'He couldn't breathe,' Father of 4-month-old with RSV details scary experience
By Courtney Cole, WBZ-TV
BOSTON - Some hospitals are overwhelmed by the number of RSV patients they're seeing-unseasonably early. Although adults can get Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) too, many parents are concerned - as it can be life-threatening for infants.
Christopher Lyman, the father of 4-month-old Wesley who is currently being treated for RSV, said it's been a scary experience.
Christopher and his wife were going to have to send their son to New York or Philadelphia, but he's grateful Boston Children's Hospital made space to treat his son.
Four-month-old Wesley Lyman is the kind of baby that spreads joy, without saying a word.
"He usually smiles every day, and this is the first time in the last four days that he hasn't smiled once," Christopher continued, "you just want to hold him and make him smile again, but he just wants to cough and he can't breathe."
He said it was tough to figure out what was wrong with his son at first, because his condition just kept getting worse.
"It started out with just a cold, and all of the sudden he was gunked up and couldn't breathe. You could see it in his face, he had a hard time," Christopher told WBZ.
Wesley's father said they initially took their four-month-old to a local emergency room in New Hampshire, where they live.
"They sent him home, said he was clear, and a day-and-a-half later we had to go back in and they sent him down here on an ambulance down from Manchester," said Christopher.
The American Academy of Pediatrics say parents need to call their pediatrician right away if they see any of these signs in your baby:
• Fast or short breaths
• Grunting noises
• Chest caving in with each breath
• Skin turns blue or purple due to lack of oxygen. If your baby has a darker complexion, look for changes to lips, tongue, gums and around eyes.
Hospitals throughout the country are feeling overwhelmed by the number of RSV cases they're seeing.
Boston Children's Hospital is being impacted as well, they sent us this statement via e-mail, saying:
"Like so many other pediatric hospitals across the country, Boston Children's is experiencing high patient volume and significant wait times due to increased levels of seasonal illness, RSV, and the ongoing behavioral health crisis. We review elective procedures in order to ensure that we have the capacity to care for our most at-risk patients, and at this time, we are reducing our elective schedule. Currently, we are not transferring patients to other hospitals, and in non-emergent cases, we encourage families to contact their primary care providers to determine the best treatment option. We continue to monitor the situation and adjust our process as needed."
Christopher said thanks to the doctors and nurses at Boston Children's Hospital, he is getting better.
"It's getting better with the breathing; they're taking him off oxygen hopefully today. Hopefully that'll help him...and he'll get his smile back," said Christopher.