Saturday, October 17, 2009

Ordeal

Sore throat. Pain. Headache. Fever. Days. Urgent Care. Strep? Amoxicillin. Days. Worthless. Swollen Lymph nodes. Misdiagnosis. Doctor. Mono? Steroids. Ibuprofen. Vicodin. Test results. Negative. Staph. Staph? Lymph nodes. Swollen. Fever. Too high! Scary. New antibiotics. Clarithromycin. Heavy duty. Wait. Days. Nothing. Pain. Fever. Finish antibiotics. Worse. Doctor? Doctor? Help. Nothing. Listen! Wait. Doctor! HMO. Doctor! Fax. Call. Fax. Call. False negative? Test? Not mono. Staph? Where? What? Doctor? Doctor!!! Make noise. Tail bone. Hurts. More. Calls. Complaints. Days.

Second opinion. New doctor. Listening. Thinking. Examining. Asking. Listening. Reading. Considering. Explaining. Wondering. Cancer? Auto immune?Ordering. Blood cultures. Urine cultures. CAT scan. STAT. STAT!

Home. Wait. Pain. More pain. Excruciating. Screaming. Crying. Writhing. 10 pm. ER. Crowded. Unconcerned. Not urgent. WAIT. FOUR HOURS! Frustration. Tired. Give up. Home. Sleepless. Worried. Scared. PAIN.

Morning. CT scan. Home. Two Vicodin. One hour. Test results! Not cancer. Exhale. Exhale again. Not auto immune. Cyst. Infection. Hospital. Now.

Admitting. Fast. Hospital room. Clean. Private. Nurses. Kind. Doting. Doctors. Concerned. Prompt. Explanations. Communication. Polinaidal cyst. Vancomycin. IV. Surgery. Scheduled. PAIN. Intense. Unbearable. Medication. Vicondin. Insufficient. Morphine. Useless. Toradal. Relief. Better. Better. PAIN! TOO EARLY! MORE DRUGS! Night time. Little sleep. MORE PAIN! WORSE! HURRY! Dilautid. Narcotic. Better? Reaction. Reaction. Reaction. Running. Nurses. Machines. Monitors. Oxygen. EKG. Scared. Too much Dilautid. Resolved. Less pain. Relaxation. One hour. PAIN! Crying. Screaming. Shaking. Sweating. Calling. Waiting. Calling. Pacing. Desperate. Toradal. Toradal. Better. Better. Surgery. Later. Sleep. PAIN! Too early. EXCRUCIATING. Dialautid. Less. Constant. Relief. Waiting. Surgery. Three pm. Finally. Pre-op. Panic. Anxiety. Fear. Catherter. Awful. Anxiety. Fear. Hyperventilate. Oxygen. Drugs. Relax. Hallway. Operating room.

Over. Relief. Better. Results. Fist sized. Infection in tissue. MRSA. Superbug. Drug resistant. Relief. Relief. Relief.

EXHAUSTION.

Amelia. Smiling today. Relaxed. Walking. Talking. Texting. Visiting.

Experience? Frustrating. Frightening. Horrifying. Maddening.

Second opinions? Essential. Life saving.

Modern medicine. Grateful. Insurance. Thankful.

42 comments:

Cheri @ Blog This Mom! said...

I'm so glad she's okay.

I picture you a little bit like Aurora Greenway running down the hall screaming, "Give my daughter the shot!"

That would have been me anyway.

XO

bluedaisy said...

Very glad to hear Amelia is okay. The way you wrote this, I got just a little glimpse of the anxiety/frustration/fear you have gone through during these recent days. Thankfully, you persisted to get to a real answer and the right course of action. Hope everyone gets some much needed rest.

Beth said...

I'm amazed at all Amelia (and her family) has been through! She is obviously a tough girl. Glad to hear that she is on the mend.

I love the emotions written in this post. How scared you guys must have been.

Tracy Griffin - Artist said...

Jason, I kept looking at the beautiful picture you have here of Amelia and just prayed. She is beautiful. I'm so thankful that you were persistent in getting he what she needed. You are a wonderful father and someone I'd honored to have in my corner fighting for me! She is lucky to have you. :) Stay strong!
Tracy

Anonymous said...

Thankful that you got the dx and Amelia's on her way recovering. The emotional aspect takes awhile to recover also! Will continue to pray for an uneventful recovery and much needed rest/down time for all of you.

Babs

Manic Mommy said...

Thank God.

Good work, Dad.

CB said...

Whew, that was quite the emotional roller coaster...glad that ride is over.

Garret of Jim and Garret said...

Wowsers. I was stressed just reading that! I'm glad she's recovering!

Maureen@IslandRoar said...

As a pediatric nurse reading that, I could picture every frustrating moment.
I'm so glad she's okay and I'm so sorry for all the pain you've all been thru.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

What an awful nightmare you've all had to endure! A pilonidal cyst? I have never heard of one with such severe symptoms and complications. So glad you were able to find someone who knew what to do and took care of her. Take a deep breath.

Hugs,
SMB

sybil law said...

I am SO glad it worked out. You are all very blessed - she to have great parents and you guys for having her and the brains to get the second opinion.
xo

TechnoBabe said...

That is a great way to share all the frustration and fear and pain by condensing it the way you do in this post. Rest and heal. All of you!

jlo said...

Great post. So sorry you all had to go through this, but also glad Amelia has a strong fighting daddy. Glad it's all over and she's on the mend. So glad it wasn't something worse. So glad.

Teacher Tom said...

What a nightmare. I'm glad it's over. Holy cow!

Kelley with Amy's Angels said...

Wow...wow...wow.

Glad all is OK!

MOM #1 said...

Lordy! I need a blood pressure pill after just reading that.

I'm so glad she's going to be all right and that y'all had enough sense to pursue pursue pursue until you got to the bottom of it.

The Mulligan Family said...

Oh Jason... lots of hugs - and sigh of relief here too! Emotional roller coaster is a great description - but probably an understatement. Regardless of a childs age - they're still your child and will always be your "baby". I'm so glad she is better!

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

I'm so glad you have answers and she's on the road to recovery. What a terrifying story.

I can't help thinking--in light of our current healthcare policy discussion--how much worse would this all have been with no insurance?

Sandra T. said...

Glad you guys finally got some answers. I am happy Amelia is feeling better. Hooray!!!!!

ChiTown Girl said...

Wow, I need a drink after reading this post! I'm so glad Amelia is feeling better. Maybe now you can exhale, huh?

Maggie May said...

Jason I'm so sorry for you all that you had to go through all that fear and worst of all, Amelia in such pain.

Wonderful relief. She's OK.

Midlife Mama said...

Phew!! Wow.... I found myself holding my breath through the whole thing. Poor Amelia. Thank goodness they got it out and she is okay. Man....what a roller coaster!

Martha said...

I've been out of town, thinking of your daughter and you all.
Thank God for your excellent instincts.
My sincere best to your daughter as she recovers.
I will keep you all in my best thoughts and prayers. Here for you and the family. ((HUGS))
Change pediatricians btw, because I don't know that you and Giancarlo will Ever Trust his advice again. That's Martha, the RN of 28 yrs and also a Parent like you giving you all this a$$vice.

Serena said...

I'm only just catching up with your blog as I'm not doing too well on the health side of things myself but...OMG!!!! Poor Amelia!!! I watched an episode of Oprah the other week with Dr. Oz and he was talking about the MRSA superbug and how deadly it can be. I'm so relieved that Amelia is okay....what a frightening ordeal for you all.

Justine said...

Holy shit, J, all that the poor kid has been through! Fist sized? Damn, and MRSA? She's one lucky girl that you and G were so persistent!!!

Justine :o )

Twenty Four At Heart said...

I'm so glad the worst is over! Oh ... the frustration of dealing with medical issues!

Miss M said...

Wow! How terrifying! I am so glad she is ok!!

Team Shelton said...

We are so glad Amelia is on the mend. How scary! And believe me we can relate. Always always always get a second opinion. And switch to a PPO. You'll be happy, HMO's suck.

Eternal Lizdom said...

What a terrifying ordeal... I cannot imagine what you and your loved ones have been through the past days... week...

Ann T. said...

So glad the worst is over. MRSA is nasty, but with cultures, the appropriate antibiotic can be given. We see a lot of it, but I have never seen a cyst on the tailbone. POOR AMELIA, and poor parents. It is hard to deal with a child in pain.
I am glad Claire and Daniel are there with you. It helps you, her, and especially Amelia. Give them all my love.

Rebekah said...

Lord, Mr. S. My heart is completely pounding on your behalf. WHEW!!!!!

Kelly said...

So scary, the not knowing, wanting to take on her pain and not being able to!!

I am so glad that you found answers! Hugs to all.

Jan said...

FIST SIZED? OMG. Jason! How horrid for Amelia. How horrid for you!

I'm so glad she's going to be all right. Sending lots of love and good thoughts your way.

Wenderina said...

Jenn sent me over. This post brought my father's time in the hospital back...every moment brought a new diagnosis, a new mystery, a new opinion, and a myriad of emotions. It was only because my sister and I kept making a lot of noise in a quiet hospital hallway that we finally got to the right dr. and the right answers. Glad your story has a happy ending.

HappyWifeHappyLife said...

I'm not a healthcare expert but I do know that MRSA is nothing to mess around with....

Well, the EXCELLENT news is your baby girl is back to being a normal kid (i.e. texting and smiling!) And I am so glad to hear that. Thank God you were persistent and got her the care she needed! Good parents who advocate for their kids and never give up ROCK! :)

Hooray for Amelia!
Hooray for Jason!

ree said...

Oh mah holy hell. Well, thank goodness is all I can say.

JCK said...

Oh, Jason. The stress. I am sending you big hugs. I've been behind on this news. So, so glad Amelia is O.K.

BOSSY said...

Lord this post should come with valium! Pheeew.

Live.Love.Eat said...

The cyst was fist sized? Wow, you have all been through the ringer. MRSA was the end result huh?

Life with Kaishon said...

Brilliant post! WOW! Who would have thought one word sentences could convey a huge story like that one? Awesome indeed! God is so good!

kcinnova said...

Here via Jenn (after being overwhelmed with life). Your post brought to mind a 6-hour stint in the ER: RN Dad with 10yo son --severe pain, high fever, turning for the worse. Seeing your child in agony is absolutely awful. No one knowing why or how to relieve it is beyond scary. I'm so glad Amelia was finally properly diagnosed and treated. MRSA is truly terrible stuff.

Stacie said...

I am very glad Amelia is ok. I also wanted to say that this post is superbly written.