Saturday, February 7, 2009

Guess where Mallorie decided she wants to spend the day after her birthday?


Right now, we're back in her home away from home, a local hospital. Mallorie's 4th hospitalization in less than 2 months. Mallorie's been vomiting off and on for maybe a week, and for the past 2 days, more frequently. Last night, I had to drizzle pedialyte into her mouth with a syringe every 1-2 minutes, to stop her from retching. By this morning, she had gone over 12 hrs being unable to keep more than that small amount of pedialyte down, and most of that I was pulling back out through the tube if she was vomiting.

We were both so sleep-deprived, that it took awhile to realize it might not be one of those things you manage at home. Especially when it struck me that all night and this morning, she was yawning really often in conjunction with the gagging. There were of all sorts of crazy things I thought that might be, because my mind goes everywhere if deprived of a little sleep. Shunt malfunctions, drug reactions (How many doses of Zofran cream had she had in the past 24 hrs?), some weird metabolic imbalance from the enemas/vomiting/removing stuff through her g-tube, etc? I did google yawning as sign of shunt malfunction (nothing about that, thank God), and then decided we'd better get her checked. After calling pediatric group's on-call nurse to see if there was anywhere OTHER than the hospital to get bloodwork, to check for dehydration on a weekend (no), off to the ER we went. And in not too many hours, after labwork came back showing she was a little dehydrated, she was admitted back to the pediatric unit.

This is in keeping with how Mallorie spends her birthdays. Just hours after she was born with a meningocele* that ruptured in delivery, she was flown to a children's hospital and stayed there just days shy of 2 months.

Last year, on her birthday, we drove to the same hospital for her 2nd cleft surgery, and she had complications and spent almost a month there.

Two yrs ago it was 2 months. A year ago it was one month. I'm saying ZERO months this birthday. How's that sound?? And maybe on next year's birthday, we won't even go to a hospital for a look-see, but will go to Jessica's new house, for a visit, instead!

Maybe I won't admit this part, and will save it for a Not-Me Monday post. This time it might have had something to do with me getting all crazy over trying to stop the residual diarrhea (from all the antibiotics she had been taking) with my old standby, oatmeal. Like barley, it's one of the grains that's really high in soluble fiber. You'd think I'd remember that she doesn't do great with lots of oatmeal. Or barley!

No, I'll wait till Monday.

*(The meningocele was the sac bulging from her spine that never fully closed while she was forming.)

3 comments:

Laurie in Ca. said...

Gosh Connie,

I am so sorry to hear this and pray that this visit is a quick "in and out" one for Mallorie. I will be praying Connie and hoping she is back home ASAP! I love you girl and am sorry this winter has been such a hard one on both of you girls.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

Laurie in Ca. said...

PS. The new pictures of Mallorie are just adorable and I could just chew on those fluffy cheeks and thighs.:) Such a little peach!!

Love and Hugs, Laurie

Anonymous said...

I hope this is a short visit and you can all go home soon. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Love you all.