Ohhhhhhhhhhh what a week

We've had a pretty tough week here in the Knoll household.  Lincoln got the AWFUL, TERRIBLE, and SCARY croup again.  When he was 10 months old he had croup and we couldn't treat it at home and he ended up being hospitalized for three days!  When he had it the last time it started off with a cold and then just took a turn for the worst and turned to croup.  This time around it was completely different.  He was fine one minute and sick the next.  Monday, and Tuesday he was a happy, playful, and energetic 18 month old.  Tuesday he had a little runny nose but nothing I was concerned about...I really thought it was allergies.  Tuesday night after I gave him a bath while I was getting him dressed he took a deep breath and that is when I heard it.  The worst sound ever.  The sound of croup.  I told my husband I was concerned because I heard the "seal barking".  For those of you who have never heard the sound of a coup cough it literally sounds like a seal barking.  It is the worst and most painful sounding thing you can imagine coming from your child.  The last time Lincoln had croup we were sent home from the hospital with a nebulizer so we gave Lincoln a breathing treatment before he went to bed.  Around 9:00 that night he took a turn for the worst.  The coughing started and then the shortness of breath.  When Lincoln has croup it's not so much the cough that gets him it's the breathing.  He has a lot of difficulty breathing.  His poor little chest was sinking in about 3 in when he was taking breaths and the noises he was making were so scary.  It is so scary to see your child in such distress when trying to breath.  We contemplated taking him to the ER but I knew what he really needed was a steroid shot and if I took him there they would do a bunch of things that weren't needed before giving him what he really needed.  With giving him breathing treatments every two hours over night, steaming up the bathroom with a hot shower, a sticking his face in the freezer to clear his airways a little we were able to hold off until the doctors office opened.  We took him in first thing and Dr. Moustafa (the best doctor ever) said that he did not look or sound good at all.  He gave him a double dose of the steroid injection and said if that didn't help in about 4 hrs we would be back at the hospital.  Luckily this time it worked!!!  THANK GOD!!!!!!!  He has by no means completely kicked it but he is doing much better.  We are still giving him breathing treatments every 2-4 hrs and hopefully by the end of the weekend he will be getting over it.  Croup is a scary thing and in most cases does not get to the extent it does with Lincoln.  However Lincoln has laryngomalacia which causes his airway to be restricted already so when he gets croup (which swells your throat and restricts your airway) it just doubles the restriction.  The doctor also told us that anyone can have croup you just see it in younger children because the airways are not fully developed until the reach the age of 3.  Hopefully this will be our last case of the AWFUL croup!!!! 

Today was also a tough day for my family.  My dad lost one of his dearest and best friends today.  My sister Libby was also VERY close with him and is taking it very hard.  He was a very kind and caring man and would do anything for our family.  Mr. Earl Biddle may you rest in peace and watch over us from heaven.  You will be truly missed by us and many others.