One Of Those Life Moments That Scares The Living Shit Out Of You

This evening my wife and I had run up to the in-laws (my in-laws her parents) to enjoy this three day weekend (and someone's birthday... I think one of the sister in laws...)

Anyway...

So were sitting there tonight. Grandma, Elijah, Uncle David, DW and myself. They were all enjoying Chinese food. I was enjoying a Manhattan and some burritos. I hate Chinese food. Can't digest the taste for some reason.

Then in one moment it all changed.

Elijah looked up at the ceiling fan and started shaking, like he was frightened of it. Shaking and shaking with Chow Mein all over his bib. At first we thought he was choking but there was no food in his mouth.

Shaking more... convulsions.

Time... moved in slow motion. DW pulled him out of his high chair. Elijah continued to shake. I ran around the table. Grandma was at Elijah's side. David bless his heart started clearing the dishes.

"Call 911" DW says.

I froze... My first thought was, hey maybe it isn't that bad. I just didn't react fast to run to the phone. Elijah was now blue...

I called 911. Keep in mind, Murphys is miles from a big city hospital. I mean, there are people here but hospitals are a good 20-30 miles away. Decent ones are further. But it's an area full of good people. I cry thinking about them... good people...

The dispatcher asked me his age, what was going on, where he was, where we were at. She dispatched the ambulance and paramedic team. I fumbled with the address, phone number, the cross streets, my name... It was tough. I was in a place I did not want to be but could not ever leave.

About 3 minutes into it, Elijah was still blue and stiff... like his arms and legs were out like Frankenstein. He was breathing the whole time. DW had stripped his clothes off and cuddled him on the floor. I am still on the phone... 911 didn't want me to leave.

Elijah was still blue on the floor but he was now screaming a little. Still convulsing... DW, being the good mother that she is, was calm and right by his side making sure he didn't hurt himself. The first fire truck arrived. These guys were like the first team before the ambulance.

About five of them came in the door. One guy went in to give Elijah some oxygen. One guy helped. The look on the other three, who could not be older than 25 was like, "Oh Fuck, man... It's a Baby." I just turned around into the dining room and cried. Why was this happening, was my first thought... I said a little prayer... cried a little more and turned the corner and walked back into the kitchen where my family was.

Then the ambulance came with two paramedics. They took over and they were ready to go. They assessed Elijah and got DW and him into the ambulance. I ran and got DW's bag. Our dog Trisha was barking in the closet. Grandma had shoved her in there during all the commotion.

The ambulance then left to Sonora Regional Hospital. I stood there in the driveway asking for directions. I opened the door to the Porsche. I then ran and got my computer bag in the house because it had all my shit. Like my financial stuff... my phone chargers and iPod in case I was in for the night. I envisioned my son hooked up to tubes and shit inside a clear plastic box. I had no idea...

My mother in law, bless her heart, calm as can be offered me a ride to the hospital. I declined because I'd feel better driving myself. At least behind the wheel of my Porsche I'd be in control.

I headed out with the rights and lefts from the instructions the paramedics gave me ingrained in my head. I believe the ambulance had maybe 5 minutes on me. Maybe 7. Who knows? I caught them 2/3's up the way up Parrot's Ferry Rd. The whole time, Free Bird was blaring on the stereo. No cellphone service to call my parents. I was in shit... until I caught up with the ambulance.

At first I was puzzled why the ambulance wasn't flying 80 miles an hour with the sirens blaring. I caught up to them quickly (but hey man, it's a Porsche... that's what they are for). We hit the town of Sonora. I looked into the back window of the ambulance and my wife was in there giving me thumbs up... Elijah must be okay...

He was checked into the hospital. He had what is called a febrile seizure. It's caused by a rapid rise in body temperature. After the fact, my mom and my mother in law both noticed he felt hot today. We noticed he was kind of lethargic in the back seat of the car when we were heading up the hill. But it was like 105 today with like 60% humidity. It was warm. He had played all day. He got his photos taken for Grandma and Grandpas anniversary gift. He ran around the mall. He looked fine.

His temperature was 103.5 at the hospital. He had all of his color back when I got into the emergency room. I had the "gate keeper" ask me about 500 questions before I got back. Elijah was crying when I got there. But he looked like Elijah again. Big blue eyes and radiant skin. I got him to smile so that cleared one amateur neurological test for me. Then I got him to laugh which was another. Then he signed for milk which summed it all up for me. I knew the dude was back. They gave him some Tylenol that brought his temp down to 100. He's got these mysterious rashes on him that appeared after the fever that the doctors are puzzle on so we got to bring him back if they are there in the morning. But they think they are unrelated. I'll update you folks then.

Nothing scares you more than watching your little son get into an ambulance. Nothing!

Thank God he is going to be fine...

I am changing my Windows colors on the tool bars because I do not want to see that shade of blue again.