I am so pleased to say that Paul, Anna, and I are finally out of the dark cloud of the worst type of stomach bug that Anna has ever had. No fever. No crabbiness. No other symptoms. Massive diaper blowouts for 24 days. You ask, why so long? I thought everyday it would stop. I was losing my mind by Easter Break. Anna was sent home from school on Friday April 3. This was due to two blowouts in one day. Blowouts is the nice term for massive diarrhea. I never knew school had a rule about this. I hate those rules that we find out when we are experiencing them. Believe me, I understand the rule, just never knew it existed. We got lucky all the days prior I guess.
Her sweet and loving one-on-one nurse, Rebecca met Paul at the doors. She was apologizing for having to send her home one hour before the buses came. All this apologizing and her wheelchair had three bags of clothes tied to it that bit the dust. Oh my!
I looked on the bright side. The next week was spring break, she would have time to overcome this. Nope. On Friday, April 3, I had been emotionally drained and Anna physically drained. Her little bum was not handling it well either. I wanted it to stop. I was tired of washing three outfits a day and cleaning up her bed at times four times a day. This was something I had never lived through before. I was falling apart mentally worried about her. Paul asked, “Can’t we just give her Imodium?” Not without a doctor telling me I can. Anna is on 12 plus meds a day. I cannot just give her over the counter meds without a doctor checking if there are any contraindications. Paul and Anna did a Zoom visit. The doctor okayed the Imodium. She got it. She slept for 18 hours straight after her first dose.
This is the heartache: I have no idea what this is doing to this sweet girl. She may be dehydrated, cramping, tired and exhausted and she rarely shows it. I can’t imagine dealing with what she does and not being able to tell or talk about it. This is what mentally drains me. This coupled with her being a transplant patient and not being able to get dehydrated or unable to take her meds. I think of a hospitalization likely when this occurs, but most of all I feel for her, deeply as she navigates this. I had no idea it would last this long.
So the Immodium did wonders, we took in a sample, which in my opinion the lab screwed up but we got some results. But the best results are a rested child, a bum that has returned to normal, a child who is not suffering. We will repeat the sample in six weeks. Oh, and a Warrior mom that has stopped losing her mind, I am at rest mentally now.
Now, the other happy ending. A good pharmacy?
I went into Walgreens. The doc had prescribed a stronger butt ointment. I went to the counter:
“Pickup for Anna McCann, DOB 7/9/2002,” I said.
The lady looked it up, “I see it, we don’t participate with her Medicaid.”
Before I could even think, I went into Warrior mode, “How much is it out of pocket?”
She spoke, “One Hundred and Fifty Three Dollars, and it’s a tube that is the size of a travel toothpaste.”
Again, Warrior mode kicked in, I leaned into the counter, made strong eye contact and said: “I need something, this is for my adult daughter in diapers and her ass is red with a flaming rash from her loose stools.”
The lady looked at me. “Let me see what the pharmacist can do.” She came back, said, “Give me a few minutes.”
I shopped around for ten minutes. I went back to the counter. The lady’s shift had ended. Another girl helped me. “Thirty three dollars,” she said.” I paid for it and she handed me four tubes of cream for Anna. I scored. I felt like I held the key to happiness in that bag.”
Anna is better, life is better with the exploding diapers and her rash is gone. Thank you to the caring cashier at Walgreens.
These are the trials of this life that hurt and take the toll out of me. I just want to make sure she does not suffer. When she suffers I suffer and long to help her. I’ve longed to help her all my life and will never stop.
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That poor girl! And your suffering in spirit because you know she is suffering is so real! A friend told me that you are only as happy as your saddest child and sounds like this is what you experience. I wish I were there to give you a hug and fill you in spirit. Know I’m sending you much love and positive energy. And as always a prayer too! Try to take care of yourself!