Colby's First Ambulance Ride

Brody is not the only one to have a "first" this weekend. On Friday night, Colby got to take his first ambulance ride to the ER at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Unfortunately, this one is not exactly a fun first!

Around 10:00 Friday night, Colby woke up and started crying. I went up to his room to check on him, and as soon as I opened the door, I knew something was wrong. He was struggling to get his breath. By the time I got down the stairs to Jason, he was just gasping for breath...unsuccessfully. I cannot even express how scared we were. We knew we had to get him to the hospital as soon as possible, so we quickly called 9-1-1. The fire engine was at our house within 2 minutes, and the ambulance was here only a couple of minutes later.

When we got to the hospital, the doctor checked him out and ordered a chest x-ray and some blood work. We were happy to hear that everything looked good, he didn't have a fever, he had no infections, and his heart was not the cause, but we were worried and frustrated that they weren't exactly sure what did cause the "attack." Their suspicion was that it was caused by acid reflux. He has had two other episodes similar to this (this one being the worst) in the last 2 months. The other times he would cry, grab at his chest, and struggle to breathe. They sent us home about 2 am with instructions to follow up with our pediatrician on Monday.

After seeing the pediatrician today, Colby has been diagnosed with Acid Reflux. Apparently, he has a pretty bad case of it! We are starting him back on some medicine for GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) and we have put an incline in his bed, which is supposed to help as well. Hopefully, this will put an end to these very scary episodes!

In addition to the ER trip on Friday, Colby came down with a little cold on Sunday. He ran a fever all day and was just absolutely pitiful. I think he let me hold him more Sunday than he ever has. I hated seeing him feel so badly, but I have to admit that I enjoyed all of the special cuddle time!

Below are a couple of pictures of Colby from the Emergency Room the other night. I am sure the nurses and doctors thought we were crazy for being there, because in true Colby fashion, he was the life of the party! He was dancing, blowing everybody kisses, and "talking" to anyone who came into the room. He even turned the bed into a slide by climbing up to the top of the inclined part and sliding down. He is such a happy and sweet boy, and he has a way of making everyone around him smile!