Happy Christmas & New Year!

It was eventful (it wouldn't be Ethan if it wasn't!) We had our lunch at the Brown Horse at Tow Law (Durham - it was divine!) and we were stopping over.

On Tuesday I took Ethan to the gp as the last well over 4 weeks we have noticed his breathing is very quick - over 40resps he is working harder eg his shoulders are moving up and down alot and his tug is worsened. He heart seems to be doing 10 to the dozen He saw dr leonard for a check a couple of weeks ago and she said his chest was clear although noted his resps etc were up.

He has had constant temperatures which we are attempting to keep down with calpol, a cough, runny nose (gp said fruity cough and rattly chest lol) but his chest is clear?... he is grey and sometimes navy. He is now off his food and intermittant diorhea. Generally he is up and down, knackered one min perked up the next.

That morning, he had no energy, we were holding his head up etc... he refused breakfast, but had a little dry cereal in the end - then perked up by 10am! He has given us some amoxicilin to start if he gets any worse

I think its probably as he had his s.flu jab on 13/11/09 he was alright for a week or so then started with all this.

SOooooooooo, he had been GREAT on Christmas day, eaten loads absolutely fine no problems at all - no reason to be concerned anyway. Ethan was sleeping and we were in our room, when he started grunting in his cot. I picked him up and he was navy started being really jerky but rigid legs etc... floppy not happy at all. So I rung 999. It took an age for them to arrive - but we were in the middle of nowhere and it was snowing ALOT!

Ambulance drive from tow law took half an hour and was awful in the snow and think we knew more than they did they looked very young! he wouldnt let them touch him was histerical...coughing up frothy stuff, but at least he was responsive! Within half an hour of being in and having a little 02 he was ten times better... very very strange.

We are home we came out at 1am as he was much better didnt see the point in stopping in and wouldnt have got any sleep. They can see changes in his lungs and a small amount of consilidation but dont think its pnemonia, gave us some AB's . Didnt sleep as typically, as soon as he was asleep in his cot again - he started grunting?! so pulled him in with us where he was more upright and he seemed more settled.

Drive back to Tow Law very hairy in bleaching snow... I hope we aren't in for a replay tonight though as he is still poorly and we had to ring for another weeks antibiotics.

SO I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the health and happiness for the New Year - lets hope this year is a good one.

Oh and btw we are still waiting to see the surgeon about his next surgery but should get a date soon xxx love to everyone x

If you ever have to ask yourself "Do I need an Ambulance?" You NEED an Ambulance!!

All I can say is it is the really scary and the first time I have actually cried in front of anyone when ethan has been poorly..

He just woke up screaming and unsettled we gave calpol and it didn't work so Dean brought him down he was scalding hot, floppy eyes roling back in his head, and grunting.... so I phoned ward and said Iwas coming in rang a friend to take Josh.

We drove but shouldve phoned an ambulance half way there his breathing got very slow but still grunting and seemed to be stopping or forcing it if that makes any sense...

So I rang the kids ward and said I'm going straight to a&e (it would have meant a further 5 min walk to the ward). We got to A&E after a horrible panicky drive and the woman was asking us whats his name, phone no, GP - I said what part of cardiac and not breathing properly don't u understand! (that's when i started crying) bearing in mind I ran in with him in an open baby grow (too hot!) and he was obviously ill!

Through to resus and all the stuff........... did bloods, exg & chest x-ray they were OK but his oxygen saturations were down to 66% heart rate 170... really bad recession - very bad! so he needed oxygen. They gave him a subutimol inhaler and it seemed to help. So we were taken up to the ward.

He still wasn't right the next day pale mottled and some slight sub and intercostal recession (where the child is working hard to breathe and the chest is pulling in) and a tracheal tug so we were kept in again. and he is much better today so we are home now.

It was like a little reunion, my lovely friend Donna is in with lily and there is another freeman bod in!

NB I did apologise to the receptionist when Ethan was ok, to be fair to her she said she didn't hear my say cardiac, so can only presume it was my tonsillitis lisp(as i called it!) but when she saw his ng tube she realised..and took me seriously.

The last thing I would say for anyone who has a child with chd or other condition is to make sure you know all their baseline/usual information eg heartrate etc... fortunately I do but although I can remember all his medications I couldn't remember his exact dosages.. Think I may write up some index cards with the info on and put them in the change bags.

Oh and the cardiac nurse isn't coming out on Monday now due to all our excitement!