Our trip to the Hospital

Hello All,

Sorry it took me so long to get on here and update- it's been a long day and we're PRAYING it's over for now. We got Anna to the ER at the urgent request of her pediatrician around 10:30 this morning. She'd been throwing up since Friday night, sometimes as often as every half hour. By this morning, she'd gone more than 48 hours without a wet diaper and was throwing up in her sleep. She took a turn for the worse on Monday morning in that, when she was awake, she'd just crawl to a corner and curl up on the floor. We went to Spectrum and they got her right into a room. It took almost 40 minutes to get an IV into her little arm- I could only stay for the first 20 minute attempt and then I couldnt take the screaming anymore and had to leave the room. It was such a blessing that Jeff arrived right then, so he stayed with her until they were able to successfully get it in. I think I counted in all, 8 pokes before they finally got one to work in her right forearm. The poor little girl looks like a pin cushion! They also needed a urine sample from her but b/c she was so dehydrated, even with a catheter (sp?) it took quite a bit of work to get a few drops. She was quite the little trooper though (and I could tell she was sick b/c even though she was screaming about stuff being done to her, she wasn't fighting people off).

Anyway, they put a double dose of fluids into her to help with the dehydration. She slept through most of that. Then, the ER doctors sent us home mid- afternoon with instructions to return if she started vomiting again. My pediatrician was NOT happy when I called her- she wanted Anna admitted. Well, about 5 minutes after we left the hospital, she started vomiting again. We got Meg and Teddy and came home and called the Dr. again. She said that the initial feeling of having that much fluid in her was probably contributing to the nausea (picture as an adult how you would feel if in one sitting, you drank 2 liters of fluid- she got 1 liter which is a lot for a little person).

Soooo, the long and short of it is that we have to watch her tonight for any further signs of vomiting. She puked right before bed at around 9. If she continues to vomit during the night, we'll head back to Spectrum and they'll admit her and run more tests (her blood work came back inconclusive, so they don't know what is causing this).

Thank you all for your prayers. Hopefully the worst of this has past and we'll all sleep peacefully tonight!

God Bless,

-Elizabeth

PS- Below are a few pictures from the day. You might ask why I brought my camera to the ER with me, and I'd like to thank my friend Amy Barry for inspiring it. She was in the ER less than a week ago with her son, getting stitches, and I thought it was so funny that she brought her camera and posted pictures on her blog. However, running out the door this morning, I happened to see mine and grabbed it. I'm glad I have these pictures though, for that "first hospital visit" page in her scrapbook!

Quietly reading a book at the hospital, waiting for a doctor to come check her out.

One MAD little pumpkin after they finally got the IV into her arm. If looks could kill...!

Sleeping peacefully once the fluids started flowing. It was a huge blessing that they were unsuccessful in getting the IV into her left arm, because it allowed her to have her thumb for comfort.