When it rains...

It freakin downpours!

(Fyi typing this on my phone after gettin a shot of morphine so forgive my errors)

Warning! This post contains the details of my medical issues. Read at own risk. ;0)

Havent been feeling great for a few days. On wed i made it to my doctor. Diagnosed with possible bladder infection (white blood cells in urine), on type of some bug (had flu like symptoms), and was having painful gas cramps. Important note, she listened to my bowels and said they had good movement sounds. Got put on 3 day antibiotic. 

That night however was awful. I had the most painful and constant stomach and bowel cramps id ever experienced! Barely got any rest. During the long night hours i realize now that things were still moving through, due to change of pain location and three bowel movements, and a few farts. By about 5 however the "air bubble" seemed to have stopped in my lower abdomen. 

At one point around 7 Stephen came upstairs. I had been trying to eat a little, and at that point was laying on the floor in a fetal Position. I told him that i needed to get help because i couldnt keep it up with no relief.

We dropped off the little one at Grandmas and went to urgent  care at Pomerado. It was almost two hours bedore a doc officially came to see me. After a bunch of questions he was very concerned and convinced i had peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal wall, and kept using the word "worrisome". (I ended up googling the condition and apparently it can be life threatening!)

He sent me to be admitted to the ER for a cat scan. Got checked in there and the doc didnt think it was peritonitis. She started a round of tests. Ultrasounds didnt show much. Cat scan showed appendix was inflammed, and pelvic exam possible infection. 

Came down to appendix and some sort of abcess. But peeps werent sure which came first and if it was an ob issue or a surgical one. (Remove appendix, or treat abcess and appendix would clear up. ) 

Awesomely the ob she was consulting with ended up being Dr. Maresh who was my baby doctor! So he came down to check me out. He is so great, and compassionate. The surgeon arrived around the same time. Maresh determined that it wasnt related to the tearing from delivery. 

So the surgeon did a quick assessment (including classic rebound test for appendicitis) after reviewing all the folms and test results and sat down and told me i did need surgery. 

When all was said and done it was dicovered that my appendix was adhered to my rectum, and had perforated and was leaking bad stuff that had caused the abcess and infection which had in fact turned into the dreaded peritonitis! My bowels had then shut down, and looks like things could have gotten seriously dangerous if i hadnt gotten to the hospital. 

God is good. He got me here where i needed to be. Our sugeon ended up being a fellow Christian who knew just how to connect with me and the hubby and minister to us when we were realizing the urgency of the situation. He even took the time to stop and pray with us and remind me that even though id met the sugeon, i already knew the Great Healer and i was going to be okay. 

I got into the surgey quickly once the official diagnosis was decided, and was in recovery around midnight. Dozed on and off throughout the rest of the night. 

Update from the sugeon this morning was that things are looking good. Important now is getting my bowels back to functioning, which will take 3 - 5 days. It is imperative that i dont eat or drink until then. (I am hooked up with a bag of fluid and something that keeps me from feeling totally starved. ) once that magic step happens i can start on fluids and go home with many limitations to continue recovery. 

The pic i posted with this blog shows me with my "lollipop sponge" which i am allowed to dip in water to wet my dry mouth and throat. Yum. 

I do have moments when i break down missing my baby boy (no way he is coming back to a hospital), but i am so blessed that he is doing fine and happy at grandma and grandpas, and others have offered to be backup to babysit if needed. (Gma and Gpa are truly enjoying this special time with him. It also allows the hubby the opportunity to get rest, spend nights with me, and go by there to visit and cuddle him. )

Thank you to all who havent even hesitated to offer help! Even though my diet will be lame and limited for some time when im home i am sure that i will take up your offers in the form of keeping my hubby fed and grabbing groceries or coming by for a visit to break up the day. :0)

Until then... I am in a lot of pain, uncomfortable, sad at times, but it is MANAGEABLE and i know that "this too shall pass" as i feel His strength and support along with all of you my loved and awesome family and friends. :0)

What just happened?!

Here's to "mommy intuition"....

Nearing the end of our first week home the little guy had developed a sort of rash that we'd just written off as baby acne. (First time parents - didn't know that around the eye isn't a normal location, or that he was too young to develop that yet.) But by Saturday it had developed into something that did NOT look right - and I knew that we needed to get him to a doctor ASAP.

I packed a bag for a trip to Urgent Care, thinking that we'd be gone at most a few hours. Little did I know...

After the doctor took an initial look at it, things escalated rapidly!

• It's just a staff infection. We'd get some antibiotics and follow through with pediatrician on Monday.
• Doctor comes back with another doctor - turns out that it doesn't look good and they are worried about the location. If it is herpes that could be potentially extremely serious due to the blood-brain barrier. (?!?)
• We should go talk to a pediatrician down at Children's to be safe. The doc will call ahead to let them know we are on our way.
• Suddenly, we are to report straight to the NICU and a doctor is waiting for us. They'll look at it and decide if he should be admitted...
• We get to the NICU, a doctor meets us outside the entrance - takes one look and pulls out a cell phone to ask someone about a room. (?!?)
• The doctor starts asking me if I am breastfeeding and if I need anything - though I am extremely confused because we'd just fed him and I had a formula with me so why would I need anything more?
• We are ushered to another building and into a room, where they promptly wheel a tiny little hospital crib and a nurse is talking about hooking him up for vitals and taking blood!

STOP!!!!

At this point, we stop the nurse and flat out ask her what on earth is going on. Apparently, we were being admitted (I guess we missed that memo!) and should expect to be there for the night. 

I promptly LOST it. This had quickly become the worst day of my life - and I couldn't even bear to see my tiny little baby boy being placed in a hospital crib with machines and wires everywhere. Of course, he started crying and I felt like I couldn't even breathe or function. Thank the Lord for Stephen - and his amazing strength! He immediately took over comforting him and I dashed outside the room onto a little patio to call my parents. 

The rest of the evening was a blur - Stephen ordering me back outside while 6 different people attempted to place an IV and draw blood for tests. They ended up having to take him to an anethesiologist in the end (not to knock him out, thank goodness!) to get the IV in, and Stephen had to help hold him down while he struggled and cried. My parents arrived as backup and brought us clothes (I'd never even unpacked from the hospital when I delivered); and my mom stood by my side as a nurse took my baby and walked down a hall to a procedure room where they would take a sample of fluid from his spine to test for the dreaded HSV (herpes). It took all my strength not to run after her and claw her eyes out and grab him back.

Eventually we got him nestled into the crib, and I was calmed down. The room is only set up for one parent to sleep - so I took the awful fold-out chair/bed and Stephen took a pillow and blanket to camp out in the waiting room down the hall. 

To make the rest of a long story short, we went from one night to 48 hours so that a test could come in... and eventually capped off at 5 nights. Many times Stephen and I would look at each other and ask "How did we get here?"; as it all happened so fast and we were in shock. We settled into an uncomfortable sort of (miserable) routine - finding small ways to break up the monotony (even get off-campus a couple of times), while we waited mostly in the dark and in confusion for results of tests and cultures that would eventually confirm that it wasn't herpes. Only by the prayers, support, and encouragement of family and friends did we survive and not kill each other in the process!

A head doctor finally discharged us late Thursday morning - after a serious "if you see anything at all that doesn't look good or seem right then you are to come back" talk, and a perscription for antibiotics with follow-up appointments scheduled. Getting in that car and driving away was the most wonderful moment!

We are back home now, and in many ways it feels like starting from scratch - along with the added exhaustion of the unexpected prolonged hospital experience. The poor little guy is struggling though some tummy issues due to the meds as well. But even so - we are gladly willing to survive and figure this all out in the comfort of our HOME, and doing it as a FAMILY. (Forgive us if we remain MIA for a while!) 

I didn't mention it in this post, but I hope to write again soon about the most AMAZING and AWESOME moments and "coincidences" that occurred in our 5 days - proof that even though God didn't prevent this trial, He was THERE through it all and made His presence known in undeniable ways!