How our Disney World vacation doubled in cost

Saturday morning in Orlando we experienced a Stumpf first - first ride in an ambulance! Caleb woke us up at 7 with obvious croup symptoms. When he didn't respond to the shower and was having a hard time talking, we knew this was stridor which necessitates a breathing treatment and steroid. We've gone through this half-a-dozen times or more with him and also Heidi. It's just more stressful when we don't know where the nearest Urgent Care or Hospital is.

Bryan drove to where the desk clerk directed him only to find no medical facilities. He called 911 and said, "I just need to know where the nearest hospital is." The dispatcher said that the ambulance was already on its way. Shortly after he called the hotel to update me, and I could hear the sirens approaching in the background.

When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics checked him out and since his pulse-ox was low, they started a breathing treatment. When Bryan asked what hospital to take him to, they said that he would have to go by ambulance since he was already under treatment. (I'm sure Bryan's head was close to exploding at this point!)

They put Caleb (age 7) into the ambulance and Bryan followed them to the hospital. When Caleb was taken out of the ambulance, he had an IV, 4 EEG leads, and was on oxygen in addition to the breathing treatment. On the up side, there was no waiting before being seen at the ER.

He had already improved on the ride over because of the breathing treatment, so the doctor just gave him a dose of steroid and kept him for an hour's observation.

Now Caleb's fine, just a little wheezy in the evenings and needs his inhaler. It all just goes to show that life around here is never dull!