Our family went through the usual round of colds from February into March, including little Leif. By the first week of April I was concerned that Leif still had an awful cough, even though his nose was perfectly clear and he was having no fever. He certainly was just as bouncy as Tigger, just always coughing a loose yucky cough.
On April 7th I took Leif and Amelia to the doctor, where she was diagnosed with a sinus infection and Leif was given antibiotics for his cough.
It did not get better, and grew worse. Three times he had coughing fits while eating and threw up. (All over me twice, but who's counting?) I took him back to the doctor on Tuesday, where he was prescribed a stronger antibiotic. The doctor then asked me if Leif ever puts anything in his mouth.
Really?!?! He is a nine month old baby boy. Everything gets the mouth test. We were sent to a hospital for an x-ray, just as a precaution to rule out the possibility of him having aspirated on something.
"Rule Out" became "did you know he has a coin stuck in his throat?"
We had gone to a hospital that is not quite as busy at the larger one with a pediatric emergency department, since it was to be a quick trip. Unfortunately it meant we were at the wrong hospital if we wanted the best treatment for him. They decided to send us to the other one, but since he was now in their care it meant they were responsible for him if something happened on the three mile drive between hospitals.
They insisted on transporting Leif via ambulance.
And then we began the hurry up and wait. Amelia had come with us, but she was great. She does still have some fear of people in scrubs and white jackets, so anytime she was given a friendly greeting she said, "L-E-I-F" and pointed at Leif. Just making sure they know who the victim is here.
Leif in his johnny waiting to be sent to the OR.
By 5pm we were all ready for Leif to have an emergency endoscopy to remove the coin. I was quite nervous; our simple trip for an x-ray was not supposed to end in my son being given anesthesia and a surgical procedure with a long list of could-go-wrongs.
Sleeping off the side effects of the anesthesia
Amelia was pretty upset that we let the doctors wheel Leif away while we just watched. When they were done and they called is in-- 7pm now-- the nurse tried to tell us Amelia could not go into the recovery room. I said she was not leaving the hospital without seeing her baby brother.
He was fine, it was a penny lodged in his esophagus. It had been there at least 4 weeks, so he was getting pretty raw and had some coughing fits while waking up. He was admitted and kept overnight for observation.
And now we are home again. He still has the cough; it should be gone within a week. You might think that after this experience our bouncy little guy would be "...a Humble Tigger...a Sad Tigger, a Melancholy Tigger, a Small and Sorry Tigger."
Nope. He is still "Tigger, a Friendly Tigger, a Grand Tigger, a Large and Helpful Tigger, a Tigger who bounced, if he bounced at all, in just the beautiful way a Tigger ought to bounce."
And Jamie and I are praising God that He has been watching over our little guy through it all.
