A first for Madalyn...

I'll start this off with a note that this is mostly just for my documentation for her medical history.

So I'll back up to Monday night...Madalyn complained that her allergies were bad and asked for her Zyrtec.  I gave it to her around 7pm and sent her to bed normal time with her acting herself.  She woke up Tuesday morning with a headache and complaining of sinus pressure.  Her eyes were all swollen, red and itchy.  Unfortunately the Zyrtec is 24 hours so she was out of luck on that front for a while.  I gave her some Tylenol for her headache and we went on with the day like normal.  At 2:45 we went to Bible club and half way through, she looked like she was running a fever and I could tell her allergies were bothering her.  I wasn't able to actually check it but it was high.  One of the other volunteers had Motrin and Tylenol on them and thankfully Madalyn swallows pills good.  She was back to herself in about an hour.  That night before bed, I gave her Zyrtec and some Tylenol just to be on the safe side.  She was her happy self and went to bed normal.  2:30am this morning I am woke up by her shaking me, holding her throat.  She couldn't breathe well and looked awful.  I called Doug's mom for Marissa and got her albuterol machine out and started her on a treatment.  It seemed to help some and I gave her the option of waiting till her doctor's office opened or going to the ER...she chose the ER ( which is very odd for her ).  So we headed for the door, when it all hit again.  She was gasping and holding her neck.  Her fingertips were turning bluish and she was a greyish color.  I made the call that I wasn't going to drive her and called the ambulance.  I was still back and forth on my decision but when the Level 3 EMT showed up and her oxygen level was 91 when it should be around 100 he said I made a good call.  God was good and Madalyn knew him from different places so it was a familiar face and she knew his name.  She let him carry her out to the stretcher and she got to go for her 1st ambulance ride.  I rode with her.  They started her on oxygen and ended up giving her 2 more albuterol treatments in the ambulance.  When we got to the hospital, everyone was super nice.  They didn't like that she wasn't responding quickly to the treatment so the pulled out the good stuff and gave her 2 treatments of Epinephrine along with a steroid.  That did the trick.  Within an hour, her wheezing was gone and she was looking more like herself.  Her heart rate was 168 due to all the meds, so once that and her fever dropped, they released us.  They are saying she has Viral Croup for now, but she hasn't had a cough.  However, as I'm writing this she did cough a little.  So maybe.  We have to follow up with her doctor so I'm going to call as soon as they open.  For now she is on Albuterol treatments along with a prescription for a steroid. 

She is a trooper and I'm glad to see her back to herself....although she is passed out now! ;)
UPDATE...
She slept form 6am to 10am and in the meantime I got an appointment at her doctor's office for a second opinion.  Turns out the ER was correct.  Although she never had the seal bark, she does have croup.  From what I was told, and how I understood it, croup causes the airway or some portion of it to become inflamed.  This causes the feeling of tickling which leads to the cough to try and clear it.  It progresses from there and results in a panic sort of coughing.  The pediatrician said that there aren't many that can have croup and not have the cough but it is the result of her knowing from having other breathing things that it isn't going to do any good to cough or panic.  So she is on steroids till at least Friday and we are going to lay low.
 Thanks for all the prayers!