A Morning in the ER

Gannon threw up on Sunday night.

We didn’t think much of it. Sometimes he finds a little piece of fuzz on the floor before we can catch him and he puts it in his mouth and it gags him enough so he throws up.

Mom messaged me while I was at work on Monday. Gannon threw up again. She had to change the sheets and his outfit. No fever, he was acting normal but mom wanted to let me know.

On Tuesday Gannon threw up twice. Now this was getting kind of weird. He had some respiratory junk and a cough so maybe that had something to do with it. No one else in the house was sick. He would act totally normal in between throwing up.

When Craig and I went out to eat on NYE he threw up all over himself at my mom’s house. When we got him home he threw up again.

He threw up again on Thursday afternoon before work which prompted our romantic supper around the tub. Read more on that here: http://www.thepinkshoelaces.com/a-romantic-evening/

I went to work on Thursday but I cautioned Craig to keep him hydrated and clear liquids through the night. Not to mention he hadn’t had a bowel movement in a few days either.

All night at work I just worried about him. I ran through every scenario in my mind and remembered all of his issues from when he was hospitalized and was convinced he had some kind of bowel obstruction.

I ended up calling down to the University of Iowa and spoke with a specialist on call from Gannon’s GI team. They told me to take him to the ER right away and that he needed fluids.

I brushed it off. No, he doesn’t need IV fluids. He’ll be fine. He looked fine when I left. He was still having wet diapers. He was still crying tears. That gastroenterologist didn’t know what they are talking about.

I ended up clocking out a little early after working 12 hour overnight shift so I could go home and see him and assess him.

I got home and Gannon was LETHARGIC like I’d never seen him before. In the 15 minutes I got home he had already thrown up. His eyes were open but he was limp. He looked miserable.

I didn’t even hesitate – I knew something wasn’t right. I took him right back to the ER. I was so confused though, he was acting dehydrated but he still was having wet diapers. I didn’t even know what could possibly be wrong.

I called my mom on the way there and she said, “Kalissa. You don’t have to have him diagnosed. You just have to bring him. Let them do their job.” I hate not knowing. I hate when the pieces don’t fit. I usually have some kind of inkling of what is wrong before I bring the kids in but with Gannon, I had nothing.

Gannon hardly flinched when they started the IV. He just melted into me. He slept, he slept hard, in between assessments and medications and tests.

After while they came in and switched his fluids over. They said his blood sugar was 50. Normal is usually 70 – 110. That’s pretty low.

Before I could even think “Oh my gosh does he have diabetes??” Fell out of my mouth. Which wouldn’t make any sense at all. When diabetics get sick their blood sugar goes UP not down.

But when I’m the one with the sick kid, I can’t think straight. It’s truly incredible how much my nursing instinct completely leaves me when it is my kid who is sick. I’ll call my mom and ask her what I should do for a fever or ask for medical advice. She finds that hilarious considering I’m an ER nurse.

Hour by hour he slowly started perking up. We were very close to being admitted for continuous fluids. His cough started getting worse and worse but he was perking up.

He ended up waking up enough to get discharged. He did throw up again at home that day and the next day. My mom was so sweet she let me sleep at her house with the boys.

I actually just got off the phone with mom and she said he just threw up twice again. UGH! Back to the doctor tomorrow morning. That will be 8 days in a row of vomiting!

Wish us luck! See you again tomorrow at 0530!