Last night was one of the worst nights we've ever had as parents. We were at great granny's house all playing on the floor with cousin Ken, and Aunt Pauline, and everything was going great, Olivia began to get hungry so I stood up to get her and put her in her seat---when she all of a sudden let out a big shriek, about to cry. It was one of those wails, when she stops breathing for a second, but as I picked her up, she arched her back and her lips turned blue. Her eyes immediately rolled back in her head and she became stiff with a few small convulsions...I was so panicked as we tried to "get her out of it." It only lasted maybe 30 seconds, and then she cried and was real tired...I told John we have to take her to the hospital to be checked and a minute later she had another seizure...this time I was hysterical and we called 911. We layed her down and undressed her but she didnt' come out of it for 3 minutes til the ambulance came to get us.
When they arrived to check her vitals she finally stopped staring blankly at the ceiling, but was so out of it and not as responsive to me as she usually is to her mommy :( I went with her in the ambulance praying all the way to the A.V. Hospital....
Why did this have to happen in the shitty state of california, in the AV? As soon as we arrived, I was totally upset and angry. Olivia is tired and out of it, and I left standing there holding her amidst sick, handcuffed convicts and gangbangers and druggies. No rooms avalable, no room in the busy hall. Olivia definitely was not a priority among stab victims, gunshot wounds ( no joke), and barfing addicts.It was worlds worse than I imagined and on top of this, the doctor kept doubting me, and the fact that she even had a seizure. I was a bitch to him and said, "yeah, I'm sure my 10 month old is just a really good actress. Thanks so much."
They finally weighed her, took her temp rectally...and sanitized a room for us. She tried to sleep but was way scared and out of it, pupils remained dilated. She didn't seem herself at all. And when she did come in, they tried to take her blood and couldnt find a vein so they kept moving the needle around as she screamed. Then a nurse came in to get a urine sample...they tried sticking a catheter in her urethra while we held her down, but couldnt. Tried a different nurse but as soon as I saw blood on the catheter as she repeatedly failed to find the hole, I said STOP. I couldnt take seeing herin pain and the urine wasn't as important. They did one chest xray. Finally doc comes in to say allis normal, but was asking to do a spinal tap. After witnessing the incompetence and chaos at this hospital, there was no way we were letting them stick a needle in her spine and paralyze her.
We left around midnight--all of us traumatized. Susan came to visit and stayed the night at the house next to Lucas. She seems okay this morning, but I will forever be paranoid, especially when John leaves on the 29th. I hate California and never want to come back!
So after hearing back from my friend Shawna, and my mom who was researching it online we deduced that it was most likely a breath-holding spell seizure. She temporarily stopped breathing and the lack of oxygen brought on small seizures, and the wierd state that she was in afterward (post-ictal) was when the brain was repairing the trauma. i am terrified that it will happen again, or that she was permanently damaged. I will try to find a better hospital (probably USC) and a pediatrician for both of them. It is so scary to see her in that state and I can't erase that scary image from my mind. Don't ever wanna go back to the AV hospital full of cops and convicts and no one was speaking english--probably not insured and will never have to pay for bankrupting the hospitals...while we, the paying patients are ignored and told we don't know when our babies are seizing. That's Obamacare for you.
3 comments:
I am so sorry that happened! I can only imagine how scared you were, but I am glad she is okay. I didn't want to call back in case things were hectic, but i was thinking about you guys all night!
I couldn't help being hysterical. I am sure you totally sympathize with the frustration of everyone dismissing your maternal instincts. Last night definitely changed me. Thanks so much for being there and thinking of us. Even though it was only a few minutes, talking to you really helped :)
Sam-This really is a terrible thing to go through. I am terribly sorry for you and your family. I hope that the next chapter of your lives is much better. :(
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