Dry drowning?

adamwife

What are the symptoms you should look for?  Gabe went head under while swimming today and choked on some water.  I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, but part of me wants to look in on him and make sure he's ok (but I know that if I do this I will wake him up and he won't finish his nap).

I should google this before asking.  Sorry.

aldyn

I remember hearing about this!  I seem to recall fatigue was a primary symptom?  I can't really remember though.

adamwife

aldyn:

I remember hearing about this!  I seem to recall fatigue was a primary symptom?  I can't really remember though.

That is so misleading too though, because what child isn't fatigued after playing in the sun and water all day?

JAWMIN

Don't google. I think this is something google would make you over worry about.

ToledoDeux

I remember a dry drowning death last summer, and I got obsessed with it, because I am THE most paranoid worrywart mom alive.  Besides the extreme fatigue (agreed, extremely difficult to judge what is extreme with a kid after playtime at the pool), they talked about having personality changes - like, excessive anger, tantrum out of nowhere, even violence.  In some kids, this could be hard to spot as well.

Nothing I learned about it made me feel better, so I also recommend not googling.  My H has to remind me often HOW many kids swallow water daily and how few incidences of this there are.

laurandjim

I googled it a while ago.  I was paranoid after seeing an Oprah show about it.
I remember that the boy on Oprah was 10 but pooped his pants after he got out of the pool.  Then he got really sleepy and lethargic.  The overall thing was that he was acting out of sorts, out of character. 
Then he went to sleep for hours and they found him dead w/foam coming out of his mouth.

I was totally paranoid of DS breathing in water during his bath.  I'm getting over it slowly--the dry drowning thing was just really scary!

Here's the irony, though: I grew up as a competitive swimmer.  I choked on pool water hundreds of times and my teammates did, too.  None of us ever had any problems!  I think dry drowning is really rare!

PS--I think it's actually Secondary Drowning.  Dry Drowning was not the right term.

laurandjim

ToledoDeux:

I remember a dry drowning death last summer, and I got obsessed with it, because I am THE most paranoid worrywart mom alive.  Besides the extreme fatigue (agreed, extremely difficult to judge what is extreme with a kid after playtime at the pool), they talked about having personality changes - like, excessive anger, tantrum out of nowhere, even violence.  In some kids, this could be hard to spot as well.

Nothing I learned about it made me feel better, so I also recommend not googling.  My H has to remind me often HOW many kids swallow water daily and how few incidences of this there are.

well put!

JAWMIN

From ehow.com

1

The first step in preventing a dry drowning episode is close observation. Observing the person immediately following the negative incident or accident with water is crucial. Remember, dry drowning need only a small amount of water or liquid, so it doesn't necessarily have to be from a pool.

Step 2

Monitor the person's breathing. Difficulty breathing, painful breathing or shallow breathing are all red flags that may indicate a person is at risk for a dry drowning episode. Count the number of respirations for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. Over 20 respirations per minute could be a red flag for dry drowning.

Step 3

Check for persistent cough, pain in chest and mood or mental status change. Lethargy or increased agitation when lying flat, sweaty skin or color changes such as pale, or blue/grayish color are signs of poorly oxygenated blood. Remember, children can not compensate for very long like adults. They tend to "crash" quickly once these signs are present, so act quickly.

Step 4

Dry drowning usually occurs within 1 hour and 24 hours after incident.
* If it is caught early, dry drowning can be treated.
* Treatment involves supplying oxygen to the lungs.
* Call 911 or take the child or person immediately to the emergency room if there are signs or symptoms indicating risk of a dry drowning episode.

adamwife

OK all of this freaked me out even more - only because he threw that tantrum (which could just be normal behavior), was acting tired (because it was naptime) and his lips were blue (because the water was cold).

I went back and checked on him and he was fine - just sleeping on the floor behind his door.  So, I picked him up and but him in bed and he said "Mama" and smiled at me before falling back asleep.

Whew.  I am such a worrywart.

Unknown

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