A Quick Catch Up

Despite wanting to deviate from the blog challenge a little, I didn't. I held true to the daily topics and since most my 'off topic' posts were just going to be huge rants, I kept them to myself. But now that the challenge is over...watch out!

The biggest events of the past few weeks have been another round of illness in the house. M started with a few days of symptomless fevers which I have now determined was teething related. The weekend before Easter a GI bug hit the house and so began my ever rising levels of stress and exhaustion.

N started with it first. Saturday night she went to bed early. She barely left her room Sunday and on Monday it became evident that she was just laying in bed and stooling all day without changing or cleaning. By Tuesday morning I was worn out with all the bed changes, showers and clean ups along with the fact that my house was rank! The smell downstairs was unreal and I couldn't help but be frustrated with N for letting it get that way.

Sunday night S started to vomit. He was up into the early hours and had to stay home Monday from school. Luckily the vomiting was short lived and he felt better by Tuesday.

On Wednesday it seemed like the home was starting to feel better. N was weak but up and moving around some and the kids seemed healthy. I started to breath a sigh of relief...oops. Too soon.

Thursday while I was at work N fell and started to look poorly. Since I was at work and couldn't assess the situation, I called EMS and had her brought to the hospital. I could no longer handle N at home with her weak, falling, incontinent and not improving like she needed to. She was admitted to the hospital that night. In addition, K and M started vomiting too.

Friday the children were getting back to being healthy again. No more vomiting but some loose stools. N was doing a little better in the hospital and while I didn't feel great, I was functional too. That night however, after I had left the hospital, the doctor ordered N some pretty powerful narcotic meds and when I came back on Saturday to visit, N was CONFUSED as can be. So the weekend was spent trying to figure out what the heck to do with N and what we were going to do with discharge. I was able to get away for a few hours on Sunday to my parents so have an Easter celebration and Egg Hunt.

N was discharged from the hospital to a nursing home for rehab on Monday. She is still there now - it will be a week tomorrow. She is getting daily therapy. Her mental state is back to baseline now that her routine meds have been restarted and no more narcotics. She is getting back to her baseline physical state too and will probably be back here sometime this week.

I am going to strangle the next person who says "It must be nice to get a break" referring to N not being in my home. I'm not sure why daily (or more) trips to the hospital or nursing home, organizing therapies, talking to doctors, being the go between for the rest of my family and her friends, making special trips because she wants clothes, or her TV or whatever is considered a break. At least here when she's at home I can escape.

I am ready for all this to be behind me! The kids have seemed healthy this week. I am fine (other than the frequent migraines I've been getting) and N is on the right track. Please let this all continue for at least a few weeks!