Catch Him If You Can

It's been an eventful morning on the Treasure's island.  I took both the children in for their well-child annual doctor appointment.  My son had not been looking forward to this visit because he knew he was going to get two immunization shots.  

We arrived early, as we usually do, to do paperwork.  The nurse called us back to the small room and took the kids' vitals.  Our wonderful pediatrician, Dr. B, came in did part of their exam.  She was called out of the room, so the nurse came in with my son's immunization shots.  My daughter didn't want to watch so she stepped out of the room.

My son had to have a shot in each arm.  As the nurse was getting things prepared, my son had hopped on the bed.  I could tell he was very nervous because he was breathing heavily and pretty quiet.  Not laughing and chatting like we were just a minute before.  The nurse laid everything out beside him and started to prepare his arm.  She rubbed it with an alcohol wipe and told him to relax his arm.  Then she told him to relax his arm and look away, again, and then again.  I'm not even sure he was breathing regularly.  She pinched his arm and gave him shot.  She asked him how it was.  He said, "Well, it just felt like pressure.  Well, actually I feel light-headed."  Then his face went pale and he slumped forward.  He had passed out on the nurse.  Fortunately, she was standing right in front of him.  She held him for a minute and tried to talk to him to see if he would wake up.  He didn't wake up, so she laid him down onto the bed.  

While I had gotten up walked over to them, I was laughing because I couldn't believe he had passed out.  My laughing turned to crying when the nurse laid him down onto the bed because his body went  rigid.  His left arm was stiff against his chest, his right arm straight out and his legs both pointed straight out.  His body started to move like he was having a seizure.  As soon as that started, the nurse ran out of the room to find the doctor.  I don't think she was gone more than 30 seconds, but it was a long 30 seconds.  My son's body shook a bit more then stopped.  When he opened his eyes, his face was flushed and sweaty.  He was agitated and asking what happened.  He had no idea what happened and was wondering why I was standing over him.  The nurse and the doctor came back in the room and I told the doctor everything that happened.  Dr. B asked my son a series of questions to make sure he was alert and aware of his surroundings. The doctor didn't seem to think it was a seizure because he was fully alert and oriented just minutes after it had all happened.

I think he had just been so nervous about getting the shots he had stopped breathing and that's why he passed out.  The doctor had my son lay down for a while and then sit up and later stand up to make sure he wasn't light-headed anymore.  My daughter came back into the room.  Truthfully, I had forgotten she was out there in all the commotion.  When I saw her face, I could tell she was upset, confused and scared.  She broke down crying.  I'm pretty sure I started crying again too.  The doctor continued the rest of the well-child exam on both of the kids.  Everything else with the exam was fine.  My son still had to get his last immunization.  He did fine, no problems at all.

There doesn't seem to be any other side effects besides a sore arm and a little tiredness.  He's back to his usual wise-cracking, quick-witted self.  Thank the Lord.  Now I just need to remember about possibility of him fainting whenever he gets shots in the future and we're all good.