Then, my worst fear happened...Zachary's lips swelled and he was having difficulty breathing. He was in anaphylactic shock!
Matt and I jumped into action. Matt injected the Epi-Pen, while I gathered our things. Next, Zachary and I were in the van and off to Pioneer Valley Hospital's Emergency Room. I ran into the lobby carrying Zachary in my arms. I let the person at the desk know that my sweet boy was in anaphylactic shock and that we had injected the Epi-Pen less than 5 minutes ago. We were immediately rushed back to the trauma room. The man I was following kept yelling codes as we walked. When we arrived at the trauma room, there were already five or six people that had followed us and they immediately began hooking Zachary up to an IV and monitors. Zachary was given Benadryl, Solumedrol, Pepcid, and Prednisone.
Then the waiting game began. Waiting to see if the medicines were working. Waiting to see if his oxygen levels would improve. Waiting to see if he was going to be okay. Waiting to see if the swelling would go down. Seriously, minutes seemed like hours. Zachary was so lethargic. I was so scared.
The staff at Pioneer Valley Hospital were so great with my little man. They reacted so quickly and were so sweet to him as he recovered.
Zachary's stats returned to normal, and little-by-little, he regained his strength. Eventually, he was able to close his eyes and get some much needed sleep. At first, I was a little leery to let him sleep but the doctors and nurses assured me that they were monitoring all of his vitals and would be right in if anything happened.
As he slept, I just watched. I watched his chest go up-and-down with each breath. I watched his eyes twitch while he was in REM sleep. I watched his monitors. I watched the swelling go down and his face return to its' normal shape and size. I watched his lips get smaller. I just watched.
As I sat in the room, I was filled with gratitude. My sweet, little man was going to be okay. I thought about much I love him. How glad I am that he is my son. What a blessing he is to our family. What joy he brings to my life.
I am grateful for the knowledge of what to do when this happened. I am grateful for Matt and his ability to step in and get Zachary his Epi-Pen. I am grateful that we were able to get Zachary help. I am grateful that the help was fast. I am grateful for all of the medical personnel that watched over and assisted Zachary today. I am grateful for a sweet daughter who offered prayers on her little brothers behalf. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who answered those prayers.
I am so grateful that we were able to bring Zachary home.
