As the school year winds down and the temperatures climb, kids across America will be flocking to pool parties, the beach and weekends by the lake.
This week, a U.S. mom shared her scary story of her son’s near drowning as a cautionary tale to other families. It was not her toddler’s initial scare that she was worried about – it was the secondary drowning that followed.
San Diego mommy blogger Lindsay Kujawa said that her son was underwater for about 20 seconds while at a pool party.
While her son, Ronin, recovered from the initial incident, he was lethargic and his “weird” cough left him tense. Instead of chalking it up to a tiring day in the sun and with friends, she called her son’s pediatrician.
After describing his symptoms, her doctor urged Kujawa to head to the emergency room right away. Ronin had encountered secondary drowning.
“I felt that by bringing awareness to what happened it may prevent something like this from happening to you,” she wrote on her blog, Delighted Momma.
This really hit home with me as I remember my young daughter falling into my uncle’s pool when she was about 18 months old. I was standing right beside her so I was in the pool as quick as she hit the bottom but I will never forget how scared it left me feeling. I had no idea that there could have possibly been complications later on during the day that I might not have watched for.
After a near drowning incident parents may be relieved to get their child back to safety and know they are okay but there is a possibility that kids can drown once they are out of the water, according to experts. “It’s something many people do not realize, Shauna Moulton, a Red Cross swimming and water safety representative, told Global News. “When one thinks of drowning, they think about it happening when the victim is still in the water. But even after that they can still be a risk.”
There are two points to remember when an incident like this happens: dry drowning and secondary drowning. Both can occur after a child struggles in the water and is pulled out to safety. They can both lead to brain injury, respiratory problems or even death.
While drowning, a swimmer may breathe water in to their lungs. In dry drowning, the larynx shuts down as a defense – no water is getting in, but no air is getting out either.
In a secondary drowning, water is aspirated into the lungs and collects there. The water collected in the lungs makes it difficult to breathe, and victims often make a crackle sound as they try to breathe.
This is why any child that has suffered a near drowning or fallen into a body of water should be taken to the emergency room immediately. If doctors can intervene quickly, it is possible for the child to recover.
Luckily, in Kujawa’s case, her son was okay. He was sent to the ER for chest x-rays and blood tests, from which doctors learned he had chemical pneumonitis from the water in the pool.
He was sent to the children’s hospital to see a specialist. The next morning he woke up in the hospital with an IV drip attached to his arm and a heart monitor wrapped around his toe. She states they have shared their story, so hopefully it will help other parents and children.
There are many indications your child could be suffering from secondary drowning, but as a general rule keep a close watch for the next 24 hours to look for signs. Those might include: shortness of breath, differences in breathing, heavy or shallow breaths, abnormal skin color, irritation of the throat or chest, coughing after taking deep breaths, persistent coughing or wheezing, unusual fatigue, dizziness or altered level of consciousness or high fever.
My child that fell into the water is now 8, almost 9. I would never have thought it necessary to need to watch her afterwards. All I know is I retrieved her and she appeared to be okay. Obviously, we were lucky and she was fine, but having two small toddlers still, this is something I am so glad I learned about.
As I look at my two-year-old little boy looking in the pantry, I am so thankful to have come across this information. I am positive that at some point this summer he will try to be superman into a body of water. I will forever be thankful for reading that article. I hope everyone’s summer is full of safe swimming but if there is a life threatening event please do not forget that once you get them out of the water you still need to be on high alert. Happy swimming!
Sources: www.yahoo.com