{a little trip to the hospital}

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Poor Thatcher has been so very sick!  We still don't know why a lot of possibles, a few negatives, and still waiting on some labs but the good news is he is back home.  It all started Last Tuesday... I got a text from Russ while I was out at recess with my morning Kindergarten class... Thatch had thrown up a few times and Russ was trying to decide what to do he didn't want to take him to his Mom's house throwing up.  I agreed and was able to get a sub there in an hour I went home... Thatch threw up a few more times and also had severe diarrhea (sorry about the tmi.... but it is the situation).  Wednesday he was still sick so I got a sub yet again... Thursday he seemed better it had been a while since he had thrown up, still had the diarrhea  but I went back to work and Thatcher went to Grandma's house where he threw up!  Friday Russ was home with him and the vomiting continued.  By now both Russ and I were getting really concerned and I called the pediatrician's office for an appointment.  We took him in Friday afternoon.  His regular doctor was not in so we saw an associate.  He checked him for dehydration, just by pinching his skin, wrote me a prescription for fenegren gel and said to call if he was still vomiting by Monday.  Monday came and the vomiting was continuing (day 7 of throwing up!). We called the office and made an appointment for that afternoon.  At the visit our doctor said he was dehydrated and sent us to the hospital for fluids and tests.
We were admitted Monday around 5pm.  After 4 attempts we FINALLY got an IV started around 8:00.  Thatch was miserable.  I have to say it was torture to see my boy so sad, so lethargic, so miserable.  He was 'prickly' he didn't want to be touched or comforted, he no longer said what he wanted or needed it was a lot of grunts and screams... I missed his voice and his sweet mild demeanor.  Despite the IV he was not outputting enough fluids, his potassium levels were LOW and he was having a lot of intestinal pain.  They needed a stool sample and the boy who had had been providing plenty of that was now giving us nothing.... it took almost 24 hours to get a stool sample and what we did get was more along the lines of seedy water (again sorry for the tmi). 
The nurses were amazing!  They took such perfect care of our little guy.  They were so patient, fun, and creative with him.  Janell would come and blow bubbles when they had to take his vitals to distract him from the touching ( I told you he was 'prickly' and after the blood draws and the IV, he was not wanting to be touched), Teri (who was by far my favorite) came and visited him one night when she wasn't working just to check back in and see how he was, Mallory sat and watched Dora with him, Skye brought him a wagon so he could get out of the room and introduced him to the 'toy room', Kelly and Russ brought him a balloon, Heather (despite her gowning up every time she touched him just in case he was infectious... the only nurse who did that) gave him a prize just for taking his medicine.... I could go on and on and on... they were AMAZING! 
Each day I hoped that we would be going home. Each night I found out that levels were still too low, output was too low, etc.  Then Wednesday when we took him off of his IV I thought we were going home... he had his appetite back he was drinking and he seemed like he was improving.  Then around 3:00 he threw up!  NO!  Not again.  Russ was at work, my Mom was home with the girls.  It was just T and I.  I grabbed some wipes and tried to clean him up, I stripped off his vomit covered hospital gown.  Wrapped him in a blanket and held him trying to keep back my tears.  I hadn't slept I was so tired and then he started to beg me to go home!  I called the nurse and told her he had vomited.  I asked her to run him a bath in the tub down the hall.  I wished we were home too.  At home I could run him a bath myself. I could lay him in his own bed.  I could see my girls. I texted Russ that he had thrown up again.  Then I took him down the hall to the bath.  We wrapped his IV hand in a plastic bag, he screamed.  I knelt down and touched the water, it was too warm... Thatcher doesn't like a hot bath.  I tried to sponge bathe him but he cried anyway that the water was too hot.  I held back my tears.  I dressed my screaming child into a clean hospital gown and wrapped him in a clean blanket and carried him back to his room.  I turned on Dora and laid down next to him and stroked his hair until he was calmed down.  There was a knock on the door and as I turned to see who it was Russ entered the room.  I stood up from Thatcher's bed and fell into his arms.  I cried. For the first time in days I just cried and Russ held me.  I took a deep breath  sat  on the other bed and Russ scooped up our boy and cuddled him to sleep.  That was the worst.  That moment.  Knowing we were staying another night, we weren't going home, yet.  But after that he got progressively better.  He got some energy back.  He started speaking again and not just screaming.  He said "No Thank You" instead of  "NOOOOOO!"  Grandpa came!  He wanted to play with toys and he had tears again!  (I hadn't even realized that he wasn't 'crying' when he cried until his tears came back!)  Yes after that things got better.  By Thursday morning I even dared leave him for a little while the longest I had been away yet, almost 4 hours (My Dad and Russ were with him in case you were wondering we NEVER left him alone).  I went by the school, I stopped at home and cuddled my girls, I showered.    When I got back he had had a little melt down.  He hadn't wanted to take his medicine.  They had to force him.  He wanted his Mommy.  I scooped him up and he held me so tight!  Then once he was convinced I was back he got down and played.  The nurse came in and watched him playing, laughing.  She called Dr. Nilson and reported his improved status.  A few hours later we were being discharged!  We were given strict orders to keep his fluids up, limit his diet to foods that will be easy on his tummy, and to make and appointment to see the doctor in his office on Monday!  I am not gonna lie he is still not 100%.  He still has diarrhea, he is still complaining that his tummy hurts, and we still don't know why he has been so sick.  But tonight I watched him play with his sisters, I can hear him whispering to Aly from their beds, and my heart is happy.  Tonight we all sleep under the same roof in our own beds!  Life is good!