Dry drowning is one of the rarest incidents but could turn out life threatening.
It occurs in 1 in 5 children and this has got nothing to do with the sun or heat though has got everything to do with water. This condition differs from the usual drowning, dry drowning occurs when lungs are filled up with water or other fluids, especially after a swim.
As most parents usually feast their children on juice boxes and snacks and maybe playing in the sand once toweled leaving no room to notice anything unusual about their children. This is one condition that can be prevented if rather attended to first but the worrying bit is that the signs and symptoms could easily be over looked by the parents but this can rather turn fatal.
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One such case was Gio aged two years old from Fort Collins that was saved from falling a victim of dry drowning.point 91 | Gio went for a swim with his father, Garon but unfortunately, he managed to swallow a bit of the water.point 175 | After the well spent day, they headed back home with Gio.point 222 |
He was exhausted after the long day of fun with his dad.point 45 | A few hours later Gio got sick and at first, the dad thought it was some mild illness but he instead worsened by the day as he started complaining of a severe headache and this left the mother and father depressed.point 219 |
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“Little boy started complaining about head pain, he would say mama head hurt, mama head hurt,” his father said.
His mother came across one article that talked about one Frankie Delgado aged four that passed away to the unknown cause but doctors later discovered fluids in his lungs way after he had passed away.
“I came across an article about a 4-year-old little boy who went swimming and he passed away from something called secondary drowning,” he said.
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Gio’s parents quickly made the link between their son and Frankie and this raised further suspicions of their son’s behavior and health.point 123 | They quickly checked him in at the ER and after several checks by the doctors, they confirmed their allegations.point 217 |
Gio was then subjected to treatment to save his dear life as at this time he was really struggling to live.point 87 | The doctors explained to the devastated parents that the situation had not yet got out of hand, though had they delayed one more day their son would not have made it as secondary drowning could kill the victim unknowingly only to find out when it is too late and nothing can be done at that point.point 329 |
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Little Gio later recovered and returned to his usual playing and normal life with his now happy parents that wish to bring about awareness to various parents about such incidents and just as Gio was saved hoping another child can be saved from losing life yet something could have been done about it.
“Dry drowning is a state where fluids flood the lungs not because the fluid is absorbed through the mouth of the breathing pipe but leaked into the lungs from the blood stream”,
Dr. Ivor Douglas, a chief of Pulmonary Sciences and Clinical Care Medicine at Denver Health explained.
Not to forget just a little of the fluids can set off the whole process leading to something fatal. This rather calls upon all parents to be keen to notice the slightest of changes in their children as take an example dry drowning that has the most unexpected symptoms. And he continued to urge the parents to always look out for persistent coughing that could lead to discomfort in breathing that they should seek the doctor’s attention right away.
Dry drowning is fatal because just like the lay man all one thinks about when drowning is mentioned is actual submerging the person in water but this goes on beyond this. Gio’s story is a perfect lesson to all parents out there, be careful and look out for your little ones when you take them for swimming, look out for any possible signs and symptoms of dry drowning.
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Done if the signs and symptoms of dry drowning include; fever, headache, difficulty in breathing, coughing, change in the color of the lips, change in the overall responsiveness and alertness of a child, forgetfulness or change in the behavior of the child.
The action plan should be that once a child has been pulled out of a pool, he should be evaluated for further medical attention and also take note when a once active child while in the pool comes out looking fatigued it is advisable that he should be taken to see a medical worker before letting them have their night sleep. In case a child is vomiting, it is a sign of stress from the body due to inflammation and sometimes a lack of oxygen also caused by persistent coughing and gagging.
If one notices any of the listed signs in their child it is advisable that one gets to see their pediatrician or if the child is having a hard time trying to breathe it is best you contact the emergency services right away by dialing 911 as a delay of just a few minutes could lead to the death of a child.