A Long 24 hours

Today has been one of the longest and worst 24 hours I've ever had. Alexander got a flu shot yesterday morning (something HIGHLY recommended for CHD kiddos). Yesterday afternoon, Alexander was learning to walk on the grass and have a fabulous time on the swings.

By 7 pm he was Mr. Grumpy and we learned that he had a fever. By 9:30 his fever broke and by 10:45 pm, Alexander's fever was back in full swing which resulted in him shivering. By 11:15, he was blue and right when we hooked him up to his oxygen, he began to seize. In a matter of few short minutes (which didn't feel short at all!), Alexander had 3 seizures in my arms.
One of the WORST experiences is holding your son and thinking you've lost him as he  loses consciousness for a few seconds before beginning to seize again. One of the WORST feelings is not being able to help your child while they seize in your arms. I officially have PTSD with shivering and twitching!

So 911 was called and they took Alexander to Henry Mayo (local hospital). We tried to get him to CHLA but because his seizures weren't stable, they couldn't take him there. Once we arrived to the hospital we learned Alexander's body temp was 105.8! I felt like the WORST mother. How could I let my son get such a high temperature? What did I miss? What if i had... the questions and thought just kept coming to my mind as I watched the nurses and doctors scramble to get Alexander to stop seizing.

Close to 12:30, Alexander had stopped seizing.  Since he finally had stopped seizing, the doctors wanted to protect his airways and intubated him. They then took a chest x-ray and saw that his x-ray looked hazy. The doctors  suctioned him and learned that he had aspirated on vomit while seizing which was resulting in an infection in his lungs. Once he was stable, they did a CT Scan to make sure he had no brain bleeds. That test lucky came back negative!

By 5 am, Alexander and I were transported by helicopter to CHLA, into CTICU. By noon today, he was extubated and by that time Wes and I had been going on 2 hours of sleep. He was finally weened from heavy sedatives by 3 pm and is currently down to less than a half liter of oxygen.

Our concerns now, as we wait for Alexander to wake up more, is if there is any damage from the seizure activity that took so long to stop. He has not moved much of his right arm (during his episodes, his right side was shaking, left side was still). So the possibility of stroke is still on the table. We also want to get a few more questions answered. So it looks like Alexander will be in the hospital until Tuesday (at the earliest).

Again, worst 24 hours ever. I never want to relive it and wish I could just stop thinking about how it happened. I pray that tomorrow is a MUCH better day, and that the following days after that it, just get better-with nothing but positive news.

Alexander needs your positive thoughts and prayers more than ever now. I'm praying he doesn't have any neurological or developmental setbacks from the seizures, that we get many questions answered, and that he continues to be a fighter! Thank you following along his CHD journey. <3