ER Tonight

Fun-filled four hours in the ER tonight! We decided we needed to make sure Annie wasn't getting too dehydrated after three nights of upchucking and four days of refusing food. (The million-dollar question from everyone was whether or not she was still getting fluids. Um ... you mean the thin liquids she is not supposed to have? How do we deal with that one?? She needs fluids (!!), but we don't want her aspirating ....)

Well, we headed to the ER about 6:30 tonight after going back and forth all afternoon about it. We found out that the cardiac playing card does get you some panache, as we were ushered through the hallowed double doors immediately. You tell them "cardiac kid" (or some version thereof) and it seems as though the doors open magically before you. I also discovered that they take you very seriously as a parent. One of our nurses commented on the "parents of kids with medical histories like Annie's" and the fact that we know when to raise the red flag. (Well, sort-of ... I'm not sure we really needed to be there tonight ... but Scott is sleeping soundly tonight and that counts for a lot. He was getting pretty worried!)

So here is the really, really fun life-keeps-you-laughing thing: we were ushered into triage with a nurse immediately after our arrival. While in triage, we told the nurse all about Annie (her meds, diagnosis, history, etc.). In the middle of our Annie story, Jamie suddenly started throwing up. Funny, right? Well, it's funny now at any rate! Really, we seemed to be falling apart at the seams before their very eyes. ("No, we're not here for her. We're here for the little one -- the one laughing and playing peek-a-boo with you.")

Long story kinda short, but we spent about four hours in the ER. Annie's blood and urine were tested and she had a chest x-ray (all tests that were so much less fun than when she was younger -- she was not happy about any of them this time -- ugh). All of her tests came back normal, including her electrolytes -- so she didn't even need IV fluids. (No, really, I'm glad Scott is a bit of an alarmist. If I had vetoed going when we did, Murphy's Law says that we would have ended up going at 2am or something.) They figure it is just a virus that we need to keep an eye on at this point. (Jamie continued to not feel well while we were there -- and that's a sanitized description -- and they asked us if we wanted them to start a chart on her, too. We declined ... here's hoping that doesn't jinx us. So far, she seems to be sleeping just fine ....)

Just another day in the world of parenting adventures! I'm happy that tonight was only our second experience with ER visits. I know that many cardiomyopathy kids on the list serve are frequent flyers! Still, they had all of our info in the computer already .... Jamie has never been to that hospital or ER, but Annie's practically a regular. Sigh. And that officially begins my butterflies for the next echo, 1/24. Here we go again ....

P.S. I have some pics of the girls in the ER (enjoying popsicles together on the gurney and also Annie kissing on her sister and daddy), but I'm too tired tonight to get them downloaded. I'll get to it ASAP, I promise.