A visit to the ER

Daniel is physically a very healthy child, so when he started with a cough last week we didn't think too much of it. By Wednesday night he was needing breathing treatments to help with his cough. I didn't really start to be concerned until Friday afternoon when he put himself to bed because he didn't feel good. I went into his room to check on him. He was asleep, but breathing fast and had begun to have a fever. The doctor's office was already closed so I took him to the local Walgreens clinic. After the nurse practitioner examined him, she informed me his chest was too tight and he wasn't moving much air. She advised me to take him to the Emergency Room as she couldn't do anything for him there.

I took him to St Joseph's Hospital in Kirkwood, MO. Thankfully, it was a quiet evening there and he was taken straight to an examination room. After another breathing treatment, blood tests and x-rays the Doctor determined that he has pneumonia. After just 3 hours we were sent home with a prescription for antibiotics and he was instructed to take things easy for a few days. This hasn't been hard for him to do because he hasn't felt well enough to do much at all.

After hearing that he had pneumonia he asked me "Am I going to die?" He thought this sickness may have meant his death because he has listened to an Adventures in Odyssey tape about the Underground Railroad where one of the escaping slaves died from pneumonia. I was pleased to tell him about the wonders of medicine.

Today he is well on his way to a full recovery. His cough is much looser and he has more energy. We are seeing Daniel back to his normal self!

Michelle