Kate's Surgery

Tuesday afternoon (the 5th) the school nurse, Olivia, called me.  Kate has a tummy ache.  My sister-in-law, Becca, happened to be at my place so I jumped in the car and got Kate.  We think that perhaps Kate may have been faking sick since she is running around and playing just fine at home.  Tuesday night, Kate pukes.  No surprise.  Tanner and Kelsey had the pukers (and diarrhea) just a couple of days earlier.  Wednesday and Thursday Kate doesn't want to eat, or watch TV, or move.  Wednesday I could at least get her to drink a little.  By Wednesday night she can't keep anything down.  Middle of the night Wednesday she keeps waking up yelling, "owie, owie, owie!" and we end up on the living room floor to help everyone else in the house sleep.  Thursday she won't eat or drink anything.  She can't walk without lots of pain.  It hurts when she pees.  She has a fever.  I take her to urgent care Thursday at 6 p.m. I figure it has to be something bigger than just the flu.  (Back in December she was really sick with the flu and had fevers, slept a lot, wouldn't eat/drink much, and didn't want to get off my bed.  So before you think I am the world's worst mother...it isn't too unlike her when she is sick to act this way!  The pain while she moved it what finally did it in.  I figured that is not normal for the flu.)  Urgent care said it was bigger than what they were comfortable with and sent me to the hospital to get blood work done.  I called Nathaniel on the way to the hospital to let him know what was going on and started to cry.  I had to turn the radio up so Kate wouldn't hear me and know that I was a little scared at what might be to come.  I carried my little girl wrapped in a blanket with no shoes on into the hospital and we check in at 7:11 p.m.

 Kate at the ER on Thursday, March 7th around 7:30 p.m.  She is smiling, but you can see she is miserable!

 She is beautiful even when she is horribly sick and exhausted.  

By 2:30 we were told it was her appendix and we would need surgery in the morning.

 Getting prepped for surgery (around noon on Friday)

 Being wheeled into surgery by Nana (Kate is already sleeping even though they haven't put her under yet.  She would wake up every few minutes asking if it was over yet.)

 After surgery in recovery.  That cup is there because she hated the oxygen mask.  The nurse put the oxygen hose into the bottom of the cup and put it near her nose so she didn't have to wear the mask.  Her little blue bear, Ty, went with her everywhere.  The peds unit gave her that bear.

Her appendix had a tear in it and had been leaking causing an abscess.  The infection was pretty bad and we were told it would be a week in the hospital from the day of surgery.  I thought we would be out sooner...WRONG!

Back up in her room.  Trying to cool her down from a fever.  

She had fevers until Tuesday night at 11p.m. 

 Her first time eating in a week!  She got to start eating food on Tuesday and she was excited!

She loved being able to order from the hospital and felt like royalty...until about 24 hours later...then Dad brought in the chicken nuggets.  Even kids don't like hospital food.

 Starting to see that smile again.  I missed my happy little Kate!

Below: I hated seeing my baby (she'll always be my baby) hooked up to that IV all week.

It made her seem so fragile.

 Kate's primary teacher, Yasmin Fox, had the kids make this for Kate.

It had little candy bars taped to each stick.

They may not have lasted long enough to get this picture.

 I found Kate doing this one evening as Nathaniel and I switched places.  It took me so off guard.  She had been in so much pain that it was such a relief to see her smiling and moving normally again....and then the morphine wore off and she was in pain again.  That is too much pain for a 6 year old to have to endure.  I so badly wanted to switch her places.  I hate feeling so helpless.

 We were so happy to get these bracelets OFF!  Kate had to have 3 different bracelets made for her (each a different size) since she kept taking them off.  She hated them.

 Friday (8 days later): All dressed and waiting to go home. 

 Nana gave her these socks at Christmas time.  They are from the hospital but they weren't going to use them so Nana took them and gave them to the kids.  Kate LOVED them and wore them all the time around the halls.  She even wore them home and to the Easter egg hunt the next day.

 So happy to see her baby sister again!  The kids were not allowed to visit Kate at the hospital since it is still flu season.  They were all so happy to see her.  We stopped by the school and saw Eliza on the way home and it was the sweetest thing to see that interaction.  Eliza got this big smile on her face and they hugged each other and Eliza kept hugging her and hunching over to look at her and if Kate coughed Eliza would get worried and say, "Kate...are you alright?!"  I almost cried at how sweet they were together.

So happy to have everyone back together under one roof.  I am so grateful to my Yuma family that helped me out in a million ways.  I would have been a basket case without all of the help.  Nana, Papa, Nancy, and Becca, you guys are incredible!  This experience would have been so much more stressful and scary without your help and support.  Thank you!

I am also grateful for all of the time I was able to spend with my little girl.  That is not an experience I want to have again, but I loved some of those memories and laughs we had.  I feel much closer to her than before.  That is one thing I will always be glad for.