The afterglow and grilled "cheese"
There are so many words to describe the last couple of days, and yet none of them do it justice. The main one in our minds at this moment is exhausted. Our minds are spent from trying to remember so many details. Our legs ache - Brandon's from running all over the church making sure everyone had their microphones, had them on, had batteries, etc. Mine from wedging myself in a hole backstage so I could feed lines without being seen and spring up onstage when props needed to move.
But oh, the glory, the humility, the wonder of watching God's church come together as the body of Christ. So many different talents, every single one made by Him and used for His glory in this. And the excitement surrounding a story we all know so well.
The story is powerful. From my hole, about the only thing I could see well was the crucifixion scene. Thursday night, after the actors got into position on the crosses, I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat. How often do I forget what my Jesus did for me? Though we wanted to do this Easter pageant for the community, I am pretty sure we got more out of it than anyone else.
Now onto the grilled "cheese". Friday did not go as planned. I was so excited because we had found "non-dairy slices", this stuff that looked like sliced american cheese that didn't contain milk. This would open up a whole new world of meals for us.
Lunchtime came, and I made Trey a grilled "cheese" sandwich. He LOVED it, gobbled up every bite. We moved on to his soy yogurt. Trey started coughing. For reasons I can only attribute to God, my defenses immediately went up. I tried to give Trey something to drink, but he wouldn't drink. The coughing got worse. He started grabbing his throat.
I ran to get the Benadryl, got Trey from his high chair and took him to his changing table, where I poured the Benadryl into his mouth. This upset him a little, but he was coughing too much to keep crying. I spent the next 10 minutes trying to contain Trey in my arms so he would breathe steadily and the coughing could die down easier.
It didn't, and by this time he was wheezing, still grabbing his throat. I questioned my initial reaction - is this an asthma attack? Got the inhaler and gave Trey 2 puffs. He hates the inhaler, and this upset him enough that he started crying, and hard. Crying, coughing, gasping, wheezing, trying to swallow.
The inhaler is supposed to work within 10 minutes. I grabbed the off-limits paci, hoping that would calm him down some. Ten minutes later, no better. So I did something I hoped I would never have to do in my lifetime. I called 911.
The woman could barely hear me from Trey crying and coughing into the phone. I was sobbing amid trying to tell the woman about Trey's allergies and asthma, and what had happened. While holding Trey I am rushing around the house getting shoes on, diaper bag ready, medicines together. The woman said the ambulance was on its way, so we hung up, and I called Brandon to tell him what was happening. I set Trey on the floor for just a minute, can't remember why, and his legs gave out from under him. Picked him back up, and his head rolled back and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Thus began the real panic. I took everything we had outside on the porch and paced, crying, praying, screaming for Jesus to help me. For a few minutes I honestly thought Trey was going to quit breathing. I stopped trying to hush his crying. Crying is breathing.
After what seemed like an eternity (about 15 minutes), the medics arrived and checked Trey's pulse and his throat. When the ambulance pulled up, sirens blaring, I remember Trey picking up his head long enough to look and point at the siren, then he went limp on my shoulder.
In the ambulance he passed out and was unresponsive for the whole ride to the hospital. The EMT, Chad, gave him oxygen. Trey was so still that the only way we could tell if he was still breathing was for Chad to put his ear to Trey's nose. But he kept breathing as I got sick from the ride. Threw up the last 10 minutes of the ride. Yeah, that's exactly what everyone needed at the time.
The prayers for Trey were answered quickly, as he woke up when we got to the hospital, breathing normally, and by the time we made it into the ER, he was smiling. Go figure. Diagnosis: non-dairy cheese is not non-dairy enough. We have an epi-pen, which I was told I should have used. In my panic I had forgotten about it. But bless those wonderful folks who helped us when we needed it most. And we can't thank God enough for saving our baby.
So now we know what can happen, and I am more content now than ever just to keep eating the same old stuff. Whatever we need to do for Trey.
But oh, the glory, the humility, the wonder of watching God's church come together as the body of Christ. So many different talents, every single one made by Him and used for His glory in this. And the excitement surrounding a story we all know so well.
The story is powerful. From my hole, about the only thing I could see well was the crucifixion scene. Thursday night, after the actors got into position on the crosses, I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat. How often do I forget what my Jesus did for me? Though we wanted to do this Easter pageant for the community, I am pretty sure we got more out of it than anyone else.
Now onto the grilled "cheese". Friday did not go as planned. I was so excited because we had found "non-dairy slices", this stuff that looked like sliced american cheese that didn't contain milk. This would open up a whole new world of meals for us.
Lunchtime came, and I made Trey a grilled "cheese" sandwich. He LOVED it, gobbled up every bite. We moved on to his soy yogurt. Trey started coughing. For reasons I can only attribute to God, my defenses immediately went up. I tried to give Trey something to drink, but he wouldn't drink. The coughing got worse. He started grabbing his throat.
I ran to get the Benadryl, got Trey from his high chair and took him to his changing table, where I poured the Benadryl into his mouth. This upset him a little, but he was coughing too much to keep crying. I spent the next 10 minutes trying to contain Trey in my arms so he would breathe steadily and the coughing could die down easier.
It didn't, and by this time he was wheezing, still grabbing his throat. I questioned my initial reaction - is this an asthma attack? Got the inhaler and gave Trey 2 puffs. He hates the inhaler, and this upset him enough that he started crying, and hard. Crying, coughing, gasping, wheezing, trying to swallow.
The inhaler is supposed to work within 10 minutes. I grabbed the off-limits paci, hoping that would calm him down some. Ten minutes later, no better. So I did something I hoped I would never have to do in my lifetime. I called 911.
The woman could barely hear me from Trey crying and coughing into the phone. I was sobbing amid trying to tell the woman about Trey's allergies and asthma, and what had happened. While holding Trey I am rushing around the house getting shoes on, diaper bag ready, medicines together. The woman said the ambulance was on its way, so we hung up, and I called Brandon to tell him what was happening. I set Trey on the floor for just a minute, can't remember why, and his legs gave out from under him. Picked him back up, and his head rolled back and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Thus began the real panic. I took everything we had outside on the porch and paced, crying, praying, screaming for Jesus to help me. For a few minutes I honestly thought Trey was going to quit breathing. I stopped trying to hush his crying. Crying is breathing.
After what seemed like an eternity (about 15 minutes), the medics arrived and checked Trey's pulse and his throat. When the ambulance pulled up, sirens blaring, I remember Trey picking up his head long enough to look and point at the siren, then he went limp on my shoulder.
In the ambulance he passed out and was unresponsive for the whole ride to the hospital. The EMT, Chad, gave him oxygen. Trey was so still that the only way we could tell if he was still breathing was for Chad to put his ear to Trey's nose. But he kept breathing as I got sick from the ride. Threw up the last 10 minutes of the ride. Yeah, that's exactly what everyone needed at the time.
The prayers for Trey were answered quickly, as he woke up when we got to the hospital, breathing normally, and by the time we made it into the ER, he was smiling. Go figure. Diagnosis: non-dairy cheese is not non-dairy enough. We have an epi-pen, which I was told I should have used. In my panic I had forgotten about it. But bless those wonderful folks who helped us when we needed it most. And we can't thank God enough for saving our baby.
So now we know what can happen, and I am more content now than ever just to keep eating the same old stuff. Whatever we need to do for Trey.
Comments
I cried when I read this post. I had no idea that Trey passed out, or that you were so frightened. My heart goes out to you. Being a mom is the most rewarding, yet challenging job of all. We are always second guessing ourselves. Should I have done this, should I NOT have done that. Sounds to me like you handled yourself very well on Friday...much better than I would have done! I'm very proud of the woman you've become. As for the Easter play, it too touched my heart. I know how much time went into this- by a great many people-both on stage and behind the scenes. The part that broke my heart was when Jesus was in the garden praying, and the desciples couldn't stay awake to pray for Him. I could sense the frustration that Jesus, the man, felt. I'm so glad that Jesus, the Lord, was willing to forgive that in us. Jesus was in that garden and knew the pain and humiliation He was about to endure and still was willing to do it for us! What amazing love!!! As parents we feel we love our children more than life itself, but God was the ultimate parent. I can't imagine putting my child through that. I'm just so glad that God loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. Many thanks to you and the other members of the church for reminding me how very lucky I am because of His Love!!!!!!
Joyce