With our rough winter in constant sickness I wasn't phased when Chandler was complaining of a sore neck. I figured she had slept on it awkwardly and needed a warm wrap to help the stiffness, so we went about our day - field trip at the zoo, closing on the new rental house, no big deal. Then she started complaining about her face and ear hurting and I thought that was strange, so we'd better go check it out at Kaiser. I mean, they hadn't seen us in over a month, so I'm sure they had to be missing us.
After rushing over after the closing and waiting over an hour for a doc, we were told she had Lymphadenitis - an inflammation of the lymph nodes and sure enough it was swollen. They put her on some oral antibiotics but warned us we needed to come back the next day to see if they were working. We made sure to schedule the follow-up appointment around our Rockies opening day, so we wouldn't miss that! We went back in the a.m. and sure enough the swelling and pain hadn't decreased, so they sent us on to Children's Hospital. We figured we'd get some good IV antibiotics and be on our way to see some baseball.
Unfortunately the CT scan showed an abscess and we would need to stay for awhile for the IV antibiotics. No Rockies. A sleepless night in a cot. And worst of all a girl that was extremely uncomfortable and feisty with every nurse! She lost all trust in the nurses when we had to pin her down to get the IV in and it was downhill from there! Since it was still "respiratory season" the girls couldn't go to her room, so we had to do short visits in the lobby.
After 2 days on the antibiotics and her still in so much discomfort they did another CT scan and concluded the antibiotics still weren't working and they'd have to surgically drain the abscess. What a scare for us! We knew the procedure was low-risk, but the thought of your baby under general anesthesia is just scary! She cried nightly just saying, "I want to go home and sleep in my own bed." It just made me cry every time. Once she said, "I just want my whole family together again." Awwww........
So they took her in Sunday afternoon and prepped her for surgery. Even after they gave her the "calming drugs" she was kicking and screaming. She would half fall asleep and then get a burst of energy and start slugging the nurses. We couldn't decide if we wanted to laugh or cry. Of course she woke up from surgery just as feisty, and the nurse didn't even remove her electrode tapings, because Chandler was swinging away. Our sweet Chandler escaped us - we didn't know this psychotic strong girl! Shortly after surgery she improved quickly. She eventually was able to straighten her head and get back to the fun-loving sweetheart we all missed!
After she was feeling better she found comfort in watching lots of movies, playing in their play room, and enjoying the daily entertainment in the lobby. The love and care in that hospital always amazes me. From the volunteers who give their time to the nurses who are so loving to the kids, I'm always thankful we have a place like this close by and even more thankful that we were able to leave!
We were discharged on Tuesday after 4 1/2 days in the hospital. Chandler was so excited to get home and see her sisters. She had a tough time adjusting back to normal life (where she's not always the center of attention). She still asks questions daily about her hospital stay and I know it really scared her, but we're just trying to get back to normal and help her understand that she really is healthy and she'll be alright!
The best perk of the hospital - unlimited chocolate milk!
Her 1st visit with her sisters. Thankfully it was a beautiful day so we were able to go out and walk.
Checking out the interactive Seacrest Studios in the hospital. The d.j. gave us the full tour and even let Chandler try out the sound buttons. What a great program for the kids!
Out for another walk (post-surgery) with Ellie, her gift from a volunteer group
Rocking out in the play room after beating daddy at air hockey
Look who's going home - good as new!
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