Our Friday Scare

I woke up a little past 6 am to my little boy’s hot temperature. He was feverish. Although I didn’t take his temp, I got a washcloth, moistened it with tap water, and wiped his neck, armpits, and forehead. I hoped the washcloth would be enough to lower his fever. Last night, the thermometer registered his temp at 36.5 deg Celsius, although I doubted it and kept the digital thermometer a few minutes longer until it showed his temp at 38. PHX did not at all show any signs of nursing a fever or whatever viral infection. He was his usual energetic self and I took that as a cue. We have been conservative in giving meds and avoided the usual paracetamol for fever as we believed in allowing one’s body to fight the illness.

I lay down beside PHX hoping to get a few more hours of sleep with my kids before we start the day. Just a few minutes later, I heard PHX grunt a little loud. I had the instinct to get up and look at him, then I saw his eyes roll upward. Followed by involuntary shaking and jerking. I knew this was something different and there was something wrong. His breathing became shallowed as if he was gasping for breath. I was touching his face and calling his name. I thought I would lose him. After 10 seconds or so, he just went back to sleep as if nothing happened. Those were the longest 10 seconds of my life!  My daughter, Zoe, woke up and knew something was wrong. She was asking what was wrong with PHX and I couldn’t give her an answer. I felt so helpless. Dazed, too. Hubby was already at work when this happened, which left me alone with the kids.

In the flurry of things, I tried calling PHX’s pedia. Phone was ringing but she wasn’t answering. I also tried calling hubby but knew he was already airborne at that time. I gave Zoe quick instructions to change clothes and brush teeth, did the same, then we headed for Asian Hospital’s ER. My mind was racing on our way to the hospital. I was pleading to God to help my son. To keep him safe and to just please cover him with His Most Precious Blood.

PHX woke up on the way to the ER and was even cranky because the seatbelt was bothering him. He even told me to slow down in my driving. Took that as God’s sign that he’ll be alright. I am normally a slow driver.

We seemed to be the first patient in the ER that morning. They took PHX’s temperature, which registered at 38 deg Celsius. We were led to one of the beds as the nurses kept an eye on him in case he might get into a seizure again. The physician on duty informed us that what happened may have been a Benign Febrile Seizure, which children usually outgrow, and is considered harmless. Of course, we still had to be admitted and observed. PHX’s pedia wanted to make sure there was nothing more to the seizure so she requested for a CT scan. An EEG will follow.

PHX did not have any fever during our whole stay in the hospital. We did notice that he was less energetic and slept a whole lot more than usual. On the second day of confinement, he got his energy back and was his usual talkative self.

The CT scan results were normal. Thank God! After 3 days, we were ready to go home.

PHX does not have any memory of what happened to him last Friday. He has no idea how my heart broke to tiny pieces as I was witness to the seizure . How I thought he would just stop breathing. How the life we have isn’t ours. How we all are living on borrowed time and how our sons and our daughters and our husbands may be with us today and gone tomorrow. Morbid, I know, but this hit me hard. Really, really hard.

Our Friday scare also opened my eyes to God’s overflowing love. It was He Who woke me up from my deep slumber that morning, earlier than my usual waking hour, to hear my son and be there when he needed me. He kept me calm and did not allow me to panic.

God also whispered to my husband to replace and install our other (blue) car’s dead battery the night before so I had the gray car for use on that fateful day. Hubby planned to use the gray car and leave the blue car without replacing the battery, since we didn’t have any planned errands for that day. Praise God for His whispers! God made His presence felt by sending prayer warriors…relatives and friends who prayed for PHX. Oh, how the prayers made wonders! PHX’s fever never came back and there wasn’t any repeat seizure!

PHX’s seizure will remain etched in my memory and I will always look back on that Friday with fear. It was traumatic, to say the least. I hope and pray nothing like this will happen again.

August 13, 2013. General, Mommyhood, PHX stories. Leave a comment.