Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Hospital

We spent a couple of hours at the hospital yesterday. The Kid started throwing up at 4am and wasn't able to keep a thing down, not even a sip. By 2pm, I knew we were in trouble. He was lethargic, unable to lift his head for more than a minute at a time. I called the doctor.

By the time we got to the office, The Kid was worse. He crawled onto the exam table and fell asleep. The doctor did as much of the exam as possible without waking him. She faxed orders for IV fluids and anti-nausea meds to the hospital and sent us over.

The Kid has a predisposition to dehydrate in situations like this. Some kids do. He just can't reset his system to stop throwing up. A stomach virus often means a trip to the hospital.

We were admitted to the Kids Express Clinic and in less than half an hour he was getting IV fluids and the color was beginning to come back to his cheeks. He was still very pale, but was no longer green. The nurse brought in a portable DVD player and we watched Madagascar while the IV machine thumped liquids into his system. After an hour they brought him some Gatorade. He took tiny and then a few larger cautious sips. The liquid stayed down. Our pediatrician called and checked on us and sent us home.

The Kids Express Clinic is a wonderful thing. You are admitted to the hospital without ever stepping foot in the ER. The orders are from your own doctor, not some random pediatrician on duty. We were in and out in 2 ½ hours.

I was so exhausted and weak with relief, I couldn't even eat (or gasp, drink a glass of wine) when we got home. I took a shower and went to bed. The Kid slept all night long and woke up this morning a lot closer to his usual playful self. He felt well enough to be cranky about taking a break from the computer and that's enough to make this mom very, very happy.

13 comments:

  1. I'm glad he's well and good. What a great clinic!

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  2. Oh -- the worrying! I'm glad it's over!

    Isn't it amazing how quickly these things pass? One minute, you're in the hospital, all anxiety, the next, you're home and everything is back to mormal. Makes your head spin!

    Soo glad The Kid is back!

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  3. I am so glad the kid is better! Whew!

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  4. Oh man--that's awful! Poor Kid! I'm so glad he's getting better!

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  5. Hi Laura, I can relate! I also get horribly dehydrated very easily with a stomach bug, and have myself gone to the after-hours clinic (in my nightgown) and fallen asleep on the table.

    Luckily Vintage Girl has not had this experience - so glad your boy is feeling better!

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  6. Scary! So glad the Kid is on the mend. My 4-year-old is a dehydrator, too, and how I wish we had something like the Kid Express Clinic where we live!

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  7. Thanks for the good thoughts, you'all! He's back to 100%.

    Casey, Our pediatrician gave us a prescription for 6 tablets of Zofran*. Hopefully the next time it's clear he's not going to stop vomiting, we can use that to break the cycle.

    (*We got it filled generically and it was less than $5 with our insurance!)

    Thanks for stopping by - I love your blog!

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  8. So glad the Kid is ok! My #1 did that when she was small (she's 20 now). We went to the Dr's with a waste basket lined with a plastic bag...
    take care of you, too :-)

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  9. Thank you, Debra. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. OK, I'm in San Antonio too and have never heard of this Kid Express Clinic?????? What hospital?

    Oh, and if you ever need a knitting buddy, let me know! I just finished a scarf for a gift exchange (along with some altered paper crafts - pics on my blog) and am finally working on one for myself. My four-year-old son, though, thinks he'll get to wear it too.

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  11. Hi Mary Anna!

    The Kids Express Clinic is at Methodist Children's Hospital. They are superheroes in my book.

    It's always nice to cyber meet another San Antonio blogger!

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  12. Hey L,

    just checking in--sorry to hear about the Kid's bout...hope that all is well now.
    D
    PS thanks for your help/direction on blog...
    lepaysfoodfarmfrugal.blogspot.com
    !

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