meeting Landon's oxygen was turned off so we turned it back on, a little higher than usual, to let him perk back up. He was still sleeping but his color was good so didn't think anything of it. After the group finished, we put everyone back in the car and when we put Landon in, he lost his color and stopped breathing. We got him back out and stimulate him and he started breathing again, fast, but steady. I rode in the back in case we needed to pat his chest again but he was doing better so we decided to head home (took the route by the hospital just in case, but he was looking good). We really were on the expressway for about 2 minutes when he did it again and went into a seizure. He lost his color, stopped breathing, his eyes shot open and he was staring, shaking and stiff. I turned up his o2 as far as it would go and was patting and shaking him but he wasn't responsive so we called 911. We got off at the next exit and met the ambulance at a gas station. They had to give him 15 liters of oxygen and breathing treatments and we ran with lights and sirens to Allegiance. They started an IV, gave him steroid and antibiotic and sent us with lights to UM. Within 45 minutes of us being there, his o2 dipped low to 52% so the doc's kept a closer eye on him. He stabilized and Nich ran out to the car for a minute and all of a sudden Landon wasn't moving any air. He wasn't breathing in - somehow his airway was swollen and they had to immediately intubate. They had a rough time and at one point his o2 saturation was down to 3% and heart rate in the 50s. They had to have him sedated so he wouldn't fight the vent (they know him all too well!) and admitted him to PICU. He was on the vent for 3 days, in ICU for 5 days and we came home on the 6th day.

So what in the world happened?!? A urinary tract infection (UTI). He spiked a fever on the ride home which sent him into a febrile seizure. This swelled his airway and threw his respiratory drive out of wack. Also, when they were trying to get a urine catheter, the balloon on the end that keeps it in place burst and 'traumatized' his urethra. Urology was able to get in a new catheter and he bled for 3 days. Crazy! He also got 2 teeth while he was in! The docs were also concerned about his airway being floppy but thankfully has checked out ok for now. We did come home with a suction that can help us get the buggers from the back of his throat. Since he has a weak cough, this will help get that junk out of his throat and he can breathe better.

This whole experience just took me back to the critical times just over a year ago. Even though he wasn't as sick, my mind went back there. I was able to stay at Ronald McDonald House (really our home away from home) and got back in the hospital swing of things. When the babies are sick, God is so near. He is still near, getting us through all these challenges, but it's really evident when I'm exhausted, out of my comfort zone and away from home. We are so thankful for the strength and comfort God can give! There's now way we'd get through all of this without Him!