Our First Monster Jam Didn’t Happen: A Story About Croup, Allergies, and Parenting
- P. Murray
- Nov 22, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
My son and I were getting ready to go to our first ever Monster Jam at SoFi Stadium. It was Friday and we were going the next day. We played with monster trucks and ramps in the play room as we pretended to be the Monster Jam trucks we would see the next day.
Z had a mild cold, but seemed like he would be fine to go to the event the next day. Z has some health issues, but nothing that is overly concerning. Since he was probably one, colds could turn into pretty bad asthma attacks for him, and his lungs would have tons of junk in them. We typically need to use an inhaler, nebulizer and steroid inhaler at home to treat what would be a normal cold for our daughter that lasts 2 days.
When Z was 2½ we found out that he has a tree nut allergy and is severely allergic to at least cashews and pistachios as well as some other tree nuts. He had two anaphylactic responses to tree nuts .... neither had to do with breathing, but each anaphylactic response can get worse and worse for kids. So Z may have an anaphylactic response that does cause breathing difficulty.... which is scary. This world is all so nuanced and it doesn't seem like any allergist or specialist truly understands it perfectly.
So back to Friday.... we have friends over and there is ice cream that is processed in a facility with tree nuts. I give it to Z thinking, I need to be less anxious about this. We have an epi pen and he's normally fine. Everything is fine with him that night. Allergic reactions typically happen instantly or within at least 30 minutes from what doctors have told us.
The Night Everything Changed
Friday night I hear an odd sound coming from Z's room. Like a bark.... A sound I had never heard before come out of him. It didn't make sense why it would be an allergic reaction but that's the first place my mind went. I ran him into my bedroom where my wife was sleeping and woke her up. We quickly gave him his inhalers (steroid and albuterol) and set up his nebulizer. We then frantically tried to figure out what was making breathing so hard.
As I ran downstairs to get him Benadryl in case it was allergic, my brother woke up and asked if we needed help. I told him to call 911.
Z continued to struggle to catch his breath and had the barking sound. I pull out the epi pen and breathe deeply.... Z and my wife's eyes get really big. I take another deep breath and jam it into my son's thigh as he looks at me with a look that said everything and screams "Owwwwww."
It took the ambulance 10-15 minutes to get to our house. When they got there, pretty instantly they realized it was croup. Z was having stridor so they took him to our local hospital. The medicine started to work .... dexamethasone and oxygen, and perhaps some nebulized epinephrine.
What I've Learned About Croup
The main reason I wanted to make this post was to share what I've now learned about croup and to make other parents with children who experience croup feel a little better. None of this is medical advice .... just what I've noticed worked for our son.
Croup: Key Facts for Parents
Fact | Details |
Who gets it | Most common ages 6 months to 3 years; peak at age 2 |
US annual cases | ~360,000 children aged 1-3 years develop croup annually |
ER visits | 5-15% of cases (18,000-54,000 children) require emergency care |
Hospitalizations | ~5% of cases (18,000 children) are hospitalized |
Intubation (severe) | 1-3% of hospitalized children require intubation |
Primary cause | Usually parainfluenza virus type 1; also RSV, rhinovirus |
Duration | Most cases resolve in 3-7 days |
Key symptom | Barky, seal-like cough with stridor (high-pitched breathing noise) |
What Actually Helps .... Our Experience
1. This is scary. So sorry if you went through something like we did. When you've never heard or seen this .... it is paralyzing. You are not overreacting.
2. Cold air truly seemed to work better than a hot shower. When we went outside the next time, Z got a lot better. If he has another attack, I will likely take him outside to the car first and drive to the ER with the windows down. Cold, moist air reduces airway swelling and is first-line home management according to pediatric guidelines.
3. Any time he has a cold coming on we give him his steroid inhaler .... since he has asthma this seems to help keep his airways open. I also put a humidifier in his room and make sure it is cool in there.
4. We learned that our health plan won't give us dexamethasone and nebulized epinephrine for home use, and he always needs it. So it would be better to get to the ER right away rather than waiting.
I do wonder if it would make sense to create a nebulizer that produces chilled air for when the temperature is hot outside. But for the time being, I feel safe with our plan of action. Z made it to Monster Jam eventually.... and it was everything he hoped for.
This post reflects my personal experience and is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Please consult your own physician before making any health decisions.
Comments