Thursday, January 9, 2014

Rescued by THE Rescuer

“Oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise!” (Charles Wesley)
I am praising Jesus for saving my boy’s life today!!

This morning started before I was ready for it to. After a night filled with Hope having nightmares and breathing issues, and Andrew needing middle-of-the-night medication, all I wanted to do was turn over in bed and go back to sleep. It had been nine nights since I had a full night’s sleep. I.was.so.tired!

Knowing it would not be wise to turn over and get additional rest, I got up and began the morning routine. I got in the shower and cried out to God for help. I felt I could not make it through another day. I was just too tired to function. Too tired to fight spiritual battles. Too tired to even put on my armor to fight any battles.

I got out of the shower and began to dress. With each piece of clothing I put on, I verbally clothed myself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love…(Colossians 3:12-14). Then I put on my armor (Ephesians 6:14-17). By the time I was physically dressed, I was spiritually dressed.

With renewed strength and energy, I began the laundry and started cooking breakfast. The day progressed like most days with schooling, laundry, silliness and playtime, schooling, cleaning, laundry…. Ya know. Normal.

When it was about time for lunch, I went into Andrew’s room to let him know I was going to cook lunch, and he would only have a short time left to play before we ate. I walked into his room and saw him getting a toy out of his toy box. I let him be to play—since I had to cook anyway.

About fifteen minutes later, I went into his room to tell him his lunch was ready. Strangely, he had fallen asleep face down by the entrance to his bedroom. Knowing how tired I was and how many nights he had not slept through the night due to being sick and needing meds, I figured he was just tired. I decided to let him sleep. Since there was about an inch gap between him and the door, I closed his bedroom door to block out the noise of the house.

About an hour and a half later, I had an uncontrollable urge to go snuggle with Andrew. (That boy is the sweetest, most lovable, huggable boy I know, and I just had to snuggle with him!) I opened his bedroom door to find him lying on his back, face up. His eyes were open. It took a few seconds for my brain to register what I was seeing. His eyes were open, and his eyes were rapidly flashing back and forth horizontally and his head was shaking. Then I realized he was lying in vomit. I quickly turned him on his side and ran for the phone.

While on the phone with rescue, Andrew stopped seizing only to begin again about a minute later. He began throwing up again, but this time he was on his side. He began turning blue. His fingers—all the way down, not just the fingertips—were blue.

When the paramedics got to our house and entered Andrew’s bedroom, he was just coming out of the seizure. Seconds later—before the paramedics could even kneel down next to him—he began another seizure. This continued. They stabilized him for a few seconds, scooped him up, and headed for the ambulance. Little did I know, he went into another seizure when they entered the ambulance. The police and firemen tried to keep me busy with talking. When they finally got Andrew stabilized, they let me get in the ambulance with him. At that point—from the 911 dispatch to the last seizure—he had been seizing for over 25 minutes.

He had no fever during all this time (the paramedics had been checking). However, while in the ER, Andrew developed a fever.

After the emergency was over, the doctor said that it was possible that Andrew had had a seizure and landed on the floor, and I had seen him between seizures when he looked at “rest”. He could very well have been seizing for 2 hours!!!!

He said, “Not to scare you, but he could have coded from such a long seizure—from his diaphragm freezing up—or from vomiting while on his back. I can give no reasons why he didn’t code.”

I said, “By ‘code’ you mean ‘died’, right?” He said, “Yes, but I’m trying not to scare you.”

I couldn’t have become more scared. I had seen my “baby” lying in vomit from a seizure, and I knew he could have/should have aspirated! I had been overflowing with gratitude and horror from the very second I found him.

I believe children have angels (Matthew 18:10). It was God’s intervention that kept Andrew from “coding”. He is a miracle-working God!

God is not finished with Andrew! He has been through so much, and yet, he is still here. God has big plans for that gentle little boy!

To God be all the glory for what HE has done!

1 comment:

Amanda Petrosky said...

Oh my word!!! This is scary stuff mom. I'm so thankful for the paramedics and ER staff that were with you and for a wonderful powerful amazing God that took care of Andrew through all of this. Prayers for your household!