Shannon Stacey


Scary moment

Okay, the password feature’s working for some, and not for others, and I’m one of the people it’s not working correctly for, so let’s do this:

This is one of those Mommy with yucky kid moment posts. Feel free to ignore it if you’re not into mommy posts or yucky kids. :cheesy:
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The short kid saga continues.

Yesterday, he gave some signs of being on the mend, and he hasn’t actually been sick since Tuesday morning. Then he started backsliding. He wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t drink. He was sleeping too much. Lethargic. A little bit of diarrhea.

But, this flu is going around (it’s a bad one, too), and the doctor still didn’t think he needed immediate medical attention, so they gave me an appointment for this morning. About ten last night he roused, and talked and had some applesauce, and even went through the bedtime routine—story from Dad downstairs, then I read him one upstairs.

He slept in this morning. And if you’re a mom, you know how that goes. First, you’re relieved. Then you start wondering. Then you’re straining to hear any little noise. You really want to check on him, but you know if you open the door you’ll wake him up. And he’s probably just sleeping in.

Well, the time came when he had to get up, so the older boys could go to school. I opened his door, and the most godawful stench hit me.

I thought he’d died during the night.

(Writing that sentence has made me shake all over again.) I have no experience with the smell of death, other than the embalmed, powdered, perfumed smell of the funeral home. But I read alot, and watch a lot of TV, so I know there’s a bad, bad smell. My subconscious must have added the smell to the underlying worries of the last few days and jumped in a bad direction.

I must have yelled his name, because the poor kid was jerked awake, wide-eyed. We both came to the realization he’d suffered from a diarrhea attack in his sleep at about the same time. He thought I was yelling at him because he’d pooped in his pants. So he started to cry.

Now I’m trying to console him and explain that I’m not mad without explaining why I yelled. And, quite honestly, now that I know he’s still with us, the grossness of the situation is sinking in. So, with the poor munchkin jerked from sleep and weak, I’ve got to put him in the shower, and try to wash him with one hand, while supporting him with the other.

Ironically, he’s much better this morning. He’s had a few bites to eat, and he’s more himself personality-wise. We’ll still keep the appointment, though.

And the laundry. :cry: I keep waiting for a crash in the basement as my washing machine makes a break for it.

13 comments to “Scary moment”

  1. Charlene T
    Comment
    1
      · April 14th, 2005 at 9:42 am · Link

    I can so relate. Our daughter was born with her eyes wide open and she’s tried to stay that way ever since. But every once in a while she just crashes out and sleeps for 12 hours solid, and the first few times she did it I was terrifed. I was sure she was dead! I’d go stand over her and make sure she was breathing or wait until she moved instead of taking advantage of the quiet to sleep myself.

    Your washing machine will survive. Just buy stock in Spray & Wash. :nod:

    I’m very glad to hear your little guy’s better, in spite of the Laundry Emergency. Parenthood seems to be full of laundry emergencies.



  2. Steph T.
    Comment
    2
      · April 14th, 2005 at 10:12 am · Link

    {{{HUGS}}}

    Shan –

    Sounds like rotovirus (sp?) – it’s a nasty, nasty bug that hangs around for about two weeks – it’s so bad they’re even starting to vaccinate for it now. You’re doing everything right – sounds like you’re giving him that BRATT diet they always recommend. *sigh*

    Been there. Just hugs for you and the kid…



  3. Jill
    Comment
    3
      · April 14th, 2005 at 10:42 am · Link

    Oh the poor thing. And poor you. And your poor washing machine. I have SO been there ….



  4. Jorie
    Comment
    4
      · April 14th, 2005 at 10:57 am · Link

    Aw, poor kid, poor Mom. I’m glad he seems more himself now though.



  5. Anna Lucia
    Comment
    5
      · April 14th, 2005 at 11:55 am · Link

    Oh ((((((Shan))))))) My stomach turned over, thinking how awful that long moment must have been.

    But I will admit that once we’d established he was okay, I thought, “Oh Lord. I bet she’s out of sheets now, too.”

    :wink: I pay attention.



  6. Larissa
    Comment
    6
      · April 14th, 2005 at 12:13 pm · Link

    Oh, that’s horrible! I’m glad everything is okay and getting better, though! :clap:



  7. Shannon
    Comment
    7
      · April 14th, 2005 at 12:48 pm · Link

    Damn right I’m out of sheets. I’m even out of sheets for the tall kid’s bed at this point. (Why is that kids are most stubborn when they’re sick? The short kid was quite insulted to be draped in his big brother’s jammy shirt, with his big brother’s sheet on his little race car bed.)

    The doctor said it was probably Rotovirus (sp?). I guess the giveaway is the noxious gas, which is so foul as to make even the cats gag and keel over.

    But once that very large check had been written to cover the doctor squeezing his fingernails to check for dehydration, the short kid morphed into “Sick? Who me? You must mean some other kid.”

    :dance:



  8. AngieW
    Comment
    8
      · April 14th, 2005 at 1:14 pm · Link

    Oh Shan… I can totally feel the fear you experienced in that short eternity. My heart is pounding for you! Rotovirus does seem to be making the rounds this year. I know Puawai’s little one had it about a month ago. I hope the short kid gets to be on the mend soon! And that the laundry fairy comes and washes some sheets for you.



  9. Sharon
    Comment
    9
      · April 14th, 2005 at 3:06 pm · Link

    How awful for you. I am well acquainted with those heart stopping moments! I hope your little one gets well soon. When my daughter was 3, she was hospitalized because of dehydration caused by roto virus. What was scary was how impossibly fast she went from fine but sick, to dangerously dehydrated. She spent four days in the hospital on an IV and didn’t pee until the third day. So it’s great that your little one checked out ok.

    As for the sheets, I would have just sealed them in a garbage bag and thrown them away lol.



  10. Sela
    Comment
    10
      · April 14th, 2005 at 3:35 pm · Link

    (((Shannon and short kid))) I think I’m with Sharon on the pitching the sheets thing. I’d chuck the pants, too! So glad he’s feeling better now.



  11. Jaq
    Comment
    11
      · April 14th, 2005 at 7:07 pm · Link

    Shan, I think my heart stopped as I read. Glad the little one is on the mend (again.) yeah, I’d toss the sheets. :shrug:



  12. Shannon
    Comment
    12
      · April 14th, 2005 at 10:52 pm · Link

    :snore:

    I is so tired.

    My sharply-honed procrastination skills saved me somewhat this week. I never got around to weeding out his drawers, so I still had all the thick potty-training undies. As soon as he got sick I put him in those. It helped minimize the damage, and I could toss them guilt-free. (I can’t even imagine if I’d had to throw out his Thomas or Bob the Builder undies. :shock:)

    And he’s got character sheets, so no throwing those away, either. I did learn from this though—I need to have a few sets of white cheapo sheets in the house for just these occassions.

    While you still don’t want to be within 5 miles when he has gas, he’s feeling much, much better. :clap: I wouldn’t be surprised if he has another during-sleep accident tonight, though.

    This time I’ll be mentally prepared. :baby:



  13. SandyO
    Comment
    13
      · April 15th, 2005 at 9:07 am · Link

    Poor short kid! Poor Mom!







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