Louisiana reflects on a scary incident involving her daughter, Ronee', when she was six years old, and the fear and uncertainty she felt when her daughter suffered a sudden and severe asthma attack as the result of a bee sting.
One of the worst times a mother faces is when their child becomes sick or injured unexpectedly. Such a time was when my daughter, Ronee', had one of her asthma attacks.
She was six years old at the time of this incident. She was outside, playing with her brothers and sisters, when she was stung by a bee after she panicked and then swatted at it when it flew too close to her. Not even a minute later, big, pink hives popped out all over her face and neck. As the precious minutes ticked by, Ronee' 's breathing only became worse.
I was inside, in the livingroom, folding the laundry, when I heard the panicked cries of my children; and from their cries, I knew something was wrong, so I decided to see what caused them to become so upset.
When I walked outside, I was dismayed to find Ronee' sitting on the front porch, bent over at the waist. She was wheezing and gasping loudly as she struggled to draw in breath. She was shaking all over, and she was having a very hard time with her breathing. I went over to her, and I asked her what was going on, but she couldn't answer me. Her face was soaked with sweat, and her face was turning a dark shade of blue.
I immediately knew that Ronee' was in trouble. I yelled at one of the older kids to call for an ambulance.
As Barbara called for the paramedics inside, I sat with Ronee', and I spoke calming, soothing words to her, to try to get her to calm down somewhat. I knew that being upset probably only made the breathing problems worse, so this was why I tried to get Ronee' to calm down; but I knew that it was hard because she was scared. Still, I knew that I had to be calm for her as well; she would sense my fear, and that would only make the problem more dire.
By the time the ambulance rounded the corner and I saw the flashing lights of the ambulance out of the corner of my eye, I was greatly relieved; but my fears were suddenly compounded because Ronee' went limp, and she was no longer gasping for air: she was too quiet, and it unnerved me.
As I saw the paramedics coming towards the house, I picked up Ronee' in my arms, and I took her over to where they were. The one paramedic took Ronee' from my arms and quickly laid her onto the ground, where he then began examining her and began listening to her heart and breathing. He barked at his partner to grab the resuscitation kit and some oxygen.
Soon, the paramedics were working on my daughter, trying to revive her, and as I watched them, tears blurred my vision, and I silently sent a prayer to God, asking Him to spare Ronee' 's life and not to let her die. I then looked back at my other kids, who were all standing (or, in Johnny's case, sitting) near the porch, their young faces terror-stricken. I knew they were scared too; so I wasn't alone in my fears.
Ronee' lay on the ground, and the paramedics were assisting her with her breathing by way of an endotracheal tube and a breathing bag that was attached to the tube; and after they gave her a shot in the neck (so as to open her swollen air passages; she wasn't getting enough air), they breathed for her. As they assisted her breathing, her color pinked up some; but she was still rather blue in the face. Her chest was moving, but not very well; and she needed to be taken to a nearby emergency room if she was to have a chance of surviving this crisis involving her breathing.
(~To be continued.)
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Reviewed by Robert Blackwell
1/10/2004
As always, a beautiful job well done on this story.
My eldest son suffer from asthma...and been to hospital many times....at the ag of 8 he almost died...his heart stopped beating 3 times in one night....and a month later his sister died.....that was never sick in her 6 years she lived....just shows you it's not always the sick one that goes!! This write brought back so many memories of real worry and pain!!
Love Tinka
Reviewed by Connie Washburn
1/9/2004
Hi Karen - yes, I really enjoyed your story - very compelling. I understand first hand how fast asthma can clamp hold of a loved one. Well told and can't wait for part two!
A poignant story about letting go of a narcissist in your life. Have you ever been attacked FULL force by a narcissist? It's the closest thing to being stabbed over and over in the back.
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This CD will touch the deepest inner part of your humanness and spirit, you will never be the same after listening to the depths of struggle, the reality of life, the touching voice of truth. It will shock you, move you to tears. It w
One of the worst times a mother faces is when their child becomes sick or injured unexpectedly. Such a time was when my daughter, Ronee', had one of her asthma attacks.
