Asthma Attack
With Eddie away in South Africa all week the boys and I took a road trip up Norf to see Saffi, Mark and Fleur in their new pad in Lincolnshire. Such a beautiful place, their house looks out on a stretch of lawn and then a huge, perfectly groomed polo pitch. Idyllic. I even had a chance to stick and ball on a beautiful black mare called The Duchess, a real confidence boost and it reminded me how much I'd missed them all.
Alas the trip was not without its drama; this time in the shape of William's first really serious asthma attack. If I think about it, things started to kick off as soon as he went to bed, and by 2am he was coughing so much I went out to the car to get his duvet (which I'd packed just in case). By morning he was in a complete state; unable to breathe and terrified, which of course made things worse. He cried and cried and after trying all the inhalers I'd brought, I was at my wits end. Eventually we put him in a warm bath hoping that the humidity would help which it did for a while... until he got out.
Desperate, I called the GP who fortunately rang back relatively quickly and advised 10 puffs of Ventolin to settle him down. It worked. Thank God. And the rest of the morning passed with no further drama, just lots of sunshine, horses and a delicious picnic on the lawn.
Finally it was time to go home but as soon as we'd set off the coughing started again. Sure it was horses causing the reaction, I pulled over and changed out of my jodphurs and top in a layby. Classy! It seemed to help and we managed to get as far as Oxford before Will started to wheeze and by the time we reached Newbury he was in a complete state. Going home was out of the question, so I drove straight to our surgery and asked to see a doctor as a matter of urgency.
10 minutes later and the doctor gave Will a nebuliser which settled him immediately. The smile that lit up his face as he was finally able to breathe again - I can't put the relief into words. He's now on a course of steroids and seems absolutely fine. That's what makes it even harder - you almost can't believe that something that terrifying actually happened.
Horses. We need to steer clear. I'm sure that it was the bedding that kicked things off, because of all the polo gear etc...it's all mixed in together. He must have got worse and worse through the night and by the time I'd got his duvet for him it was too late, the damage was done.
I was sure I'd thought of everything before we went because I know he's allergic to horse hair, but I really didn't see this coming. You live and learn, I just wish it didn't always have to be at William's expense.
Alas the trip was not without its drama; this time in the shape of William's first really serious asthma attack. If I think about it, things started to kick off as soon as he went to bed, and by 2am he was coughing so much I went out to the car to get his duvet (which I'd packed just in case). By morning he was in a complete state; unable to breathe and terrified, which of course made things worse. He cried and cried and after trying all the inhalers I'd brought, I was at my wits end. Eventually we put him in a warm bath hoping that the humidity would help which it did for a while... until he got out.
Desperate, I called the GP who fortunately rang back relatively quickly and advised 10 puffs of Ventolin to settle him down. It worked. Thank God. And the rest of the morning passed with no further drama, just lots of sunshine, horses and a delicious picnic on the lawn.
Finally it was time to go home but as soon as we'd set off the coughing started again. Sure it was horses causing the reaction, I pulled over and changed out of my jodphurs and top in a layby. Classy! It seemed to help and we managed to get as far as Oxford before Will started to wheeze and by the time we reached Newbury he was in a complete state. Going home was out of the question, so I drove straight to our surgery and asked to see a doctor as a matter of urgency.
10 minutes later and the doctor gave Will a nebuliser which settled him immediately. The smile that lit up his face as he was finally able to breathe again - I can't put the relief into words. He's now on a course of steroids and seems absolutely fine. That's what makes it even harder - you almost can't believe that something that terrifying actually happened.
Horses. We need to steer clear. I'm sure that it was the bedding that kicked things off, because of all the polo gear etc...it's all mixed in together. He must have got worse and worse through the night and by the time I'd got his duvet for him it was too late, the damage was done.
I was sure I'd thought of everything before we went because I know he's allergic to horse hair, but I really didn't see this coming. You live and learn, I just wish it didn't always have to be at William's expense.
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