Another Trip to ER

When I got Josiah up from his nap today around 11:45am, he had a funny cough, very raspy. It didn't sound right to me. He would cough and kind of open his mouth partway, like he was gagging on something.

I called my pediatrician, who recommended he be seen at ER. So, off we went to Children's Hospital again. Victor stayed with a neighbor.

In the ER waiting room, Josiah seemed quite well. He didn't cough the whole time we waited, and we were taken to a room fairly soon after arriving. His breathing was clear, and he was in good spirits. The chest X-ray didn't show anything concerning. We were one room over from the ER room we stayed in with Victor two weeks ago.

We were going to give him some clear liquids and probably head home, but when we got back to the ER room, he started crying hard, kicking his legs, and writhing around. I tried nursing him, but he jerked away. For the next two and a half hours or so, he was inconsolable. I couldn't hold him in any one position. He wouldn't settle down when I laid him on the hospital bed and rubbed his bed (normally a sure thing for going to sleep).

Ben joined me, and we took turns holding him while he screamed and writhed. His little face was all red and sweaty. Finally, around 3:30, he fell alseep on my shoulder. He slept for maybe 20 minutes, until the doctor came back again. But he quickly became unhappy again when he woke up, and the doctor decided to do a swallow test. Then he changed his mind. If they didn't find anything in the swallow test, they would want a doctor to examine him through a scope. And if they did find something in the swallow test, they would need to do a scope to remove it. So he decided to skip the middle step and just do the endoscopy.

We were scheduled for surgery at 5:30pm. The nurse came in around 4:45pm to give him his IV. The Lord was so merciful, and they got it on the first poke, and Josiah didn't even cry. Actually, as soon as I was lying with him on the bed for his IV, he calmed down and turned happy and active and charming, almost like his normal self. The nurse gave him the empty syringe (needleless) from his saline, and he happily chewed on that right up til surgery time.

We carried him up to the 2nd floor for surgery, and then waited there for an hour while the surgeon drove over from St. Paul Children's. Josiah got restless and sad by that time, but he was calm when they took him for the procedure.

It was a long 20 minutes before the surgeon came back to us. Sitting in a glider in the very quiet surgery wing, so many thoughts came through my mind.

My mom and dad, waiting during surgery to have my kidney removed for cancer when I was 5.

Victor Watters's family in their days of sickness and reprieve.

Other parents who probably sat in that chair for minor and major surgeries of their little ones.

Our trip to the ER for Victor, when he was 1 and coughed so hard and long he puked.

God's mercy to freely give His own Son to purchase our redemption.

Well, at last the surgeon came to tell us things had gone smoothly. No obstructions, though he saw a place that may have been an abrasion from something that passed through. His esophagus, stomach, and small intestine all looked clear.

They brought Josiah to us, groggy but awake. He was restless and sad again, until we finally were released and heading out to the car. Then he talked to me from the backseat quite contentedly during the ride home.

"Wow," I'd say. "Wow, wow."

And it delighted my heart to hear his little, "Waw waw waw" in response.

Thank You, Jesus, for healing our diseases and our hearts. And thank You for more days with little Mr. Josiah.