A short history of croup

This morning, Isaac lay with his head in my lap as we read Knuffle Bunny together. "I want the sick to go away," he said, his hair damp to his forehead. 

He's been getting over the croup, which he's had just about yearly since he was a baby. The first time, we rushed him to the emergency room in a panic and watched helplessly as he vomited the medicine the doctor administered to reduce the inflammation in his tiny trachea.

By the second time, we were veterans. We asked for the shot first, and spent hours crouched in the steamy bathroom as he barked and strained for air. 

By the third time, he was wise to the drill and screamed from the moment we entered Urgent Care. The doctor flapped helplessly (and in fact rather agitatedly) around him as I explained that his complete and total non-compliance was a combination of fear, fever and autism. She understood the first two, was completely flummoxed by the third.

This time, we managed to avoid Urgent Care altogether, hunkering at home for the duration. Ana, Isaac's lovely new nanny, came to spell us so we could return to work, taking him for rides in the cool air.

And this morning, war-weary and cabin-feverish, he lay his head in my lap and sighed.  His language has expanded so dramatically that, for the very first time, we could actually have a conversation about being sick. 

"Do you want me to help you make the sick go away?" I asked him. "Yes," he whispered, his head soft and damp in my lap. "Okay, sit up and open your mouth." He did. 

I pretended to pull the sickness out of his mouth, then his ears, then his nose, his eyes and--yes, for comic relief--his bottom. I waved my hands and rolled it all up into a pretend ball. "Okay, let's blow it away," I said, and we huffed and puffed and blew it away together. "Feel better?" I asked. "Yes," he whispered, his dimple flashing, and he snuggled closer.

He's on to me, I know, but in that one moment I think we both felt a little bit better.

Comments

[drama mama]

QAP.

[Niksmom]

How far you've both come. I love the image of pulling the sickness out; what a fun visual! ;-) Sending love and hugs and hopes that your snuggle-bug is feeling better.

[Chris]

In one of those coincidences that seems like an actual, you know, thing, Ben has also had annual bouts of croup.

This year (knock melamine) he's had only one almost-croup night, but he woke up early and croaked for help before it got out of control.

Likewise our training paid off such that we were able to fling open the doors and windows, crank up the vaporizer, and settle in for a midnight DVD and popsicle party without having to fully wake up.

What's intriguing to me about croup is that it's written about as an illness. But based upon our doctor's assertions and our own experience it seems like more of an indicator of a condition—i.e. abnormally shaped or underdeveloped vocal cords.

So that croup can affect many children in infancy, but relatively few beyond it.

Lucky Isaac and Ben.

[Melissa]

OMG!
Does this bring back memories of Zachary and the croup. Nightmares actually.
Steam did no good. Cold outside air or a/c.
Then the time we had to go to the hospital for epi in an IV for 6 hours.
Now that he is 14, you tend to push it aside.
I hope he is better soon and they do outgrow it.

[Emily]

TH and George are my croup kids. Any upper respiratory viral infx goes right to that larynx. Geo also appears to have some kind of reactive airway and will every once in awhile wake up unable to breathe, so it's straight to the steam. We did take him in once b/c nothing was working, so they did epi and kept him overnight b/c his 02 sats were low 80s. One thing that has been MAGIC is the Vicks warm vaporizer in his room at night. Bye bye, croup.

[vaporizers]

OMG! That really sounds horrific and high stress =/ I vaporize chamomile or thyme to soothe my ailments or stress. Vaporizing lavendar is a good herb to use also.

::hugs and love:: hope he gets better and my suggestion helps with any stress or weakened immune systems :)

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[Lerenry Mackinley]

Oh my, you guys been through a hard time. But I have to give credit to Isaac. He is a trooper. And you did your best to make him feel better. He'll pull through, eventually. My prayers for his speedy recovery.