We fought rush hour for a long time and finally arrived safely at the pharmacy to drop off J’s prescription. As I was about to push the call button for the pharmacy tech, J woke up and said, “I can’t breathe!” and proceeded to throw up every single thing I had fed her the whole day. Apparently, we had advanced her diet too quickly, and I was the one who paid for it. I walked in the door when I got home and said something like, “Hello, don’t touch me, I’m covered in barf!” All her clothes went in the wash, and I gratefully disappeared into the shower. I cranked up the radio as loud as I wanted and ran that water scalding hot. The last time I had a shower that good was after a 3-day backpacking trip into the mountains of New Mexico. It was so wonderful to take my brain off high alert for a minute and just relax.
When I got out of the shower, Tom had taken the nasty car seat out of the car, and I noticed that he had folded several loads of laundry and washed all the dishes. A friend had brought dinner, and I was especially grateful for a green salad with strawberries after eating garbage food while I was at the hospital. Somehow the kids were bathed.
The evening was rough, as transitions of this sort often are. I barked at my husband. The kids fought with each other and with me. I spent too long at the grocery store, just trying to figure out what we needed. (Getting groceries was part of my original plan for Thursday. Getting an appendectomy was not part of my agenda.) I felt like my head was going to explode. I felt angry. I felt guilty for feeling angry. I was completely frazzled and spent.
The next day was better. Jocelyn slept soundly throughout the night. Shannon woke up at 2:30, but at least she quickly returned to bed after getting a little attention from Mommy. Tom did not have to work, since it was Saturday, and we just tried to rebound from the whirlwind that had hit us. J started her day lying on the floor and acting very weak and tired, but by the end of Saturday, she was somewhat improved and seemed almost normal as long as she took her pain meds. Today (Sunday) was the best by far. She only took some over-the-counter Motrin for pain around 10 a.m.
Thanks to the modern wonders of internet and cell phones, we have been able to at least partially keep in touch with concerned parties. We certainly did not make it a priority, since our child’s health was our first priority, but we did the best that we could. Looking back on the experience, it wasn’t an ideal situation, and certainly not part of our plan, but the Lord held us and protected us through it all.
Tom
Christy
