Monday, October 19, 2015

Rydon's emergency

This is a raw journal entry.
Last night I was using the bathroom and the kids came rushing in saying Rydon was choking. Zenock brought him into my room and I could tell by his coughing and crying that something was indeed in his throat but I couldn't see it. I was also concerned about something being lodged in his cleft palate, but I couldn't see anything up there either. I put him upside down over my leg and did a throat sweep, just as I was taught in numerous CPR/first aid classes. Nothing but baby food came out. I kept checking his mouth and still didn't see anything causing distress, but I was still so worried. I laid him on the floor and called 911. Brady was at stake choir practice and I knew I should call 911 instead of hoping he would answer the phone and come home to help me. The operator asked me lots of questions and talked with me until the ambulance turned the corner by our house. I had the kids call Brady after I hung up with 911. The kids were excited to see the ambulance, as they all love to watch the EMS vehicles drive by our house. When three fire department EMT's came in the house Ayla got very scared saying the policemen were scary. By the time they arrived he had calmed down and was sucking his fingers. They checked Rydon over, listening to his lungs, looking in his mouth.  One of them picked him up and Rydon started smiling and playing with him. We never found out what he was choking on. I am so glad the 911 dispatch wasn't bogged down with callers so I could get right through to them on the first ring. I am grateful the fire station isn't far from our house. I am grateful I knew just what to do in this situation. And for the record, it is SO SCARY to call 911 for your own kids. Thankfully he was ok and didn't have to take a ride to the hospital.

This is what Brady had to say about the whole experience:
The worst phone call you've ever gotten? I got mine tonight. While at stake choir practice, I got a call from Keiza that I felt that I should answer but didn't in time. Normally, I would have just texted her when I was finished, but the feeling wouldn't go away that I needed to call her. Then I got a voicemail. So I listened to it as I went into the hall. It was Zenock, sounding frantic, all I could understand was "paramedics" and "come home". Worst. Drive. Home. EVER.
Turns out Rydon choked on something and she couldn't get it out. But she did by continuing to use what she had been trained to and practiced by the time the paramedics got there. They checked him out and he was fine. Nothing in his lungs and all his vitals were back to normal.
But holy crap! I did like 60 going home and pulled up as they left. Gideon was shouting "bye-bye" as they drove off, and telling me all about the firemen helping the baby so it seems that everything was ok by then. Ayla was scared of the "policemen" when four of them came in our house all at once. But other than that everyone was pretty calm and did it right. But holy crap!
I'm grateful my wife keeps her wits in emergencies, that the response time for our fire station was less then 10 minutes, the excellent CPR and first aid training my wife and I have had, and most especially the still small voice of the Holy Ghost who yells when we don't listen the first time.

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