Well our excitement on the day of our last post was short-lived. That evening, Alex suddenly spiked a fever. Any kind of infection in Alexander's body can aggravate any aspect of his GI system. So when Alex catches a bug, we never know which road it will lead down. This time we went down a very steep and scary road.
Alex's reflux very quickly went into overdrive. His reflux was completely out of control causing constant choking and extreme pain. He screamed for nearly 2 days straight that his "teeth hurt." It was puzzling for awhile, but we eventually got him to indicate that it was his throat that hurt. His throat hurt because the acid was relentlessly burning his esophagus. Because it was coming up so quickly and ferociously, he was constantly aspirating. We are always worried about aspiration induced pneumonia with him, so it was an even bigger concern this time.
He came down with the fever Thursday evening. Friday night he was up the entire night, choking and screaming. He also began having difficulty breathing. We saw the on-call doctor Saturday morning. Our primary concern was his respiratory difficulty. His breathing was shallow and his chest was terribly congested. The doctor said that his trouble breathing was from aspirating and that he seemed to also have suffered laryngospasms. During a laryngospasm, the airway and vocal cords lock shut to protect against aspiration. They should release on their own, but in this instant they stay locked shut for a period of time either partially or completely obstructing breathing. He had a few of these episodes over the course of his illness and it is a very scary thing to witness. Alex would panic, flail and during one episode was unable to get any air. They only last a few seconds to a minute, but it is very upsetting for everyone.
The on-call doctor also cautioned us that even though his oxygen levels were good at the time of our visit, if his breathing worsened that night, we'd need to go to the ER for a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. Thankfully, we didn't need to do that. Typically, Alex would have been put on an antibiotic to prevent the infection from setting in in his lungs, but because of his lower GI condition, Alex can't have an antibiotic unless absolutely necessary.
He ate very little for about 5 days. He refused to eat or drink because it caused him so much pain. On Saturday, he couldn't even swallow his saliva and was drooling like a teething baby. As much as he needed nutrients to help him recover from the infection, he even moreso needed to avoid eating to allow his espophagus to heal.
10 days later, he is still recovering. He still is battling a cough and crankiness, but he is just like a "typical sick kid" now. Needless to say, this recent illness has taken an extreme emotional toll on us. I found a great book today that can be read (free) online, and I intend to purchase, The Reflux Book: A Parent's Guide to Gastroesphageal Reflux. I recommend it to anyone who has a reflux baby or has a loved one with a reflux baby. If you have never endured it, you cannot imagine the physical and psychological toll on the family. This book has so much great information on the disorder itself, as well as insight into the mental state of the caregivers. It is extremely validating for parents of a child with GERD.
