Our little seal

I've heard of croup, but never really heard it ... until last night. Thomas started coughing yesterday and it seemed to be turning more into a "barking" cough (he sounded just like a seal!) as the day went on. He also had a fever that was steadily rising throughout the day. Having heard and read of the infamous croup, I spent some time with Thomas in a steamy bathroom before he went to bed and then we set up the humidifier in his room. The barking continued through the night and when I got up to check on him at 3 am he immediately sat up and said he wanted out. I laid him down to check his temp and the coughing continued. When he went to say something, nothing but this horrible hoarse noise came out and it totally scared him.

After another dose of Motrin and another 10 minutes in a steamy bathroom, his Daddy rocked him for a while and then we put him back to bed. He slept in this morning more than two hours past his usual wakeup time. When he awoke his breathing was horrible (I guess it was that term I had read about...the stridor breathing). Thank goodness for our local pediatric after hours option, Peds Plus, at a nearby hospital. We got there when they opened (it's staffed by a local pediatrician as an option to the ER) and immediately the seasoned nurse diagnosed him with croup. The doctor came in and quickly agreed, viral croup it was/is.

Thomas had to receive a breathing treatment there and he hated every second of it. It took three of us (Trey, me and the nurse) to hold him down and keep the oxygen mask on his face. It was not fun for anyone. Afterwards all he wanted to do was sleep. He's now on a couple of medicines and already showing signs of marked improvement. Hopefully tonight will be a quieter night and he'll get the sleep he needs to get well.

I don't usually post in here without pictures, but I've got nothing today. Compared to some of his friends, Thomas really doesn't get sick that often, so when he gets something like this, I feel the need to document it. Hope everyone is having a wonderful and much less eventful weekend.