Big Big Scary Day...

19th November '09

You were due to be admitted today for your stint procedure 2moro but Crumlin were unsure if a bed would become available. In the afternoon admissions called to say we'd had to go to surgical day ward 2moro and they'd worry about a bed afterwards. So we all took a trip to tesco to do the shopping, coz if you were goin in 2moro we'd be in for a few days and i wouldn't have time to get the groceries.

We got home, i fed you yer bottle changed you and you went for a sleep in the sitting room. It was nice and cosy we'd a warm fire on and when dinner was over i'd feed you the rest of your bottle. A short while later we heard you crying and your dad found you very dusky and gasping for breath. I was horrified, but remained calm, poor lil man you were struggling to breath. Got into car didn't even put on a seat belt. Rang locum doc said he'd no oxygen and to go straight to A&E, i knew you wouldn't make it there and he said he couldn't help to ring for an ambulance. I dropped the phone telephone an ambulance whilst going to all three 3 GP's here in town. None of the 3 were at home but i still managed to remain calm. Don't know how but Ofalia House nursing home sprung to mind, quickly got you up there, informed the ambulance thats where we'd be. I ran up and down the corridoors of the nursing home screaming for help and nurses came to our aid i then handed you over to their care and had a meltdown. Your dad was crying up until this and then i took over while he remained calm. Ambulance arrived after what felt like forever then after them the locum arrived, my family and your dad was furious with him and i wouldn't let him examine you b'coz the paramedics were happy to take you straight to the hospital. The fire birgade were on training in the building across from the nursing home and they also came to offer their support and help.

Nursing home had got a deliverery of baby masks instead of adult masks bu pure accident and one nurse on call was a trained paeds doc who had previously worked in Temple St. so we had been blessed, you were given your much needed oxygen. In the ambulance you were on 100% oxygen and yer sats were only 36% heart was going 210bpm. From the time we got into the ambulance i sobbed my way through the hail mary repeatidly til we arrived at the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital yours sats were 60-70% nad heart was 160-170bpm.

Did xrays and bloods in a&e and was admitted to the ward. Your sats was now high 70's low 80's and heart rate was normal. You were now on minimal amt of oxygen and they would wean you off it gradually. This was your 1st cynotic eposide which meant you could have another. But i thanked God you were back with us, this was the closest we'd ever came to losing you and the funny thing was if beds were available you should've been in Crumlin 2nite awaiting stint replacement 2moro!

Oh, reliving this memory is so hard, as i type i'm almost short of breath myself and reliving every event that happened that nite, it was the worst experience your dad and i have gone through to this date lets hope we won't ever have to go through anything like this again. We will be eternally grateful to Ofalia House nursing staff, edenderry fire officers and the paramedics for saving your life.