Yesterday evening Simon broke out in a rash. It happened suddenly so I texted a picture to my brother-in-law.

Sidetrack- A few months ago I was having laptop issues and a different brother-in-law, Ben, rescued me from a computer disaster. I commented on facebook that everyone should be related to 1. a mechanic, 2. a doctor and 3. a computer guy. My sister Lori is a nurse in the ER and her husband, although not a Dr. yet, is in medical school and just finished a rotation in pediatrics. Super helpful, right? Although I think they might get sick of my phone calls whenever something is ailing one of my many children. (I know, I know, four isn’t that many. But these regular trips to the ER make it seem like that many.) Unfortunately I’m not related to a mechanic. Yet…

Jess?

Back to the story- Lori called and after consulting with Sean concurred that it was probably an allergic reaction, give him Benadryl. They even supplied with me the correct dosage. Lori and I continued to chat when I noticed that Simon wasn’t breathing so well. It looked like he was “retracting.” (How’s that for stellar medical vocabulary?) Lori suggested I take a short video of his breathing and send it to Sean. I did so. MAGIC! Just like that he could see exactly what I was seeing. Lori called me back and said take that baby to the hospital, STAT!

Sidetrack again- (How’s this for building suspense?) I’ve never felt compelled to justify my iPhone. I shamelessy acknowledge that it is a luxury. That’s not to say I haven’t used it in many practical ways, but when I bought it I felt indulgent. But should I need justification, here it is: Being able to take a video to show to Sean instantly, and then have readily available to show to the Dr. in the ER and to my pediatrician the next day for follow up was so helpful. It was so much more effective in aiding in their diagnosis than any discription I could have given about his respiratory distress. Technology is amazing. Love it. I thought about posting the video here, but it’s just too sad.

By the time we arrived in the ER the Benadryl must have been working because he was looking much better. His vitals were good but the Doc still ordered an epinephrine breathing treatment and an IV. We stayed for a few hours for observation. We saw the pediatrician today and worked out a plan to figure out what exactly the reaction was to. That could create some obstacles for his future diet, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.