Sean has Bronchitis with a side of Croup!

Yesterday, Sean woke up from an afternoon nap with a raging fever (102.8) and labored breathing. At 4:30. On a Friday. I called his Pediatrician and quickly said, "My son is Dr. U's patient, he has Down syndrome, a fever of 102.8 and is having difficulty breathing. Can Dr. U see him today?"

Within a couple of minutes, Dr. U was on the phone and asking me a couple questions, then asked me to hold the phone up to Sean so he can listen to him breathe. I got back on the phone and he said, "I'll stop by after I leave the office and look at him." Total benefits of living right next to your Ped!

Dr. U came over around 7 pm and was surprised to hear that it came on so sudden. He said he sounded like he was a week and half into bronchitis. He suggested we give him Motrin/Tyenol for the fever and Robitussin for the cough to try to loosen up and make it easier for his lungs to expel. He gave us his cell phone number to call if he got worse.

At 3:30 am, he woke up struggling to breathe. We gave him more Robitussin, Motrin, and then did an albuterol treatment with the nebulizer. He fought the meds and that made his breathing even worse. Of course all this woke up the other kids (oh, and did I mention that my sister and her 2 sons are visiting this weekend for Aidan's bday? Um, yeah, they woke up too.) Anyway, we got it done, settled everyone back down to bed and tried to get some sleep. Only Sean didn't improve. So at 4 am we decided to take him to the ER. Mind you, he wants MOMMY. Oh, and DADDY. And Ella is still running a fever and nursing and not about to sleep at home without me. So the four of us went to the ER.

Sean had a chest xray done, lab work drawn, was given an epi shot and breathing treatment, and was started on an antibiotic. Bronchitis, with a side of Croup for one, please.

We got back home around 6:30 am and got a couple hours of sleep. Sean still sounds rough, but at least we have a treatment plan in place. I hope the meds make him feel better soon. Thank God my family is here this weekend to help with the other two! Aidan slept fine the rest of the night with his cousins and they've been great at keeping the healthy ones busy while Sean gets his snuggles. My sister made a great breakfast for us, so I'm going to grab a bite. Soon Nana and Papa will be here, too. Just hope no one goes home with a bug!

*P.S. Dr. U took a look at Ella and she sounds clear and her ears are clear, so hopefully she doesn't get this too.

*P.P.S. Some may remember me waffling about our first pediatrician we had here. She moved her practice this past summer and I made the decision to split with her and go to Dr. U instead. SUCH A GOOD CHOICE! Couldn't be happier with his service and personality.