"Mommy... my bel-wee hurts..."

We went through many, many, many days of stomach issues with Claire. She was/is sensitive to dyes, heavy sugar items, tomato based products and the list goes on. She's a pretty good sport about avoiding the triggers - like requesting white icing parts of the birthday cake, or passing on juice for water instead. Chloe, thankfully, has more of the goat stomach from my side of the family. But tomatoes will do her in as well - thanks to my yummy cheesy beefy bake casserole she had a few days of runny poo and a painful bottom rash. But she's a trooper and was all fixed up with a little diaper "team" gooped on. Another thing about Chloe, since moving into her big girl bed was that she sleeps like a log on the left side of the bed with her head on the pillow. I don't think the pillow on the other side of her Full Size bed has ever been touched by her head. Until Friday.

Thursday was a special day. Even though Claire had another Yellow behavior report (green is good), Chloe had a rock star day with TWO pee pees in the potty. Jason was out at a client dinner, so the girls and I went to Chick Fil A to treat Chloe. Then we went off to Target for some big girl panties. Because she was so excited and couldn't choose, we left with three packs - Dora, Disney Princess and Hello Kitty. Spirits were high!

Friday morning, I go into Chloe's room to get her up for school and she is on the right side of the bed. The side that she never goes on. Oh wait.... I see why! Because there is puke all over her left side pillow! And it gets better... she is laying in a puddle of diarrhea that has leaked out of her diaper and all over the right side of the bed. Yuck. A call to my Mom and Dad and a Chloe bath later, Chloe is sprawled across my lap with eyes closed and thumb in mouth. My parents arrive and take over so I can get on to work. Mom takes over sick baby duty - all she does is sleep and throw up all day. They try a little water, throw up. Try a few crackers, throw up. Saturday arrives.... I try water, throw up. I try Pedialyte, throw up. Eventually, Chloe stops her waking and is just a limp, open mouthed, out of it little girl. She can't drink from her cup, and there hasn't been a wet diaper since sometime over night Friday night. The on call pediatrician asks several questions: ounces of liquid kept down in past 24 hours (zero), number of wet diapers in past 24 hours (maybe 2, but none in 8 hours) and sends us to Greenville Memorial's Children's Emergency Room.

Saturday morning

I carry Chloe's limp body into the ER fully prepared for the crowds of knife wound, drugged out crazies who all have active stab wounds bleeding on the floor. After being frisked by the 6'5" / 325 lb woman security guard at the metal detectors (see, I told you there were crazies in there!) I check in at the front desk and take a seat in the waiting area and check out the scenery. Wait... there aren't even any sick or hurt people here! A couple serene looking people with the yellow ER arm bands flipping through magazines. Ahhh... the US health care system. I guess some people on that Saturday needed some Excedrin for their headaches or a freebie pregnancy test. There was no one in that waiting room even close to the condition that Chloe was in. Thankfully, GHS has a separate Pediatric ER and they took us back only 5 minutes after we arrived.

The nurses checked us into an exam room and took Chloe's vitals. What a great ER - nice and calm, separation from the drug OD's, with ceiling mounted TV's with cartoons playing. Not that Chloe noticed any of that. After an eternity, the resident showed up and prescribed the stop-the-puking drug, Zofran. She said she didn't want to do an IV if she could help it (needles + little arms = bad idea) and called up for a pink Pedialyte Popsicles. By the Resident doctor crossing the threshold of our exam room, an alarm was triggered for the Lady from the Business Office to show up and try to solicit some payment out of stressed out parents. As I am holding my comatose daughter, the conversation goes like this:


Lady: Hello, I am from the business office. Your insurance has a 20% co-pay. Would you like to pay that now?

Me: My 20% co-pay is based on the negotiated rate, which we won't know until the claim is filed and processed.

Lady: OK, well all we would really like to collect today is $150. Would you be ready to pay that today?

Me: We have yet to have any treatment. Isn't it customary to pay once services are rendered? We can't even get a Popsicle delivered around here!

Lady: How about I come back in 30 minutes after you have been treated.

Me: That would be great. I'd love that we be treated in 30 minutes.

Lady: Actually, I don't think I'll be able to make it back. Take this paper, now security will let you out. We'll send you a bill.


2 Hours later, the Popsicle shows up. Chloe springs out of a dead sleep to devour it... only devour means gingerly lick until almost half is gone.

And she is sound asleep again. The doctor comes back - she's exhausted and not able to take in more fluids. We opt for the IV, and two HUGE nurses/bodyguards wheel in the IV equipment. A third one shows up to hold down this lethargic 26 lb child. Without the strength to really fight, Chloe wails "mommmmmmyyyyy, mommmmmmmyyyyy...." over and over until the deed is done, and the juice is flowing. She conks back out for the entire hour that the bag takes to dispense.

Lights out for IV time

Near the end of the IV, Jason shows up with Claire - who has been at home sleeping while my parents were keeping me company at the hospital. Claire looked like she'd seen a ghost when she walked in - she saw Chloe hooked up to the machines and not moving on the stretcher bed. I teared up when I saw her carrying a bulging grocery bag full of Chloe's favorite toys - her baby doll, her lovie "Nunny", her Dora purse and all three of her new packages of Big Girl panties. Not long after Claire and Jason arrived, the IV finished up and the doctor came back to check on her. While she wasn't any more awake, she had a wet diaper!! Hurray! We were sprung from the hospital and on our way home.

Sunday's position of choice

Sunday was the same - lots of sleeping, but in the 5 minute jaunts of Chloe waking up, I force fed her some cheerios and chicken soup. Finally, after hours of sleeping she woke up at 3:00 and on shaky legs was ready to play again! Monday, Chloe stayed home from school, but was back at it today on her way to full recovery. We think we need a do-over on that weekend but are so glad that she is feeling all better!