Team Jogan: A Penny Story

Just before General Conference weekend Logan, the kids, and I went downstairs to pick up a little because Nate & IsaBelle were coming to visit. I think we were down there working about 15 minutes before Logan called for me and said Bre was choking. He was pounding on her back trying to get whatever it was to come out. She stopped choking but we could tell something was still stuck somewhere. She was breathing fine, but kept doing a weird hiccuping cough; kind of like when you eat bread too fast and it gets stuck in your throat and is SLOWLY going down. We took Emma to our wonderful neighbors (Abby insisted on coming with us) and then took Bre to the Quick Care. I sat in the back with her to keep an eye on her breathing and she actually fell asleep on the way there. When I told the receptionist why we were there I got two looks; one said, "Why aren't you at the ER if she was choking??" and then, "Well she looks fine to me..." She was contentedly sleeping in my arms... I know it looked stupid, but Logan and I both knew and had distinct feelings that we needed to get an x-ray, even though she was acting fine.
We followed a nurse back and had Bre weighed (at 8 months coming in at 19 lbs, 11 oz!). Then a PA came in and checked her over. He said she seemed fine and whatever it was, had probably passed on but we'd do an x-ray just in case. He ordered the x-ray to be of just her abdomen area, but the x-ray tech, after hearing our story, went and asked him if he'd prefer one from the mouth down past her abdomen, and that's what we went with. Thank goodness. After they took the x-ray, the tech had us come look, and there it was! Very obviously stuck in her throat.

We went back to our room and the PA came in soon and showed us the x-ray and talked about our options. He was in the process of calling different doctors and seeing who would be willing to remove it for us; he thought we'd end up in Boise to get it done. But it turns out we were able to stay in Twin Falls. But they had to transfer us over to the ER.
There we had to wait for a few hours before an OR opened up. She couldn't eat since it was stuck in her throat and they didn't want it to move and they would have to sedate her before they could pull it out. The OR happened to be very busy that night. She went from about 5pm til midnight without eating. For a baby that's a very very long time. I find it a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father that she was able to go that long without suffering. She was a pretty content baby leading up the procedure and it's nothing less than a miracle. Our good friends, the Meltons, fed us pizza and helped give Bre a blessing (Even though it was Kirk's birthday!--good friends :) ). To say that I was a nervous wreck of a basketcase mom is an understatement. For the most part I was okay, but I also had moments where I was shaking and freaked out. (Our awesome nurse is in the back of this picture. Seriously, she was awesome. She stayed late because she wanted to stay until Bre was done and ready to go home! She just thought Bre was the cutest and best tempered baby ever!)

They finally moved us up to an OR prep room and got us all settled. Bre was taken back and I think she was gone for about 15 minutes total before they took us to her and she was waking up and snuggling me. I was finally able to nurse her. She ate and actually settled in and went to sleep. She had to be monitored for a while and then we were able to check out and go home. We went to the quick care about 5pm and we got home around 1am. It was quite the adventure!