Croupy Leah

By the evening of the Christmas card pictures Leah was not feeling well.  She went to bed feverish and sounding very croupy.  During the night she got less and less barky and more quiet.  By morning when I was checking on her she was just laying there breathing very labored.  For a while I thought we could take her in to the doctor first thing, but it kept getting worse, and after I called up to the hospital they said to bring her in (which I had already decided to do).  Jer was already gone but I called him to meet me and shortly after 7 hurried all the boys out of bed and to the neighbors.  By the time we got to the E.R. Leah was having a very difficult time breathing.  She was pale and very sweaty, retracting, and just sick!  I was pretty nervous.  My kids have all had croup but nothing like this.  They took us back right away and got her on the oxygen with epi which she fought like a baby badger.  It eased the really labored breathing, but she was still very unwell for a few more hours.  They also gave her an oral steroid and said they would watch her for four hours before deciding to admit her.  At the halfway point it was not looking good but then she started perking up a little.  Her breathing improved, and she started showing some signs of life.  We were back at the doc for more steroids and follow up a few days later and it was not for over a week that she was herself again.  She coughed, cried, did not eat, and fevered for days and was just totally miserable.  It was such a long week and I'm so grateful she is feeling better and back to her sweet self!