Monday, February 1, 2016

Starting 2016 with a bang...


The Sunday after Christmas Katie starting complaining of stomach pain.  The pain was still there Monday morning so I took her to the doctor asking if it was an appendicitis.  The doctor completely dismissed us saying she was just suffering from constipation.  

We went home.  Tuesday morning, Katie woke up and the pain had subsisted some.  Katie spent all week walking around slumped over.  I was a terrible mom, telling her to stand up straight, go run around outside, etc.  Finally, on Friday, Katie was walking really hunched.  After asking her why, she said she was in pain.  I started feeling her stomach and she jerked away when I touch her lower right side.  It was New Years Day and the doctor was closed, so I called the emergency number.  The doctor I talked to told me to have Katie jump, she did, to which the doctor said it was not an appendicitis.  She told me to watch for other signs and to bring her in in the morning.  After a day of not being hungry (including a family lunch at Five Guys), Katie finally developed a low fever.  I called the doctor again, she told me that if it were her child she would probably take her to the ER but I could just take her to a clinic.  Feeling very confused about what to do, I called a a friend who is a doctor.  She recommended we go straight to the ER.  She even called and registered us and ordered all the necessary test.  So grateful for Darlene!

We got to the ER, and the admitting doctor said just looking at Katie and it was most likely an appendicitis.  The blood test said the same thing.

For someone who wants to be a doctor she was a little apprehensive about the blood drawing process
After an unltrasound, the surgeons were positive enough to prep for surgery.  I knew we were staying before we came in and had packed a bag for the night and full of things to do.  Katie and I played Five Crowns during the time we were waiting.

Katie was upbeat and positive the whole time.  She kept telling everyone who asked her if she was in pain; "a tiny bit".  I told her to stop saying that because that response is what kept her home all week.


I was amazingly calm during the surgery.  I should have been freaking out, but I didn't know that until after.  My friend Jordan and her husband came to sit at our house while Mark came to wait with me for Katie to get out of surgery.  The surgery took a lot longer then we were told.  When the surgeon finally came to talk to us, she said Katie was fine, but it had been a mess.  The appendix was ruptured (probably since Tues) and had caked around itself, which protected Katie's life, but made it really hard to clean out.  She had to take out the very bottom part of the colon where it was infected.  She said Katie would be in the hospital for 7-10 days while they watched for infection and the development of an abscess.

Mark stayed until Katie woke and they were ready to move us into a room.  I spent the night with Katie.  Sat morning we had a babysitter come site with Jax and Zane while Mark brought Addy and Marcus up to visit.  Katie was pretty out of it.  Katie's friend Lily also came to visit.  After the babysitter left, Mark and I spend the day switching places; one of us at home and the other at the hospital.  Mark spent that night and the rest of the nights at the hospital (YES, husband of the year!)

The major kicker of all of this is that Katie gave up her birthday party over the summer because I was too stressed trying to get everything together to bring Zane home.  We had planned a half birthday party for her on Jan 2nd, instead she spent the day in a hospital bed.

On Sunday Katie was a little more alert.  I took the kids to church and left Zane, Marcus and Addy there during Sunday School while Jax and I went to visit Katie.

After church a friend came up and gave Katie a blessing with Mark.  Marcus and Addy came after church as well as Katie's friends Jasmine and Lulu.


Mark stayed around Monday and Tuesday and worked from the hospital.  We didn't want to take Zane to the hospital so I had a friend come stay with him for a couple hours so I could relieve Mark in the morning on both Mon and Tues, Mark and I spend the rest of the time switching back and forth between home and the hospital (it is really convenient that we live about 1/2 mile from the hospital). Katie started being more alert on Monday, and seemed to enjoy her visitors after that.


A picture we sent to Katie to show her how Jax had taken over her feeding duties--Zane really missed her.
Katie had such a hard time not seeing Zane for a whole week.  I brought a picture of him for her and she just started crying.

The first time I saw Katie act like herself was when Jax walked into the room, sat in the visiter chair and said; "so Katie, how did you sleep last night?"  

Another time I brought Jax in before bedtime to hang out with Katie, she had a little dinner left, Jax proceeded to clean her tray.  He kept mumbling; "thanks for the cheese cake, Katie" as he stuffed his face.

One morning I brought Jax with me before preschool.  I ordered Katie and I breakfast, Jax would not let me touch the food, it was his second breakfast and I wasn't allowed to have anything. That boy and food!


Katie had so many visitors and got enough gifts that M&A were starting to think it might be worth it to have surgery.  We had so many friends help us out with childcare and meals.  I am still so humbled by the help that we received from everyone.

I scheduled our babysitter followed by a friend, followed by another friend to take shifts at our house with Zane for the rest of the week.  I spent the day getting the kids off to school, getting Jax to preschool, hanging with Katie, picking M&A up from school and bringing everyone to visit Katie, feeding kids and back to the hospital while Mark put everyone to bed.  I was so stressed out not knowing what was going on with Zane (I might be a control freak).  The silver lining is that Katie and I had a lot of fun together.  We played games, talked and read Heidi.  It was great getting so much alone time with her.


Finally on Thursday, after 6 LONG days in the hospital, the doctor said that Katie could come home!  I have never been so excited to have all my kids in one place. 

Thursday night a bunch of Katie's friends came over to visit.  The sister missionaries came to hang with her the days that she was home but not able to go to school.  Friends continued to feed us for the next week.  We were so grateful for all the help.  

You would think that the story ends here...but it doesn't.  Katie was healing well her first week home.  But the next week, she came home from school on Tues in extreme pain.  I called her doctor and she said that her pain was normal.  But all week I noticed Katie regressing.  Finally, on Friday, I called her doctor to try to schedule an appointment.  She was in surgery all day and unable to call me back.  Around 4pm on Friday, I decided to take Katie to the ER.  My friend Darlene came to the rescue as I was walking out the door.  She said she would come examine Katie.   After checking Katie's abdomen, she said we didn't need to go to the ER unless Katie developed a fever or started vomiting since Katie had a doctor's appointment the following Monday.  Mark had come home early so that he could sit with kids while I was at the hospital.  We had a great night family night and then put the kids to bed.  Around 10pm, Katie came downstairs to tell us she had just thrown up.  Once she started, she did not stop.  After a called to Darlene, Katie and I headed the ER.  We were in the ER until 5am.  It was terrible, I never want to do that again.  Because they could not stop the vomiting, Katie had to have a GI tube inserted, the first one was too small to work, so they did it again.  I won't rehash anymore of it because the night was terrible for Katie.  


Finally, at 5am (after Darlene had called to check in and talked to all the doctors involved) they moved us to the Peds unit and scheduled a CAT Scan.  Results-partial intestinal block.  The GI tube had to stay until it cleared.  It was a painful 3 days for Katie.  She did not talk because it hurt her throat; we played some games, finished Heidi, she read and watched a lot of TV.   (I also introduced her to Dr Quinn Medicine Women on Tuesday when I was too sick to do anything but sit with her.)


To add insult to injury, CT got its first snow of the year.  We were so excited to get snowed in and spend the weekend eating and sledding.  Instead, I got snowed in the hospital on Sat night and all the kids at home, including little Zane, got sick. It was a rough weekend for the Sanofsky family.


On Sunday the roads were clear, and I was able to switch places with Mark.  Mark stayed home Monday.   Katie finally got the tube out mid day.  Monday afternoon, I took Jax up to visit Katie.  We had a great time exploring the children's floor.  Jax, as always, was entertaining.  


Jax trying to decide which lollipop to give to Katie, it only took 5 full mins

 Marcus and Addy spent their time at the hospital being hyper, asking for soda and oreos and talking the nurses into letting them choose a toy from the toy closet.  So grateful for the distraction they were to Katie.

Tues I had my babysitter and then a friend watching Zane until 5pm.  After school Jax and Addy came to the hospital with me to play with Katie.  At 4:30pm the doctor said that Katie could go home! 


We packed it up and ran out off there!  Here's to hoping we never see the hospital again!



Again, my friends jumped in to help out with meals and childcare.  For being in a state with no family, we survived almost 2 total weeks in the hospital.  So thankful for the support group we have here.  (Also grateful for the moral support of our family, and all the gifts, phone calls and Facetime  that lifted Katie's spirits.)



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