The "What if" Question
16 February 2009 | Topsail Beach, NC
Jenny / 39 & sunny
This last week I had one of those "what if" questions come to my mind.
What if we're hundreds of miles offshore and my son goes into respiratory distress again? How does one handle that or any other medical situation?
Last week, we experienced Colin's second episode of respiratory distress. The first episode occurred on Christmas Day 2007. He had had a cold for a couple days prior to Christmas. On Christmas morning, he opened all of his presents from Santa Claus, but then he proceeded to lay down on the couch and not play with any of his new toys. That's when I noticed his breathing was rapid and labored. Fortunately, my dad, a retired ER doc, happened to be there. He examined him and determined that we needed to get Colin to the hospital. So we spent the remainder of Christmas Day in the ER with Colin receiving oxygen and albuterol treatments until his blood oxygen levels returned to normal. We also had to make sure he remained hydrated due to the number of times he'd vomited. It was a stressful day.
Colin is not asthmatic, and it was determined that he had a virally induced respiratory reaction. However, following that incident, which was also in the wake of a pneumonia episode the year before, I decided it would be beneficial to purchase my own pulse oximeter in order to monitor his oxygen levels myself. I have an extensive scientific background with some medical experience, but my medical training is minimal. I was a surgical technician for a year, so I'm able to do some basic medical assessment and take care of minor emergencies. However, sometimes I feel I know just enough to be dangerous. We don't run to the doctor every time we have a sickness, and I try to handle things myself. In my mind, if we're going sailing, I need to be as self-sufficient as possible. Also, prior to sailing, we would be living on Topsail Island which is an hour's drive to the nearest hospital.
So last week when Colin's cold seemed to make a sudden change for the worse, I was prepared with my pulse oximeter and the albuterol inhaler which we had on hand from our previous hospital visit. Immediately, I saw the beginning stages of his respiratory distress, and we were able to get to an urgent care center. (That was after being turned away from the pediatrician's office and other urgent care centers who all said we needed to get to the ER) In the end, we had caught the symptoms early enough, and only needed to pick up a 3-day steroid prescription and a new albuterol inhaler.
So what if something like this happens on the high seas? After these respiratory episodes, I now realize some of the extras I'll need to have in our ship's medical supply kit. This will include a couple of albuterol inhalers and even a few canisters of oxygen, as well as my trusty pulse oximeter. If Colin, or anyone else for that matter, goes into respiratory distress, I should be able to treat the symptoms. Or at least stabilize the situation until we can get proper medical attention.
The other day, I joked with my dad, saying that maybe I will have experienced everything medically I need to know by the time we go sailing. Of course, that's not possible, and we definitely don't want that to happen. However, we will be as prepared as we possibly can. I have my current background knowledge and experience, I plan to renew my first aid and CPR certification, and the ship's medical kit will be as well stocked as possible.
The "what if" questions can be scary and intimidating. However, life is full of risks. You can't stay hidden from the world, or so many of life's experiences will be missed. Some would say that we're crazy for taking our children out to sea. Yes, I worry, but I also worry when we're here on land. What parent doesn't worry about their children's well-being? Our chances for a serious car accident are greater than anything that can happen at sea.
The best thing we can do is to be prepared and trained to the best of our ability. I can't count how many times I witnessed the most thorough preparation performed by my parents as I was growing up. We had fire drills where we had to climb out of the window and down a fire escape ladder from the top floor of our house. We had many summers of hurricane preparations. We never departed on a camping or sailing trip without being prepared for all of the "what ifs". I've learned preparation tricks from my parents, from Wil, and from my surgical experience in the OR. I want to believe that we have enough sensibility and knowledge (as well as the ability to think on our feet) to get us through whatever life throws in our direction.
Preparation is the key.