Quick Update

Hello all~

This is just a quick update so you all understand why I have been MIA.

My precious niece Haley (who is just 3) started complaining about her leg hurting while at my house Saturday before last. No biggie, but kinda weird. So, I dutifully told her mom about it and everyone went on their way. The next night, we had our November Family Birthday dinner to celebrate my dad, Haley, Ella and my sister...who all have birthdays in one week. By that night at dinner...Haley didn't want to walk, and was very fussy about her leg. (If you asked where it hurt, she would point to her groin) So, me having the queen of groin pulls for a child, immediately start thinking groin pull, hernia, dislocated hip, etc...end of the world scenarios...(have I mentioned I can be pessimistic sometimes?)

So, the next day, Monday, Ashley takes her to the urgent care clinic to have the hip x-rayed as the pain has gotten worse, Haley refuses to walk at all, and isn't sleeping at night. (Did I mention my sister has 3 other kids...one of which is 5 months old?). They find nothing, so off to the pediatrician the next day~ who promptly diagnoses it as Transient Synovitis. Finally...we know what's wrong!! And that it will be better all on it's own in about a week!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Seriously....how thankful we are for great doctors!

Partied too soon. (Have I mentioned my sweet precious Haley has the most random horrible health luck in the world?) There was only one thing we had to watch for...a fever that suddenly spiked. But the chances of that happening were slim...so not to worry over much. What a joke. By Thursday, Haley's hip is getting no better, the pain is actually worse, she still refuses to walk, and by late that afternoon...the 99 degree fever she has had all week (normal) has spiked to almost 104 (not normal). Off to the emergency room they go!

After a several hour wait in the ER, and more x-rays, plus an ultrasound....a very nice young orthopedic surgeon comes in to inform Ashley that Haley has developed Septic Hip, and he needs to operate...now. at midnight. WHAT!?!?!?! Yes, that is what he said. He considered it an emergency situation that could not even wait until morning. So, off my sweet baby goes to surgery. He initially planned on just aspirating the fluid out of her leg, but when he did that...instead of finding a cloudy infected fluid...all he found was pus. Like nasty infected. in just a matter of days. So, now he actually has to cut her open and go in to clean everything out. My poor sweet baby. (and sister) It is about 2am when she finally gets settled in a room, everything has been sent off to the lab to be cultured and now we just wait.

Friday was a horrible day. besides being in pain, obviously, Haley screamed at anyone who walked in the room...her favorite was "DON'T LOOK AT ME!!!!"...I'll let you guess if she let them touch her. Saturday was marginally better....at least she wanted to eat a little (hello Aunt Liz to the rescue with pancakes from the Fox!) and Sunday was the best day yet. But...after several days, we finally had some answers! It was not MRSA, thankfully, but it was Staph....a MSSA Staph infection....still very hard to treat, but not as hard as MRSA. Unfortunately, both have to be treated with IV antibiotics for several weeks (like 8) so on Monday, my sweet baby had to go back under anesthesia to have a picc line put in.  Which made Monday a really bad day too....almost as bad as Friday. But, with the picc line, she could now go home and be given her antibiotics there!

So, finally, after the longest 6 days of our lives, Haley came home last night.....thank the Lord!

Pretty crazy, right? Did I mention that while all of this was going on, and while Ashley & Zach were at the hospital with their baby...that I had all of their other babies?? Along with my 13 yr old, there was the 12 yr old, who luckily went off to spend the weekend with friends (Deb Fewell you are the greatest!), the 5yr old that missed her parents, and the 5 month old. You know, the one who is solely breast fed...and doesn't sleep through the night yet. Oh, and did I mention that the 12 yr old came home Sunday with strep and had to be shipped to my parents house immediately because he couldn't be near the baby (or Haley when she came home!)? Yes, that was my week.

I am so freaking tired.