Scariest Night of My Life!

1 week ago today, Koleton gave us the biggest scare of our lives.  It was a normal day, I had the girls I was babysitting, Koleton was running around playing all day, he wasn't acting sick at all.  When he woke up from his nap around 5:15PM he felt a little warm. I took his temperature and it was 101.5. Not too high. I also wondered if maybe his room was hot or something and that was why he felt warm since he was eating fine and had been running around all day.  We had dinner and he ate like normal, but he still had a fever. After dinner he was acting kind of lethargic, which is normal when he has a fever.

Brad and I both are thermometer addicts of sorts. When Koleton has a fever, we are constantly checking it, and not just in 1 ear, but both ears (just to be sure).  Around 7 we took it again and he was at 102.5.  I always figured that a fever is your body's way of fighting something off.  Unless he would get above 103, or he couldn't sleep, I try not to give him anything for the fever so his little body can do what it is supposed to do.  I've heard other parents say they let their kids have a fever up to 105!!! I wouldn't do that! 103, to me, is a high temperature and is nearing the "dangerous" temps so that is when I will give him some Ibuprofen to bring it back down.

102.5 degrees. That is manageable! Brad started running him a bath hoping to help bring it down a little.  Koleton was in my lap and looked like he was falling asleep. I turned him around and he laid his head on my shoulder. He is not the most cuddly child, nor does he just fall asleep anywhere...ever. I knew he didn't feel well now! I sat on the couch and started kind of rocking him. He  just laid there, head on my shoulder, and started falling asleep. Brad let the water out of the tub since he was so sleepy.  Normally since Koleton LOVES his bed so much, I would go lay him down and let him sleep.  Maybe it was because I hadn't given him anything for his fever and I wanted to watch him, maybe it was because I was loving him cuddling with me. For some reason, rather than putting him in his bed, I moved to the rocking chair and just rocked him while he slept.

After a few minutes, his leg started twitching. For a second I thought it was him falling asleep and his nerves getting out their last energy, but it kept shaking. Then his head shot up off my chest and his whole body started convulsing. I told Brad, "I think he is having a seizure!" I laid him on the floor at my feet, Brad put him on his side and held his tongue in his mouth while I went to get my phone. Well these fancy phones we have now are nice, but not when I couldn't get out of the game that was on the screen to get to the actual phone part to call 911.  Of course it didn't help that I was panicked because my baby was laying on the floor having a seizure!  Brad took the phone from me and called 911.  While he was on the phone with them, I knew they were sending an ambulance and I knew we were going to the hospital. I rounded up the dog and put him in the back yard, went and opened the gate so the EMT's could get in, made sure the dog had water and looked around the house for anything else that needed to be done before we left. I am admittedly not good in high stress situations, but I knew I couldn't just sit there and cry over my son... it wasn't going to do anyone any good, and if I stopped doing things, that was what I did - cry.

Brad hung up with 911, Koleton had stopped seizing but was still completely stiff and was moaning. "unhhh unhhh unhhh unhhh" very rhythmic and kind of short moans.  His eyes went from open back to closed. We didn't know if we were supposed to keep him awake or not and the ambulance wasn't here yet, so Brad called 911 back.  The EMT's got here pretty quick after he called 911 back, and by then Koleton had stopped moaning and was starting to come to.  They came in and we told them he had woke up with a fever then had a seizure. "Yep, that's what caused it" they said.  I had heard of febrile seizures before, and I knew they weren't serious but when it was happening, all of that "knowledge" went out the window. All I knew was that there was something wrong with my baby and I didn't know what to do.  Since he was sort of coming to, they EMT's asked if we wanted them to take him to the ER, or if we wanted to drive him.  They said that he would be ok if we drove him, so that is what we did.

We had him in just a diaper (by their recommendation) to help with his fever and we loaded him up and went straight to the hospital.  The whole way there, I sat in the back with him and he was still out of it. His eyes were open and he was looking around, but he wasn't looking AT anything. It was kind of like when newborns look "at" you, but they don't really see you. His eyes weren't focusing on anything until we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and he looked at me.

We went in, filled out the paperwork and took a seat.  We waited. And waited. And waited more. Poor Koleton (obviously) didn't feel well and was getting fussy so we walked him around the waiting room.  They kept calling people back, but we still were there waiting.  After we were there for about 45 minutes, another mom came in with her daughter who was about 5-6yrs old.  She seemed clingy to her mom, but she definitely did not seem any more sick than Koleton was.  She and her mom sat and read books while they waited.  After another 45 minutes (total time waiting so far 1.5 hours or so), that mom and her daughter got called back. WHAT???!?!?!?!?! My 1 year old son had a seizure from his fever, and we are waiting for almost 2 hours and they are calling back people who came in AFTER us?

Brad went up to the counter and asked why we are still waiting and that girl got called back first. The lady at the counter told us she has nothing to do with that but the nurses choose who is in the most "need" and take them in that order.  So, since Koleton isn't a "priority" to them, why are we even sitting here waiting? Koleton doesn't have insurance right now since Brad just switched jobs (we will have it Oct. 1), but we were willing to pay whatever bill we were going to receive, since Koleton is OUR number 1 priority! I had Brad call a nurse hotline we have out here to see if they thought it was worth us waiting for us to be the hospital's "priority".  They said that febrile seizures weren't life threatening, but they couldn't tell us to stay or go.  I told Brad we should just go home and I will take him to his Dr. in the morning.  It was so ridiculous! I was LIVID, Brad and I both were.

We woke up bright and early and headed to his doctor.  We waited less time there, without an appointment mind you, then we did at the ER (frustrating!).  They checked his ears and said he had an ear infection which is likely what caused his fever.  Now, Koleton has pretty good stranger anxiety, but his doctor anxiety is even worse than that! As soon as they TOUCH him he screams. I always wonder if there is more to seeing his "ear infections" than a red ear drum, since him screaming and crying will also turn his ear drums red (so says his dr!).  I figured something caused the fever anyway, and I did NOT want to go through that again so antibiotic prescription? Yes, please!

Because Koleton was out of it for so long after his seizure (he seized for about 1.5 minutes, laid there moaning and 'asleep' for a few minutes after that, then was out of it for like 8 minutes after he 'came to') they recommended we see a neurologist.  I don't think anything is wrong with him (neurologically speaking ;) lol) but I figure, it is better to be safe than sorry!  The poor kid had to get more blood work done and apparently he is a "hard stick". Even when they find a vein, they are so small once they get the blood going, it stops before they get "enough". Well, that's what happened at his 1yr appt for his standard blood work.  They said they got enough this time though.  He also had to get a catheter put in for a urine sample. Poor kid! It was funny though cause once they got the catheter and started putting it in, he peed all over the nurses! lol They weren't quick enough to grab the cup and catch it though (she kept trying to put the catheter in further, as if that would catch all his urine? I don't know lol). She finally (about when he was done) grabbed the cup and caught a little. I don't think they got enough for any test really, but I haven't heard back so I assume all was ok with those tests :)

We go the neurologist on the 13th of October.  Like I said, I am sure everything is fine, but I'd rather just check to make sure all is good.  I am no longer watching the girls here (they got into a daycare center that they were on the waiting list for) so I'll be able to take him and to any follow up appointments without having to worry about anyone else!

I will for sure keep everyone updated on what the neurologist says! Thankfully now, Koleton is back to normal :) He never got a fever back after that night.  Minus the "tummy troubles" from his antibiotics, he is his normal self - running around, chasing the cat, giving his puppy chair lovin' ;)  I even caught him kissing himself in the mirror this morning! haha!  I am so grateful to have such a wonderful boy, and even more grateful that this whole episode was not any worse than it was!