Just Breath

I had intended on doing a post about our wonderful California Thanksgiving Vacation we took to visit our Wilson family but things took a turn on Monday.

We arrived home late Sunday night put the girls to bed and awoke bright and early to get the them off to school. All seemed fine. I unpacked, started in on laundry, took down all the Thanksgiving decor and had begun hauling out all the Christmas stuff when Liv awoke from her nap screaming in pain. She was holding her belly and was more upset and scared than I have ever seen her before. I carried her into the bathroom and told her to try and go, she just screamed and screamed and begged to lay on the floor. I let her, ran for the thermometer and took her temp. It was OK but I gave her some Ibuprofen anyway because she was hurting so much. Then I began to push on her belly and ask if this hurt- she proceeded to throw up. I PANICKED. This was not normal Liv behavior, she was in a ball writhing around on the floor. I had flashes of Paul doing this exact same thing seven years ago. I called Paul at work and he jumped in his car and rushed home. With the history he and his family have with Appendicitis we both were thinking the same thing. We woke up Eva called my mom to take care of Abby and rushed to the ER. They too were immediately concerned, especially when the blood work came back and her white blood count was high and she now had a fever of 102. A belly X-ray was done and they ruled out the appendix and decided that she had an intestinal blockage "Volvulus" or pinch/twist in her intestine and she needed a Barium Enema to get a better look. I was beyond distraught to take her in and have them do this. How scary to a 4 year old child who couldn't understand what was going on, who already was in extreme pain and was terrified. Those eyes I tell you, they just break your heart. I insisted on a sedative for her, they finlly gave her one. She was brave as the radio active dye registered on the screen and her crocodile tears rolled down her cheeks. After getting back to her room the doctor came in and said he didn't think the procedure had worked to his liking and he was transferring her up to Primary Children's Medical Center for the pediatric specialist, he thought surgery was imminent. Upon arriving there we were greeted by Paul's parents and it was so wonderful to have their support, to feel of their love while we were so scared. Of course the doctors at this hospital were convinced that it was her appendix and were upset the other doctor had done the Barium Enema because the dye was still in her system and they couldn't do an MRI. After much debate it was ultimately decided that they would pull her off all meds and admit her overnight to see if it worsened. (At Primary Children's with her new Butterfly and Blanket, the only smile we saw for two days)

I was frustrated at first with this, but truly it was the best course of action because in the morning her white count was going down and she was doing much better. So they ruled out her appendix and decided that it had been a blockage and the Barium Enema had helped to open and clear. Finally, they sent us home last night.
It was such an ordeal, but I am so grateful that Liv is OK and doing well. Having your child sick and her care and well being outside your control is so hard. I do still wonder if it was her appendix and it was just a flare up that went down (my mother's was like that for years before they realized the problem and took it out), because they were never able to do an ultrasound or MRI on Liv to completely ruled it out. Still, I am happy that she didn't need surgery and she is home. And honestly, how wonderful is family? What would I do with out them? Thank you everyone for your love, concern and help during our time of need- it was all appreciated!!

Can I take a breath now? I feel like I have been running non stop for two weeks. I need to catch up on some sleep! I will post up about the holiday when I get a chance. Now I am even more behind on my list and I need to tackle that first.

Kiss your little ones a few more times today and tell them you love them more than than they know!