Something to Concern Yourself About (especially if you have smaller children)

You know, life is complicated enough. There are so many things that I worry about: Am I going to be late for work, did I bring enough money to pay for everything I need, are my kids happy? There are just so many things. Now, as if I didn't have enough to worry about, I read this story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (reprinted at this link by Medicalnewstoday.com).

It seems there was a 10 year old boy in South Carolina, who went to the local pool with his family. He swam for awhile without any problems other than admittedly having an accident and peeing in the pool. Not a big deal (though a bit nasty). The boy and his family walked home. When they got there the mother gave the boy a bath where the boy complained of being tired. After his bath he went and laid down for a nap. When one of the adults checked on him they found that he had drowned. Yeah, I said drowned. He suffered from a malady called Dry Drowning where he took water in his lungs at the pool and without knowing it, suffocated an hour later. This thing scares the hell out of me. My kids love the pool and I know each of them have gulped in at least a mouthful or more of water. In the case of this boy, the water went into his lungs and prohibited him from getting enough oxygen, leading to his death. The bad thing about this is that there are very few signs that would point to this condition.

The main symptom is tiredness. Well let me tell you, after a long day at the pool my kids are always ready to lay down and relax, taking a nap if possible. The other thing is behavior. The doctors in this story said that the child urinating in the pool should have been a clue that something was wrong. Needless to say, this is something I would have never noticed.

I don't have a whole lot more to say. I think this story is very interesting. All I can really say is keep and eye on your kids. It is possible for them to suffer this condition in their bathtub after injesting water. The story just points to the fact that you really need to be cognizant of your child's condition at all times. Watch them, constantly evaluate them, make sure they are okay. I know when we are at the pool I will keep a much closer eye on Grace and Balin.