Sunday, June 14, 2009

Our visit to the ER

For those of you who are wondering what’s going on at our end, I am sorry I have been slacking at providing updates. I will soon post detailed updates on Gauri and Neel – I promise. But for now I’ll just say – we had the most scary evening this past Thursday. Gauri was out with Nanu for their evening walk, Neel and I were home, having our one-on-one time alone when Mani came back rather early from his racket ball game. I was surprised as well as happy that he was back soon. But within a few moments I realized that he was actually choking, barely able to talk, coughing vigorously and unable to breathe. I realized that this was his allergies, but this time it was worse. When he just couldn’t breathe, he signed me to quickly rush him to the ER (emergency Room). Fortunately, papa was back with Gauri and I only said “I am taking him to the ER, Neel’s with me, you take care of Gauri, and I’ll call…” We left in a panic and Manish kept insisting that I jump those one million traffic lights each one of which was Red this time, I was trying to keep my head straight while driving a screaming baby and chocking husband. As soon as we reached the ER the ER staff realized that his condition was rather critical because he was complaining of inability to breathe and therefore they asked me to register him while they already took him in. As we (Neel and I) registered him, my head was running in all directions, “Is he OK ? does he need me right now? He doesn't have a cell home with him? What about Gauri – would she be crying at home? Should I call papa – Damn no cell phone signal here. Neel’s crying, he is hungry, what can I give him, Jeez, he just pooped…oh shoot I forgot the Diaper bag in the car, cant go back to the parking lot now….” My brain’s CPU was running at 100% and was ready to hang, when the nurse asked me if I wanted to go see my husband. “Yes, ofcourse”. Ok so things were only going to get worse – they (hospital staff) couldn’t find him in any of their rooms!! “Sorry we cant seems to find your husband here” said the nurse. “Ok let me ask someone”, “ I am surprised where did they take him”…..I was almost about to have a panic attack, because only they worst possibilities were coming in my head at that time. Thanks goodness they finally found him. But those 15 minutes seemed like forever to me. I was relieved to see that he was able to breathe now. With a million monitors on him, and IV and what now and a zillion other drugs already injected in my poor hubby, “the situation is under control now” the nurse said. We were informed that it could take several hours before a doctor would be able to see him. The Doctor saw him at around 10:30 and reported that it was definitely a result of one of his severe food allergies (in this instance the culprit was nuts in the laddoo he ate before heading out for the game that evening). With a long list of antihistamines and other Allergy drugs , we finally got home by 11. Thank God, everything was Ok with him, Gauri was super excited to accompany me to the hospital to bring baba home. “I missed you baba” were her exact words as he entered the car when I picked him up at the ER door. We have see an allergist now, to figure things out and understand the dos and the don’ts regards to his eating. For now, I am putting away ALL Indian sweets out of his sight.