Last Wednesday was the scariest day of my entire life. Around 5 am, I woke up to find Ella having a seizure. Her face was white, her eyes wide open and so dialated that there was hardly any blue left in them and her lips were blue. I screamed for my husband to wake up and scooped her up thinking at the time that she was choking. I was so scared, I thought my baby was dying right there in my arms. Terrified , we called 911 and the paramedics raced to our home. By the time they arrived, she had stopped seizing, the color had returned to her face and we could tell for sure that she was breathing. She looked exhausted and she had begun to fall back asleep. I just held her crying and praying for her to be alright.
It was discovered that she had a fever of 106 and everyone thought it would be best that we take her to the ER to have her checked out. On the way to the hospital, she sat in her little car seat, strapped to the gurney in the aid car. She was awake but didn't respond at all to our voices. She didn't cry, she just made this little whimpering sound. Her little arms were drawn up close to her body as if she didn't know what to do with them and she was drooling from the corner of her mouth. She looked like a child with severe retardation.
I kept praying that she hadn't stopped breathing at any point during this ordeal, that she hadn't suffered permenant brain damage. I just held her tiny little hand and prayed. I thanked God for letting her be alive, for letting her still be with us. I was so, so very thankful that she was still with us. I prayed that her tiny body be healed of whatever was causing her to be in distress. I looked at her and thought about how she had been just a few hours earlier; laughing, dancing, singing and talking up a storm. She always amazes us with how advanced she is for a 19 month old! I just continued to thank the Lord that she was still with us. I knew if she had suffered brain damage, I would be heartbroken but at the same time I would continue to praise God that she was still with me.
Once at the hospital, they brought her in and layed her down so they could get blood and urine samples. She began to cry a little bit during these procedures, but still was not quite herself. It wasn't until the decision was made to put in an IV that she let us all know that she was going to be alright. She did not like the doctors and nurses holding her down to put in that IV AT ALL! That's all it took and she was fighting and screaming and calling out for her mommy! I was so happy to hear my baby girl calling for me! I immediately began sobbing and thanked the Lord for answering my prayers again that morning! God is so very good!
After several tests it was determined that Ella had a urinary tract infection and that had caused the huge jump in her body temp within such a short period of time. She had a Febril siezure as a response to this sudden rise in her body temp. She recieved an IV dose of antibiotics and was cleared to come home with us by 11am that morning. By that afternoon she was laughing and playing with her siblings.
We're asking for prayers for little Ella because she has to go in for more testing on Monday. With children under 2 years old who have had a urinary tract infection, it's recommended that testing be done to rule out any anatomical defects. She'll be going in for a renal ultrasound (kidneys) and a VCUG (the bladder is filled with blue dye and watched to make sure it's emptying properly). We're just asking for prayers that her little body is formed and functioning properly and that the Lord comforts her during these procedures.
If you've made it all the way through, thanks for reading this really, REALLY long post. ;0) I've just been playing a bit of catch up as life returns to normal around our house. I've also been working on a couple of projects during the last day or so that I hope to finish and post soon. Fingers crossed!
Give your babies an extra big hug today for me and Ella Bean!
