GTA Poker
I got in from poker last night at 530am. My girlfriend's sister in law is visiting with her 2 year old son. My girlfriend went to work at 9am and I went back to sleep to be awoken by her sister in law screaming for me and then running up into her bedroom with with her son who was in respiratory arrest/cyanotic, non responsive and hypothermic after falling into the pond in the backyard where she was hanging out with him. She must have taken her eye off of him for a minute and then did not hear him making any noise -- she found him floating in the pond and not responding.
She quickly told me that she did a Heimlich maneuver on him several times and attempted CPR which resulted in his vomiting/coughing up some fluid. On my bedroom floor, I performed CPR on him for 10 minutes until the paramedics arrived -- took off his wet clothes, wrapped him in blankets and performed chest comprehensions and mouth to mouth. When I started CPR he was so cold, stiff and unresponsive that I was almost certain that he was going to die in front of me. I could feel a weak pulse and a low heart rate at the onset of CPR and it took at least several minutes to get him breathing again on his own. Thankfully, by the time the paramedics arrived he was crying/responsive, breathing with a normal heart rate and his gums were back to somewhat pink. He is now in ICU on a ventilator and a ketamine CRI to keep him sedated. He seems neurologically appropriate and has some pulmonary edema and aspiration pneumonia.
I have never done CPR on a person before although I have performed it many, many times over 14 years of being an emergency vet. As I drove to the hospital to meet my girlfriend and her family I began crying. What an overwhelming emotional experience. I had not yet met the sister in law or her son until I was awoken this morning as I was out of town until late last night. He will be staying in ICU overnight and hopefully continue to slowly improve.
hiphopopotamus
Sounds like you likely saved his life. Good job staying calm. Hope he's okay.
Pinhead
Yeah, I'm just going to say holy fuck and +1 to above.
compuease
hiphopopotamus;384495 wroteSounds like you likely saved his life. Good job staying calm. Hope he's okay.
Pinhead;384504 wroteYeah, I'm just going to say holy fuck and +1 to above.
ditto, ditto. +1 Makes fed stories seem awfully small..
SteveKerr
+1
Kristy
Wow Dave. You're an absolute hero. Great job!
Please keep us updated on the little guy's status.
Milo
Appropriate or not . . . thoughts and prayers for a full recovery.
Tonychanman
Good job responding to the situation. Hope the little guy makes a full recovery.
JimmyHo
From banging mobsterz wives to saving lives, you are the true Super Dave!
Hellmuth's Mole
Best success story ever to grace the interweb pages of PFC, ainec.
Congrats on keeping your composure (in my wildest dreams I could not imagine) and summoning the strength and knowledge to save his fragile life. Hopefully the recovery is fully and completely.
GTA Poker
Thanks everyone. His condition is the same so far. It wasn't a big deal that I did this -- I think anyone with the appropriate knowledge would have done the same thing. I was kind of surprised at how I responded emotionally afterward given that I deal with this at work...albeit on animals and not kids. I do not recommend it in the least as a way of being woken up after 3 hours of sleep.
I'm not certain that this is an appropriate place to post this, but just wanted to write it down and most everyone on here seems like a good person so I couldn't see any harm in it.
I think I am mostly surprised by my emotional response afterward in that I deal with this very often at work, albeit on animals and not a human child. I guess it is easier to compartmentalized things in a professional environment than during a random life occurrence. I am wondering a bit if this can be a healthy thing over 14 years of emergency vet work and is part of the reason I am looking to purchase a day practice...hopefully I can go more time between deep thoughts of life and death:)
Irunit4times
Good on you man! Congratulations on saving a childs life! I am sure it will not be forgotten.
DrTyore
I demand instantly headshot photos of GTA to be placed on MSPaint superhero bodies.
You sir are my goddamned hero.
Mark
GTA Poker
I just went to the hospital and he looks much better than 12 hours ago...vitals have improved and he is much more comfortable:)
Apparently Quebec does not cover out of province health care which is retarded...Quebec tho...may as well live in the USA.
DataMn
Wow. Just sitting here watching my 4 year old girls play around me while I read this. I couldn't imagine if something like that happened to them.
Very will done sir. You are a true hero.
I'm glad to hear that the boy is doing a lot better. Here's hoping for a full recovery.
wildbill7145
I can't believe I just wasted 5 minutes reading that 'other' thread before I saw this.
Wow. As others have said, very well done GTA. I've always thought that everyone should take a first aid course. You never know when you'll be called upon.
You've made us proud.
djgolfcan
Having read this and what happened in Ottawa, I am signing up for the first, first aid course I can find.
Well done !! Glad the little guy is doing well.
wildbill7145
djgolfcan;384568 wroteHaving read this and what happened in Ottawa, I am signing up for the first, first aid course I can find.
Well done !! Glad the little guy is doing well.
Good for you DJ. You just never know what life will throw at you. When I lived out in Vancouver I registered for my 1st first aid course. On the way home I saw a woman get hit by a car 5' away from me. Earlier this year my wife took a first aid course and bought a kit. Next art class with little kids she had to use the kit.
trigs
#hero
The_Awesome
As a father of two boys there are no words appropriate enough. Well done Sir.