Home Sweet Home

Disclaimer: This post is uncensored. It is written by an exhausted mother. It may show the author having a negative attitude. It may involve a curse word or two or excessive use of the word ASSHOLE. Be warned. Look away if you must, but here is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.


The last 5 days have stunk! I mean that! They have not been great and there is an awful smell in the air that is lingering around here and in room 430 at Clarian hospital! Our journey started on Wednesday. I should have known something was up. First of all, Lexi took a nap. She rarely naps. Secondly, she refused macaroni and cheese for dinner. She went to bed very grumpy and whiney.


Thursday morning she woke up for school and made her way into the kitchen. She ate a few bites of a few different things, but was not acting right. Soon what little she did eat was on the kitchen floor. The day went on. She was grumpy and refused to eat or drink. Then the diarrhea started. She panicked. Wanting to know what was coming out of her butt? She did not eat dinner and went to bed next to me. Her poor stomach rolled all night.


Friday morning her symptoms continued and only got worse as the day went on. Around one I called the nasty phone nurse at Arnett Clinic. Conversation ended in her telling me to wait another 24-48 hours then we will go from there. Lexi took a nap. When she got up she drank a sip of water. She walked around her bed the vomited violently across the floor. She then went limp. I SCREAMED for Todd who was with Brent in our room. He ran in and scooped her up. She was breathing and her eyes were open. All her extremities were limp and she would not answer us. Todd had started to develop some symptoms ( I won't share his because. Well, just because.) I called my mom and loaded Alexis. We sped off to my mom's. Mom jumped in the back seat and off we went. Alexis vomited and dry heaved the entire way. We got to Urgent Care (where the merry sunshine of a nurse told us to go). We waited. The nurse called us back and attempted to stand Alexis. Alexis collapsed. Her heart was racing. We were told to go straight to the ER. We rushed to the car. I drove. Mom held Alexis in the back seat. We got to the ER, got to the exam room and started our course of treatment. Long story short. They (Doc and Nurse Practitioner) did not want to start an IV. They wanted to give her oral anti-nausea medicine. I did laugh out loud when this was told to me. Good luck morons. You can't get her mouth open to exam her with the help of 3 people, but you are going to have her hold a pill under her tongue! WHATEVER!!!! Dumb ass. Sorry there is that negative talk and curse word. I warned you. Thank God (I mean it) her nurse was smart. She also laughed out loud when she brought the pill in. No luck with the pill. An IV was started. Anti-Nausea medicine was given IV, and IV fluids were started. We waited for a couple of hours. Alexis perked up a bit and held down some ice chips. We were sent home. She did ok during the night.


She woke up Saturday had one sip of water and the vomiting and diarrhea started all over. Lexi and I jumped in the car and returned to Clarian ER. We saw a physician's assistant. Why in the hell can we not see the doctor? Skip the bullshit. I want my daughter cared for NOW! I am sure I got billed the same or even more if we would have just seen a doctor. It was determined she needed IV fluids again. Alexis laid this entire time asleep on the bed. She did not move. She awoke long enough to ask what was in her booty when they did the rectal temp. Nurses came in to start the IV. Alexis became unresponsive. As a mother/nurse you do not want to hear a nurse say we need a line in her now! After 2 failed attempts to start an IV I retuned to the room. I restrained my daughter as she begged for my help. I cried with her. Finally, an IV was inserted. Blood work was done, IV medication was given, and IV fluids were started. Alexis remained motionless. I called Todd and he was on his way no matter his current state. Todd arrived. The nurse told us her blood sugar was low and she needed to drink juice. That helped to explain why she was so sleepy and why she was so grumpy when she was awake. The juice did not go over well. Next we got to see the doctor, or should i say the white streak from his coat. Don't know who he thought he was dealing with, but he was not going to examine my daughter without touching her. HE WAS AN ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!! He told us she was fine and he was sending us home. I informed him we were not taking her home, and he was admitting her. We went back and forth. Money was brought up by him. He was trying to save us money by not admitting her. UH don't care. I will live in my car if it means taking care of my children. He told us if he was her dad he would want her home.
1. YOU'RE NOT HER DAD, YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!
2. YOU ARE A DOCTOR. DUH! I am sure if I was a doctor I would have no problem either,but I am not. AND YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!
3. YOU ARE JUST AN ASSHOLE!


I am sorry I did warn you! When it come to my kids the gloves come off and I will put up a fight. The physician's assistant came back after ASSHOLE went out to call Dr. Beardmore. She spoke with the doctor on call and Lexi was admitted.


We were moved quickly upstairs, put in isolation, and blood work was done. Dr. Miller (who I LOVE and IS NOT AN ASSHOLE) came and saw Alexis. She actually spoke to us and not at us. She made eye contact. She talked to Lexi (who was still not responding, just sleeping). She examined Alexis. She told us we absolutely did the right thing in refusing to take her home. Her blood work was very abnormal. Her blood sugar was very low, her kidney function was abnormal, and a lot of other lab values. IV fluids were changed and a new plan was put into action. Dr. Miller checked on her awhile later, but Alexis' blood work was getting worse. IV fluids were changed again. Lexi slept most of the evening. When she was awake she cried. She wanted a cookie. She asked everyone who came into the room. The new IV fluids burned her arm horribly. She screamed. Ice packs were placed on her IV site and on her arm. It helped. She dozed. I headed to Meijer to get her a surprise or two. Because the state of the art hospital she was in DID NOT HAVE A GIFT SHOP!! How dumb. Someone is going to be informed of that!!!!! Todd and I enjoyed (not really) our hospital dinner. We held our little girl and changed pull ups. The midnight blood work was awful!!!!!!! That does not describe it. It was hell. It took 3 sticks to draw her blood. She was inconsolable. I was inconsolable. She dozed off and on. The midnight blood work did show some improvement in her lab values. The 6 am blood work was done in 1 stick and was almost back to normal. Lexi is doing much better. We saw both Dr. Miller and Dr. Ho before leaving the hospital. Both agreed over and over we did the right thing by keeping her there. We would have never got ahead of her fluid loss without IVs. We are home. We will never know what she had. They did a stool culture, but it more than likely will not tell us much. We are to push fluids. She has moments were she laughs, plays, and smiles. Then we have moments were she is totally exhausted and is having diarrhea. This may continue for a few weeks. She told Dr. Ho she wanted to be a cinnamon roll for Halloween. Couldn't tell what she wanted to eat when she got home?


We are so grateful for her nurses and Dr. Miller and Dr. Ho who took such great care of her. We are thankful we are over the worst (we hope). Watching your daughter go limp and unresponsive is not something anyone should have to experience. You should not have to fight to get your child taken care of. You should not be brushed off by a doctor who is too busy or does not care.


Tonight I hold both of my children tighter. I cannot imagine having a chronically ill child. My heart goes out to those parents and children who live daily with illness and uncertainty. You are my heros!


Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. You made this easier on us. Knowing how many people love and care for our daughter lifted us up when we were falling to pieces.


Thank you Tracy for checking on us. You are wonderful!!!


Thank you for all of you that have been praying for our family as we face other illness amongst us. It is something we have promised not to discuss for privacy issues, not because we are denying it or not accepting it. We are choosing to live like always. To smile and laugh. To cry and pray. To rejoice and be angry. To go on is what we have decided to do. Talking about it does not change the fact it has been dealt to us. You can live life regretting. You can worry about lots of things. You can live in fear of what may happen. We have chosen not too. Our lives are ultimately in God's hands. Our time here on earth is up to him. We are at his mercy. We do not know when our time will be over here. It may be due to illness. It may be due to a car accident. We do not know. I do know tomorrow is not a guarantee. It is a gift. I plan to keep celebrating it and thanking God I have it.


Good night and God bless.