Gabriel's first trip to the ER

It all began Wednesday. I was folding clothes in the laundry room, Gabriel was happily crawling at my feet, under the counter, around the baskets. Suddenly he was gagging. I automatically got down and swept his mouth with my finger to pull out whatever it was he had gotten in there. I hadn't seen anything on the floor so I had no idea what he was choking on. He tried to fight me, of course, and I couldn't find anthing. As soon as I pulled my hand away, he leaned over and looked like he was crying, but no air was moving! Wow, talking about time standing still. I put my hands around his ribs to see if I was imagining things, but no, there was no air coming or going. My baby's airway was completely blocked.

I picked him up and put him tummy-down accross my legs, and began to whack his back as I had been taught in CPR so many times before. This time, though, it wasn't a dummy, it was my little Gabriel. I think I hit him 3 or 4 times when he finally began to cry again.

Nothing came out, so I knew whatever-it-was had been swallowed. He was upset, but I went to the rocking chair and nursed him and he laid down for a nap. The rest of that afternoon and evening, while he nursed fine, he didn't want to eat any solid food. I figured his throat was probably sore, and it would be okay soon enough.

Thursday morning, and lunch time, he still wouldn't take any solid food. He would spit it out, kind of gag, and cry. Thursday dinner time, he ate, probably because he was so hungry. I didn't feed him, Brian did, so I wasn't paying close attention, but I remember it seemed he was having a hard time swallowing.

Friday morning, he refused to eat again. A friend was over at lunch time, and when Gabriel again gagged and cried when I tried to feed him, I told her the story of what had happened Wednesday. I was beginning to realize if it was a sore throat, it should be improved by now, but he seemed to be getting worse. Also, there had been no foriegn objects in his diapers yet, so whatever-it-was was still in there. She confirmed what I was beginning to think - that I should call the doctor and see about finding out what's in there and where it is.

When I called the doctor, they told me to go get him x-rayed. I went to the ER at St. Vincent Children's Hospital. The x-ray revealed there was a coin in his stomach, but his symptoms of not swallowing food suggested something might also be in his esophagus that didn't show on the x-ray (plastic won't show), b/c they said babies usually are fine once the coin passes to the stomach. SO the ER doc called GI and they said they wanted to do a scope - a 15-20 minute procedure in which they would sedate him, then insert a camera through is mouth down the esophagus to check things out, see if any other foriegn objects where there, or something else was causing him a problem. Gabriel went into the OR like a little pro, he wasn't even scared by the nurse's blue clothes and blue hair net! He went right to her, no crying.

I wasn't allowed to observe the procedure, but afterward the surgeon talked with me and said there were indentations in his esophagus that indicated the penny had been stuck there in one spot for a good 10-12 hours -- which would definitely be causing alot of discomfort swallowing. And then there also was a small ulcer in his stomach from where the penny had been sitting in there for at least 6-8 hours. :( Poor little guy. I hadn't been allowed to nurse him yet, but they let me nurse him in recovery. He was SOOO hungry - he hadn't eaten anything since about 10:30 a.m. and it was 7:30 p.m. by the time I could feed him again. He sounded so hoarse from the procedure, and was fussy from the anesthesia. But he was so happy when we returned home around 9 pm.

I have the penny as a souvenier, in a little cup with his hospital label on it. They also let me keep his little hospital gown. Below is a video I took on my phone of him in the ER room, sporting his hospital gown (or dress, as Nolan calls it - When I brought Gabriel home in it, Nolan said, "Gabriel has a dress like daddy's??" LOL --> remembering when Brian was in hospital with appendicitis).

Gabriel is doing much better. He is on a medication to help heal his esophagus and ulcer, and he has increased to his normal diet without any problems.

~Lindsay