Saturday, March 27, 2010

Sometimes even a Velociraptor needs a little TLC...


Remember my last post? About my little dinosaur, Alyssa? Remember how I wished that she would turn into an angel?

Be careful what you wish for.

This week, Alyssa caught a bad stomach bug. Really bad. Like a few baths a night and several changes of sheets bad.

It started on Tuesday night...high fever, vomiting, the runs....

And went on through Wednesday. Then Wednesday night. Wednesday night was so bad, I slept next to her on the couch and had to give her Motrin and Tylenol two hours apart just to get her fever to leave the 104 range. We were just a few steps from the ER.

Then Thursday. Then Thursday night.

Through all of this, my little soldier trudged on. She tried to go play outside when it was sunny - she is an independent little cuss. She tried to eat her favorite things when her tummy let her...only to throw them up again a few hours later. She still fought with her brothers and sisters, but in a more pathetic way. But, she also turned sweet. Sweet for Alyssa is an indication that all is not right. She is usually a little spitfire - blazing her own trails.

We knew she was in trouble on Thursday afternoon when she slept and slept. We were really hoping that it meant she was breaking the fever and sleeping off the sickness. Not so.

Friday morning, she was lethargic, hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours, and looked terrible.

I knew it was time. I also knew that she would probably not come home with us after she saw the doctor (we have past experience with extremely wimpy kids and dehydration).

The doctor (bless him) took one look at her and knew. Then he smelled her breath (the sickening sweet smell of ketosis). She was burning her fat now. He did the blood tests as a formality, then off we went to the hospital for some IV's.

Here is the kicker. This all happened on my busiest workday of the month. The day that I can't take off. We also happen to have four other children. Don't know about you, but I have not yet mastered the art of being in two places at once...but when I can...watch out!

Grandpa to the rescue...he has done it before, he will probably do it again. My dad is great for sitting with the kids when they are in the hospital. He stayed with her and Clay was with the kids at home. He also held her down while they inserted an IV in her FOOT because she was too dehydrated to get it into her hand.

I went to work.

Grandpa has a soft spot for our little Velociraptor. He brought her at least 10.00 worth of coloring books. She really loves him. Not just cause of the coloring books. She held his hand and chattered at him while she colored in her beloved books.

Last night, Clay spent the night with Alyssa at the hospital and I was at home with the others. She was released at 3 o'clock this afternoon...I won't lie to you, she is not as good as new. She is still looking and feeling pretty rough. We are hoping she does okay tonight. She is a lot better than she was when she went in, though. We have to be vigilant so that she does not get this way again.

One thing that I have learned from all of this...Alyssa can stay a Velociraptor for a little longer, if it means that she is healthy. I don't want her to be an angel if it means she is sick.

Because I really do love her.

4 comments:

The Peters Family said...

Poor little Velociraptor! Your dad is a good man to willingly help hold her down while they tried to get an IV in her.

Kristen said...

Just to clarify...I pretty much was the one who held her down...Dad held her hand and looked away! Poor little thing, that was just as bad as watching them do it to one of my own.

Jennifer and Clay said...

Well, it makes for a better story if Dad was the one holding her down, though, right??? ;)

Thanks for being the meanie that held her down!

lisapenn said...

Bless ALL your hearts! You know they are sick when they want to snuggle!