It wasn’t in the plan, but Valerie, Kirby Ann & I spent Christmas Eve morning in the hospital.  We decided that we haven’t had enough medical challenges yet, so we were ready for an adventure.  Ha!

It wasn’t in the plan, but Valerie, Kirby Ann & I spent Christmas Eve morning in the hospital.  We decided that we haven’t had enough medical challenges yet, so we were ready for an adventure.  Ha!

Kirby Ann woke up at 2:15am and was having trouble breathing.  She was wheezing and coughing and wasn’t doing well at all.  Valerie made a quick call to the American Clinic here in Budapest and the doctor said to hurry right over.  Thankfully, our good friend Jessie is spending the weekend with us so Valerie & I were able to just jump in the car and go.  We were at the doctor’s office by 2:45am and the doctor quickly gave her a steroid and started her on a breathing treatment.  The doctor said that it was a bad case of croup (4 out of 6 on the Croup Scale).  Kirby Ann starting doing better quickly, but the doctor recommended that we take her to a hospital for more treatment and observation.  She also told us that the norm was that she would remain in the hospital until she had a symptom free night.  That would mean that she would spend Christmas in the hospital. 

We drove to the hospital and arrived around 4am.  They checked us in and gave her another breathing treatment.  She was doing much better by this time.  I left around 5am and Valerie and Kirby Ann fell asleep from 6 to 7.  Then, it was a long day of waiting.  Thankfully, later in the morning, Valerie begged the doctor to let them leave today.  We have a breathing treatment machine at home so we felt sure that we could take care of her.  Thankfully, the agreed that she could come home.  We didn’t make it home until around 3pm, but we are home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Pray that the croup won’t return.  There is still a risk that it will return tonight.

It was our first overnight experience in a Hungarian hospital.  It went fairly well.  Kirby Ann felt right at home because she is so used to going to Hungarian preschool.  The nurses were able to communicate with her in Hungarian and she loved the hot tea and even the food.  It’s funny that she felt so comfortable in a place where Valerie & I weren’t quite as relaxed.

Here are a few more pics from the hospital.  They were taken with my phone so they aren’t too great.