Day Two - Braxton's Trial and Triumph

I went in to check on Braxton at 8 am and found him completely gray. He was mouthing to me that he couldn't hear. I immediately called a PA in our ward. He told me to call the doctor. I called the after-hours number I was given and was told to "have him drink two Gatorades in two hours." Jackson ran to the store and got purple and blue Gatorade. I checked Braxton's blood pressure. It was 82/50. As soon as Jackson got home, he gave him some Gatorade. Braxton promptly threw that up and a lot of blood. We called the doctor back and was told to take him to the "clinic." We opted for the Roy Campus ER instead.

As soon as we got there, every employee there rushed in because of Braxton's coloring and lack of coherence. They put leads and O2 monitors on him and could not detect an oxygen saturation. They put him on a canula with full oxygen and he started satting at 75. It is unknown how long Braxton went without sufficient oxygen. They initially thought he had had too much pain medication. The nurse in recovery told us to give him one Percocet every two hours. They did a chest x-ray, though, and determined that there was blood in his lungs. We were then taken by ambulance to Primary Children's Hospital.

We arrived to Primary Children's. Braxton was sick, but I don't think I was comprehending how sick he was. I was told that he had a tear in his espophagus and that his lungs were full of blood. He was taken to the ICU.

I do not wish the ICU on any parent. What a chaotic, terrifying time that was to see 12-15 physicians surrounding my helpless boy, trying to stabilize him. Once there, though, I knew that he was in a safe place, where they could monitor him properly. He had a huge drop in his blood count over that 24 hours. He was on IVs, medication, and full oxygen with a mask rather than the canula. He was in good care. I was overwhelmed and exhausted, but so thankful that we were surrounded by loving family and friends. He began to rest a bit more comfortable once he was on strong pain meds and full oxygen. The machines were able to breathe for him so that he could just rest.

Of course, I stayed with him. I never, ever leave my babies when they are in the hospital. I didn't leave his side. We were blessed with wonderful nurses and doctors in the ICU during this time.