JD's well check up

Well, it has been almost 1 yr. since his severe case of H1N1, with double pneumonia, among other complications through out his recovery. It was a whirlwind of emotions, stress, prayers, and hanging on every word the doctors said. He began with a minor cough on a Sunday morning. That evening around 5 or 6 it was clear he needed a breathing treatment. With his history of asthma we could tell he needed it. By 7 or so his fever spiked to 104! We lots of effort, ibuprofen alternated with Tylenol, cool wash clothes etc, we were only able to get it down to 102. He began vomiting and continued through out the night. (5-6 times). We thought about taking him to the ER however that is the one thing media was telling everyone not to do that. We decided it must be a sinus infection and we would take him in the morning to the Dr. So the next morning we took him to the Tx Med Clinic. After an xray was taken it was clear he had pneumonia in his right side and moving to the left. They gave him steroids and antibiotics and scheduled a follow up. I was still uncomfortable knowing he could not breath. I had been giving him breathing treatments regularly. On our way to the pharmacy it was super clear that he could not breathe. I immediately took him to Aaron's fire station and asked him to check his oxygen level. It had dropped from 94% to 86% within 30 minutes. He took him personally to the hospital in the truck and they got him right in. I was able to get Melissa to take Georgia and I raced to the hospital. I was relieved to see my mom, and Pastor Chris, and my friend Kris there to support us. He started with a small oxygen tube, then a mask, then full blown oxygen strapped to his face. By 5:00 he was in ICU. The pneumonia had taken over, his blood presser was dropped, his heart rate was low....it was the worst night of our lives. Could our little boy be taken from us? Is this God's plan? What do we do? We were helpless. We could do nothing but pray. Pray at that point for stability. The doctors were very helpful and explained he was in bad shape and it would get worse before it got better but that he should get better. Our church poured into him and our family. Prayers were sent to every direction possible, our church took care of every meal for a week. They took care of us and gave JD lots to do as he waited patiently for his recovery. It was a nightmare.

Aaron and I took comfort in the regular visits from our pastors. Pastor Chris was there everyday to offer prayer and encouragement. Our small group came to our rescue to support all our needs as a family- including toothbrushes and movies, dvd player for JD to watch movies, and so on. God blessed the whole ordeal. He gave the doctors wisdom, He gave the nurses patience and compassion, he gave healing to our son, and answered prayers spoken and unspoken. He was in ICU for 4 days and then moved into a recovery floor for 3 more days.

Today we are thankful. I took JD in for his well check up. He is well. You would never guess he was so sick. We knew he would be due for the seasonal flu shot so he got it and it was an unusual welcomed shot. Definately not a chance we want to take again.

Thank you God for your protection and comfort to provide all our needs. You are our shelter!