Last week was super tough for Zayden, our family, and his amazing nursing team. But today feels like a fresh start since we’re finally seeing some real improvement in Zayden's condition.
On September 5th, his allergist suggested Flonase to help with his allergy symptoms. But after just two days, things went sideways. Instead of helping, the medication made everything worse. His mucus went into overdrive, leading to some intense vomiting episodes. His breathing took a big hit, and we had to bump up his oxygen levels higher than ever before. By September 7th, he spiked a fever that had us scrambling with ice packs and fever meds. Then, on Sunday night, things really escalated—Zayden had a respiratory crash and stopped breathing. His grandpa and I jumped into emergency mode, switching out his trach and giving rescue breaths. One of his night nurses arrived just in time to help us finish the job and give grandpa a much-needed break. Turns out, his airway was completely blocked by a huge mucus plug in his trach, plus more mucus clogging up his nose and throat.
We were in a tough spot—managing Zayden’s health with no way to get anywhere and a big emergency in DeSoto County that had all the EMS ALS units tied up. It’s something we’ve prepared for since our county only has four EMS units to cover 671 square miles. With my background in EMS—both in the field and the hospital—and my experience raising Zayden’s mom, who’s had her share of respiratory emergencies, we’ve made sure we’re set up at home for moments like this.
Thankfully, with the help of Zayden’s incredible doctors, our nursing staff, and family, we were able to give him hospital-level care right here at home. We’ve got everything we need—oxygen tanks, a concentrator, nebulizers, a shaker vest, a cough assist device, ventilators, all the necessary supplies, and backup trachs in both his regular size and a smaller size (just in case there’s swelling). The only things missing from our home setup are emergency steroids and antibiotics, but thankfully, we didn’t end up needing those.
Being able to care for Zayden at home wasn’t just convenient, it also kept him safe from any extra bacteria or infections he could’ve picked up in the hospital. Honestly, it was the best option for him.
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