I have been holding off on this post because I didn't want to relive it in the telling and I wanted to be (pretty) sure that Sarah is actually on the mend.
Sarah just went through, what, for her, was the most traumatic thing in her little life so far :(
She went downhill in the vomiting department and was admitted to one hospital by her pediatrician, but they couldn't get an IV into her. So she was sent by ambulance to Children's Hospital Boston. And they could not get an IV in her. So she was admitted to Children's for observation and antinausea meds. They drew blood and xrays. She stayed for 2 days and then I took her home.
Right now, she is showing a few little smiles, is pale and apprehensive. She is shell-shocked for lack of a better term. She is wide-eyed and easily frightened. It is heart breaking to see. Why is she such a mess, you may ask?
Sarah lives a little life out of necessity. Most things are overwhelming to her, most situations are overwhelming to her. She needs little events with lots of explanations, lots of reassurances. This was not possible for her this week. Everything was loud, busy, moved quickly. It was intrusive, frequently painful and confusing for her. Too many people, too many doors opening and closing, machines beeping and alarming, babies crying. Too many people introducing themselves to her, touching her, moving her. Truthfully, it was Sarah's version of a living hell.
So now we are home and she is doing nothing but drinking, eating a little bit, napping and watching her tapes. She goes from bed to rocking chair and back to bed again. It is all she can do. Just the sound of my crinkling up a paper bag sent her into wide-eyed panic. I started to talk to her this afternoon about the hospital and how hard I knew it was for her and that she was a good girl....but that's as far as I got as she burst into tears. She can't talk about it right now. It's too fresh, too raw, to painful.
Above are a few pics taken in the few rare calm moments. Tomorrow will be a better day.....
And about the inability to get an IV into her....she has ONE vein that will take an IV. That's it --just ONE. It was used earlier this week when she had the injections under anesthesia, so it was not available for meds or hydrating her when she went downhill on thursday. Other various sites were tried and once the IV Team got one in but as soon as any fluid was run into it, it broke and infiltrated. No more tries after that.
So here is what I have learned from this dreadful experience. I always like to learn something from a disaster :)
1. If Sarah requires any hospital attention, I will only take her to Boston. No more fiddling with the local hospital as they will NEVER get an IV in her.
2. The IV attempt can only be done by the IV Team. Period. The End.
3. They can only try ONCE, in the right foot(the only place it is possible to get one in)
4. If that one attempt is unsuccessful, then there will be no more attempts at peripheral IVs.
5. A NG tube will then be placed to deliver fluids/meds into her stomach. Not the most comfortable procedure but definately doable and much less painful than multiple IV attempts.
6. Use different anesthesia to try to prevent ileus.
7. And of course, there is all the more reason now to keep her out of procedures requiring anesthesia if at all possible.
