Hospital with Ewan

On Friday the 2 March I got to experience what must be the worst moment I have had as a parent. It all started innocently enough on the 28 Feb with Ewan having a fairly bad cough. I didn't think much of it and hauled out the normal cough syrup. The kid really coughs a lot and most mornings starts the day with a small coughing fit. I figured he had lung problems but nothing to major. It seems to run in both families so we just left it as something that would improve with age.

On that Tuesday he went to spend the afternoon with my parents and my Mom got really worried about him. They took him to the pharmacist who refused to treat him as normal because his cough was now that bad. My folks took him to the doctor and called me to meet them there. By the time I arrived the kid was bouncing all over the place and singing. The Doctor still saw him and stated that he had a slight lung infection. He was nebulized and put on some meds. I dutifully gave him the meds that night and he threw up in my arms. Same procedure the next day. Ewan now had a temp and was refusing to eat anything. I kept him home from school with his nanny and figured he would be better the next day.

Thursday the temp was even higher and he was still refusing food and now he wouldn't drink. The meds weren't staying down and in a slightly icky turn he hadn't passed a stool in two days. So I took him back to the doctor for his follow up as requested by the doctor. The doctor nebulized him again and said the lungs were clearing and he should be getting better.

Friday the 2nd he hadn't eaten for four days and nothing to drink for thirty six hours. He just screamed and pushed everything away. In desperation and thinking that if he didn't get some liquid soon his organs would start failing. I was terrified.The doctor sent us for chest x-rays which showed a mass in the right lung.

The doctor told me to take him to see a pead doctor. Ours is in Umhlangha where Ewan was born. I phoned her office and was told to take him to casualty at the hospital.  While I was packing clothes for what I thought would probably be an overnight stay Ewan was playing on his bike and making me second guess myself.

I phoned Andrew who was away diving in Sodwana and told him to get to Durban as his soon needed him. He said he would make a plan then I didn't here from him again until I was in Umhlangha a three hour drive away. Let's just say that somebody still going for his dive put some definite strain on our marriage that day.

The hospital was fantastic. We were seen in the triage room within about 30 seconds of arriving in casualty. I have never seen quite such a high tech medical room and it was all a bit scary. Ewan was assigned an orange code and then taken to another cubicle. Ten minutes later another casualty doctor saw him. She was so good with him. He is at the stage of asking lots of questions and she happily answered all of them and explained in detail what she was doing.

The doctors and nurses were so nice and kept everybody calm. Ewan mean while was singing and dancing again. They gave him a suppository to bring down his temp. An hour later he asked for a McDonalds burger( he saw the sign on the way in). My father who drove down with us went running for the burger. He did eat some of the burger but it wasn't enough. I was still so happy to see him eat.

There was an accident on the road so a number of people were brought into casualty. The whole place got a bit crazy but they still came to apologize to us about the delay. We did stay in casualty for fours. During this time he was seen by three doctors and had a nurse assigned to him the whole time. After a consult with a pead they decided to admit Ewan to the childrens ward or peads. Our medical aid didn't cover the time in casualty so I nervously went to the pay window. The total cost was R390. I couldn't believe it was almost the same amount I pay to see our local GP considering everything that was done for us there.

They had a lovely oversized cot for him in a ward with two smaller babies with lung issues. An hour after we arrived at the ward Andrew arrived. I have never in my life been so happy to see. I was shaking with fear by this stage. I don't like hospitals and having my son in there was just terrifying.

My Dad and I left to go and organize two hotel rooms for the night. I arrived back just in time for Ewan to be taken to the procedure room for bloods and to have a drip inserted. Andrew went with him but I still was shaking with every loud scream from my poor baby.

When he got back to his bed he proudly showed me his big owie and his machine. They insert a small flexible tube instead of the standard needle for adults. There is a teddy bear plaster on top of the tube and his hand was strapped into a sports type support brace. He was so proud of it.

I left for the night and Andrew slept next to him in a recliner chair. I was shattered after the stress of the day and at that moment I was so happy to have the kind of husband who would sleep the night beside Ewan so I could have a decent nights sleep. He was the only father that stayed over the rest were mothers.

The next few days are a blur in my mind. We have visits from doctors and physio's. Ewan was put on a four day antibiotic through the drip. I spent my days at the hospital or running around Gateway buying books, cars and puzzles to keep Ewan happy. Andrew left at 12 each day to go to the hotel for a shower and a sleep in a bed. He would get back around six then we would try and give Ewan some dinner followed by a bath(which he loved) and getting him ready for bed. I would leave at about 8:30 then drive in the pouring rain of Cyclone Irina to get a takeaway for dinner which I would eat in my hotel room. This was followed by a bath and then washing clothes in the bath for Ewan and I. Fun times.

They had suggested we would spend four nights in the hospital but they decided to let him out at midday on Monday as long as we stayed that night in Umhlangha just in case.

We took Ewan to John Dory's for lunch and he piled into chicken strips, chips and a strawnberry milkshake. He was finally really eating. I think the child was starving but the hospital  food to quote himwas yucky. I was just relieved to have my bouncing toddler back.

The whole experience was awful but I certainly have a lot of sympathy now for parents with sick children in hospital. My brain shut down those few days. Your whole world revolves around that little cot in the ward. You are blanketed from what is happening outside those walls. I would have done anything to switch places with Ewan and take away that pain from my baby. He handled the whole thing very well. He had a balloon he loved to throw around so he would stand next to the bed and ask me to move his machine around after him so he could play. Its amazing how children adapt to another way of life.

Its almost two weeks later and today he will finally finish his course of antibiotics. I am glad this whole episode is behind us. I am thankful for the wonderful supportive husband and family I have. Mostly I am grateful that Ewan is fine and back at school running around. We have to keep an eye on him as the doctor thinks he may have asthma which is why he has so many lung issues. Ewan also has an allergy to house dust mites but then so does about 70% of the world so not really a problem.

I just hope this is the only hospital stay we have with him.