Long Post Warning!

Yesterday around noon I was sitting at my office considering writing a post about my experiences on 9/11/2001, which is what got me thinking about emergency preparations in the first place.

As I started to compose the post, my phone rang, and it was the babysitter telling me she thought my 15-month old son had a fever. I asked her to take his temperature, which she did, calling me back to tell me it was 102.4. No problem, I thought, and told her to give him 1.5 teaspoons of children's motrin and that he'd probably go take a long nap.

Five minutes later she called back and told me she was a bit uncomfortable because my son just did not "look right." OK, no problem. I called the pediatrician to get a sick visit, with the intention of sending the babysitter over there with my son.

As I was on hold with the doctor's office, my phone rang again. Now she said she was scared, and as we were talking said something I hope no parent ever has to hear, "Oh my God, his breathing is not right. His lips are turning blue!"

My heart nearly burst out of my chest as I said, as calmly as I could, “hang up the phone and call 911. Call me back when you get to the emergency room.” I have never felt so helpless and powerless in my life. I was 20-miles away and though I did not know what was wrong with him, I feared that my son's life was in the hands of his babysitter and whoever responded to the 911 call.

I have a small advantage in that I volunteer with our local ambulance squad, and I intended to press that advantage for all it was worth. I immediately called the chief of our department on his cell phone and told him he was about to get toned out for my son, and to please take good care of him. The chief was unfortunately out of the district and could not get to my house, but he worked his phone for all it was worth – half the ALS techs in the department were on the road before the tones went off.

The police arrived at my house very quickly and put my son on oxygen. Rescue arrived a few minutes later. One tech I spoke with described my son's condition as “extremely lethargic,” and another said he was “unresponsive,” and he remained that way all the way to the hospital. The Nassau County Police Department and the City of Long Beach Police went all out to help my son, and shut down the roads between my house and the hospital, giving the ambulance a full escort to the emergency room. The babysitter called my cell phone on their arrival, and I gave the ER my son's medical history and permission to do whatever they thought was necessary to help him.

By the time I arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes later (my company kindly provided me with a livery car and driver to get to the hospital, as I commute by public transportation)), the doctors had determined that he most likely had suffered a febrile seizure, though one of somewhat unusual duration. While very scary, febrile seizures are not uncommon, and generally cause no long-lasting damage (other than that once you've had one, you are more likely to have another). They are caused by a rapid change in body temperature, and kids usually outgrow them by age 7 or 8. Relieved, I went to comfort my very unhappy toddler (he had two IV sticks and a urinary catheter) and keep him occupied for the three hours they wanted to observe him. He's been doing fine today, and seems like himself, though himself with a fever.

So, what did I learn?

First, the bad:
- Nothing prepares you for hearing that your kid may not be breathing, and will be going to the hospital in an ambulance. It was honestly the most terrifying moment of my life, and I've been through some bad stuff (like hiding under a car to escape raining debris on 9/11/01)

- While it worked this time, it would be better if the ER did not have to contact me for permission to treat my son. We need to have signed permission to treat forms for the babysitters, and keep them somewhere obvious.

- I would be happier if the babysitter had called 911 on her own initiative, but in general I think she did well with the situation.

Now the good:
- Our babysiter was really in touch with how my son was doing. She noticed his fever, correctly identified that something was not right, and called for help when she needed it. She was great on the trip to the hospital (she was strapped to the gurney holding my son) and trying to keep him calm in the ER before I could get there.

- The local emergency services and hospital were top notch. While I expected the best from the ambulance, as I know them, I was particularly impressed by the police and hospital. When informed by radio that an ambulance was inbound with a very sick child, the head of emergency medicine made his way to the ER to personally treat my son.

- I managed to stay relatively calm. I made the phone calls I needed to make, and rationally gave information to people who needed it.

What we'll be doing differently:

- I'm going to make a “medical go-envelope” for each of my kids. It will contain all of my and my wife's contact information, signed permission to treat forms, medical histories, and insurance information. It will be conspicuously posted near the door so that whomever is home can grab it on the way to the hospital in an emergency.

- I'm going to have a formal debrief with the babysitter to let her know how much we appreciate her work, and give some suggestions for the future (like taking the initiative to call 911 if she's scared. She's a nursing student, so I know that she knows what to do, I just think she'd never been confronted with a real emergency before and got scared.).

I hope some of you can learn something from this experience. In the end, my son received excellent care, and he's going to be fine, even if his mom and dad aged about ten years in the course of a few minutes.