This is what my first born child looked like an hour before I rushed him to the urgent care in SLO. He is a pretty small kid, and doesn't normally look like a line backer. It started with a bad cold and then a cough which is fairly typical for Jesse. Kevin and I share the same birthday, August 16th. This year Jesse planned our birthday for us. He woke up feeling horrible and complained of "air pockets" in his chest. He told me he was having a hard time breathing. He was in a bit of a panic. I kept an eye on him while Kevin took the twins to soccer camp. It was after he vomited that things changed quickly. Within a half hour he looked like he had gained about 20 pounds in his neck and face. He also sounded like he had just sucked out the air of a few helium balloons. I took him into the urgent care and when the doctor finally got to him he said we needed to get him to the ER fast. So, Kevin took him over there while I took the twins home. Kevin called and told me that they might need to have Jesse ambulanced down to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. He had a small tear in his lung or thorax and air was seeping out into his surrounding tissues. This is what Jesse was trying to explain to me by air pockets. All the air in his tissues was like Rice Krispies popping and crackling. They did a cat scan to find the tear but by the time they did the scan the tear was healed. They couldn't find where the tear had come from. The reason for concern was that the escaped air could go behind his airway and close off his oxygen supply. This would in turn require a tube down his esophagus which is very invasive and meant he would no longer be breathing on his own. The hospital we were at, Sierra Vista was not trained for this procedure in children.
He was immediately put on oxygen which helped him breathe a bit better. After a few hours of monitoring Jesse, they decided that it was just too risky to keep him at Sierra Vista in case he needed the tube.
So off he goes in an ambulance down to Santa Barbara. Kevin and I followed in our own car. My angel sister, Melissa took care of Alex and Shane. My mom and dad really stepped up as well. I felt so good about my parents and sister keeping things together at home. Alex and Shane were very safe and happy with them.
Jesse got to Santa Barbar a little after midnight. This was his Pediatric ICU Nurse, Connie. She was amazing... So sweet and loving. The nurse with Jesse in the ambulance was also an angel but I forgot her name. She took notes on everything Jesse talked about. She was very observant and she just adored Jesse. He hadn't eaten in two days. He was so hungry but he couldn't eat until the next morning. Nurse Connie came in with the breakfast menu. He couldn't believe he could choose whatever he wanted! He said he would like an omelette with cheese and sausage and vegetables. Connie started to read off all of the vegetables they had and after Jesse said, "ok". Then Connie said, "Well which veggie do you want?" and Jesse said, "All of them!" He was happy camper after that meal.
He was able to leave the ICU before the end of the day on Saturday, but couldn't go home yet. He was sent upstairs to the pediatric floor where he stayed for the next three days.
Going upstairs... still looking like a line backer.
Jesse's ICU pediatrician said that the x-rays showed that he had a noticeably small airway. He thought maybe the small airway contributed to his tear due to the pressure that built up when he coughed. We had an ENT come by to put a tube with a camera attached down his throat and esophagus to have a look. It turned out that his airway was fine and that the x-ray didn't show what was really going on. Good to know, but we still didn't have an explanation of how he got the tear, or where the tear was.
Jesse loved being able to order whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He really enjoyed the hospital food. Does that say anything about my cooking?
We really liked Dr. Hughs. She was very informative and helped us get Jesse out of the hospital at the earliest safest time. The other doctors, Dr. Lehman ( the first Doctor we saw at Cottage, the pediatric ICU doctor) and his partner Dr. Mehr were also very helpful and informative, and brilliant. Although the medical bills are totally overwhelming, we feel so blessed to have had incredible doctors and nurses navigate Jesse to recovery. It's strange that I like to be in hospitals. I always have. I love to see people doing what they love. I love to see people who have sacrificed so much time and money and sleep to do something they feel passionate about. There is so much brain power in a single hospital!
Thank you to everyone who prayed and even fasted for my boy. It worked.
