Uncle, Uncle!

This is not the usual happy little blog post.  Just recording the good along with the bad!

It started in February, when Derrick got sick one day.  He thought it was a possible stomach flu, but was having more pain than nausea.  It got progressively worse of the day, to the point where it was decided a trip to the ER was in order for abdominal pain.  How grateful I am for neighbors who watch my kids for such occasions!  At the ER, they called Derrick back (finally... not that they were really slow, but I've never seen Derrick in so much pain.) and I was informed that I couldn't come with him because Owen was with me, and it was still RSV season.  I sat in the waiting room and called my mom, who immediately came up to relieve me of him so I could go be with Derrick, and stay the night to help out.  What a life saver! Thanks mama!  When I finally was able to be with him, I found they had already done an ultrasound, and basically had no idea what was wrong.  He was good with his pain meds and anti nausea meds.  We were sent home with instructions to come back in a few hours if it got worse, or in the morning if it was still there, to check again for appendicitis or a gall bladder issue.

Derrick was able to get a good night's sleep.  In the morning it came back, worse.  I took him in and this time was really freaked out.  The ER was busier this time so we shared a room divided by a curtain. (fun, fun.)  But, Derrick got his pain meds which helped a lot, and he immediately fell asleep.  The check in lady came to talk to me about co-pays and other financial stuff that I don't completely understand, and Derrick's monitors started going off.  I looked over at him while half listening to this lady.  He looked like he was sleeping. I kept staring and then wondered why he was turning purple and there were no nurses.  She called the nurses in (why they didn't just come in when monitors started going off, I'll never understand!)  The nurse started lifting his head around to try to wake him up, but he wasn't responding.  He was very purple.  His oxygen sats were at 30, and his heart rate was at 26.  O2 sats are not supposed to fall below 92.  Derrick has an extremely weird low heart rate anyway (40-45ish which always makes nurses furrow their eyebrows) but 26 is way too low.  I started a mini freak out while saying "ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh."  My husband stopped working.  I really pray I never have to see anything like that again.  The money lady had me step out while they got control of the situation, and started talking about money again (let me tell ya, I sure remember that whole conversation..... eyeroll.)  I went back in and Derrick was awake and with oxygen on.  His heart rate was up, but not enough to satisfy all the people in the room so they started pinching his fingers and sitting him up a bit, and generally trying to make him mad.  It was the pain meds.  They all had a good laugh about how he was obviously not there because of a drug addiction because he can't hold his pain meds.  He just never takes them and has no tolerance.  I look back at this, and have another little freakout.  What if they had just given him a little bit more?  I don't like to think about it.

So they did a CT scan and a EKG, and basically came back with the same thing - no idea.  It wasn't the appendix or gall bladder.  Here's a card, go to this GI specialist on Monday.  He said the only thing that was different about him was a cluster of swollen lymph nodes in his chest.  Sometimes I think I know too much, and just not enough about medicine.  Immediately 2 things pop into my head that I know about swollen lymph nodes - cancer and fighting an infection.  He sent us home again with no answers, but this time we had a CT scan report to read over.  I read the whole thing, explained what I understood, and googled what I didn't.  And then at the end of the report saw the words "possible lymphoma" and  I was ticked.  How could they not mention that at the ER?  This time Dr. Google actually showed me some good results that put my mind at ease because Derrick had no other symptoms like drastic weight loss.  I called the number for the GI doctor and the receptionist told me that the doctor was scheduled 3 weeks out.  Oh no you don't!  I know some of you have seen my mama bear come out, but did you know it also works for husbands?  We got in on Monday. :)  Derrick was finally feeling much better and even went to half a day of work on Monday.  The doctor was great, and we talked about some steps we could take, some possibilities of what it could be, and a few things to try.  He also put our minds at ease that cancer was not an issue.  Derrick has since done a gall bladder test, which turned out normal, and now we're waiting for everything to go through insurance to see where we are, and decide what the next step is.  I'm so glad that he hasn't seemed to have any issues with the same kind of pain so far.  What an ordeal though!

Derrick has been good since then, but the rest of us... sigh.  After that, Halle got a UTI.  After the round of antibiotics, she complained of stomach aches for a week and then we started fixing it with probiotics. After that, Hayden got his mystery infection that I wrote about.  It turned out to be strep.  Then, it went to me.  Then Halle.  And then I suspected Owen had it so I called in.  Apparently babies don't usually get strep, so he had me come in for another visit and  told me it was yeast. (oh duh, I've been on antibiotics and I'm breastfeeding.)  Also, everyone has had lovely side effects of antibiotics, like yeast rashes and general stomach aches from killing all the good flora in the gut.  Also, guess what? Right when I thought we were all getting better, Halle gets this mystery rash all over her body with no sign of a fever first.

 It was actually pretty mild at this point.

  I freaked out and consulted Dr. Google again who was mildly helpful.  I took her back in (visit #5 in a month!!!) and the doc said that she was allergic to amoxicillin!  And while I was there I had him look at Owen's rash again which was not getting better, and it was strep.  Then last night... I got a fever.  PSA: Finish all your antibiotics or your strep will come back and be nasty to you.  So I'm dealing with that right now.  At any given time this month, 2-3 people in our house have been on antibiotics.  It's been non stop sickies since February. I also can't get Halle to eat a thing.  A sample of her diet for a whole day : Half a pancake, 3 pretzels, some gatorade. No joke. We've never experienced anything like this!  I'm grateful we have insurance, but I miss our blessings of health we got when we were struggling students!  Please, please, please be over soon.

I'm really seriously considering pulling them out of preschool because they've brought home weird things since they started (fifths disease, impetigo, stomach bugs, strep...) and we just can't take anymore right now.

I did get a bit of perspective today while I was waiting quite a while for the doctor at urgent care. (not like I really minded...  It was kid free time which I swear to myself  to always enjoy.)  I heard the doctor across the hall on his phone, and he had to tell a mom with a day old baby that he needed to be life flighted because of some issues he has.  I think he'll be ok from what I gathered of the conversation, but I could also tell that the mom was really upset. Who wouldn't be?  So in the end, I really am grateful for the general good health we have, and that there are no major issues that can't be resolved.

Still, let this please be the end of it!