That Barking sound

In the day time, he was still ok. No flu, no cough .. Though there was the occasional (1-2 times in the entire day) cough that sounded more like a choke. That happened during his nap as well. He kinda had a cough and he woke up. It didn't seem serious so we reckoned a trip to the doctor the next day would be fine. 

By night, as he was about to go to bed, things still seemed ok. However, at 2am, he seemed to have difficulty breathing and was crying uncontrollably. There was a barking / seal like sound that he was making and that was quite new to us. After half an hour of unstoppable crying, we decided to send him to KK hospital, kids A & E. 

When we arrived, I was quite surprised it was almost full house. Although we have read "Dora goes to the doctor" a thousand times, Cayen was still quite rather hysterical when the nurse tried to use the stethoscope on him. To be fair, he was wailing profusely already so a stranger trying to get him to open his mouth and place strange objects into his ears only made it worse. 

Perhaps due to the symptoms or due to his very loud crying, we managed to see the doctor in ten minutes as opposed to the estimated two hours wait. 

Doctor diagnosed him with Croup , and gave some oral steroids to start with. Within an hour, his barking sound subsided .. It's quite some miracle drug. Then, he was sent to get some other stuff. Not sure what's the name but he got to inhale using a mask. 

He was struggling like crazy so Ah Pa had to hold him down , despite his pleas for help. I was with the doctor so didn't get to see this scene but apparently he struggled so hard that he turned a bit pale. Cayen was quite upset with the betrayal of trust (by ah Pa). After this episode, he was so angry that he ignored Ah Pa and refused him for everything for the next two days. 

After all these, we managed to leave by 5am. It was my first visit to A&E and I certainly hope it's going to be my last. 

Thankfully Cayen recovered quite well after the treatment. By lunch the same day, his appetite was back and his mood was good all day (despite being a bit more tired than normal). And per the doctor, resumed appetite is a good sign. 

Croup apparently is quite common in kids under 3 and hence, I think I should share some tips with all in case you ever encounter. While common, it can also be a medical emergency if breathing is made difficult. Hence, one should be aware. 

http://m.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/croup.html



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