24 Hours

That's how long this ordeal lasted. A "mere" 24 hours. It is the WORST 24 hours I have ever lived. Thankfully, I can say it's over. And everything is fine.

I left work on Tuesday, stopped by the grocery for some baby food fruits, and continued on to get Miss Baby from daycare. She had thrown up EVERYWHERE, and they were cleaning up as I arrived. They had taken off her clothes, and were changing her diaper. I went over to finish the task, when I looked and saw a BIG BULGE at the very base of her abdomen a little left of center.

I freaked. I called over her normal care-giver and demanded to know when this started appearing. They didn't know - seems she'd gone down for a nap after her lunch at 2 (after being fussy all morning), and they just woke her up. This child does not sleep more than 30 minutes or so when she's at daycare (doesn't want to miss anything).

When the picked her up to change her, she threw up everywhere.

This was very familiar - she'd done the same thing Sunday night (gone down for the evening and then moaned a good bit. I picked her up to soothe her and give her some tylenol, and was coated with sweet potatoes and other tasty baby fare).

So back to the bulge - I knew it was very likely a hernia, but it was BIG.

I got her dressed, took her, and we called the doctor's whos said they could see her at 7:40 (love, LOVE my Dr. group and their "Urgent Care Hours"). I said I'd be right down, and I'd just wait, thankyouverymuch. When I got there, they saw that she was COMPLETELY still, pale, and hurting. Then I told them I think she has a hernia, and they said "We'll work you in a little early...."

I was the second patient to see the doctor that night, who poked and prodded at her, then sent us to the ER. We were expedited through (Oh - that's another post) and she was given morphine. Then we had ultrasound and x-rays. The surgeon came about 8:30, and by 9:00, he'd worked the intestine back into her abdominal cavity. She was IMMEDIATELY better. My neighbors sent us some coffee and a stuffed animal for her, and she started laughing at the stuffed monkey. It was a JOYFUL sound.

Yesterday, she had surgery to repair the abnormality in her abdominal wall. There was the one on the left which had led to the hernia to begin with. However, she had another one on the right (which was expected), and the surgeon repaired both in the same operation. She went in to surgery at 11:30, and was in the recovery room by 1:00. We were home last night a little after 5. About 24 hours after it all began.

I cannot tell you what I felt. They let me carry her to the OR yesterday, and took her from me at the door. She waved bye-bye as they carried her in there. I don't think I've ever cried like that in my adult life. I don't think I've ever been so scared or prayed so hard or felt so horribly helpless and powerless.

But it's all okay. I'll probably blog about this for a while, because there are a lot of issues that came up. But for now, she's fine, and I'm fine, and we're all fine, and my parents are here to take care of us all (we need it). And God is truly with us today.