Sunday, September 15th
Avery's stomach issues finally subsided right before midnight this morning/last night. She finally fell into a deep restful sleep which she so badly needed. Unfortunately, the 1st set of panels run during the night showed that her blood sugar was low, so she needed to take a few sips of apple juice to help bring it up. Waking her from a dead sleep and trying to get her to drink(after drinking literally nothing the day before) turned into a 45 minute battle between us two. I finally wore her down around 3:30, and she conceded to drink about an ounce of Gatorade. For future reference, she doesn't like apple juice!
About an hour after we fell back asleep, the nurse awoke me to tell me that her blood sugar had actually continued to drop to 52, and we needed her to eat something in the next 30 minutes. She brought me a whole host of options, but I already knew there was absolutely no chance I could convince her to eat. I tried for 30 minutes to slip a spoon of peanut butter in her mouth before telling them we needed another option. They were finally able to add some Dextrose to her IV fluids to resolve the issue.
At 6:45 we were awoken yet again because her PH levels were off, and she needed to take a pill. This was not an issue the day before as it was given when she was already awake, but this news was not received well by a tired, cranky headstrong 5 year old. We continued to argue about the pill for quite some time. The on call Drs rounded and informed us that if she wouldn't take it, we would have to insert an NG tube to get it done. I finally asked for Ativan(for her, not me) to help calm her and coax her to take the pill. Luckily, shortly before they brought the meds, a switch flipped, and she complied on her own.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent negotiating and bribing her to eat and drink. For breakfast, she ended up with one bite of pancake, one bite of bacon, and 6 oz of whole milk. I took it as a win as this was much more than what she consumed the entire day before. For lunch, she ate 5 large spoonfuls of potato soup, one bite of cookie, and a few sips of water.
She finally perked up knowing that her sisters were coming to see her. We have restricted visitors while we have been here, so they haven't seen her or me since Wednesday. We met them downstairs in the Children's Harbor for an event put on by the Birmingham Junior League. They enjoyed face painting, snacks, corn hole and air hockey. After about an hour, Avery was worn out and asked to go back to her wagon to return to the room. She napped until about 7:30 tonight. She skipped dinner(to no one's surprise), but she did take her medicine after much coaxing and threatening.
Tomorrow is another planned recovery day while we wait for the Methotrexate to flush out of her system.
Please continue to pray for:
- Side effects of the medicines to be minimal and manageable
- Continued rest for Avery
- Better appetite and willingness to drink fluids to avoid going home with an NG tube
- Protection and safety from illnesses and germs
Hang in there Mom! You're being a faithful, loving Mom! We will keep fervently praying for all the specifics that you mentioned and for you as parents and for Avery's sisters! Jill, FBC Boaz Children's Minister
(I'm a mother who is familiar with all the "necessary interruptions" you are mentioning. We had 2 children in the hospital many times a year since they were 3 years old; the oldest is now 30. - less hospitalizations now)
What a dedicated and loving mother you are, doing her best for her precious daughter! Prayers for both! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Glad she had a better day physically. Hang in there mamma. 😘 Continued prayers.
God love her little heart. Happy to read that today was better though. You all are continually in my prayers. I think about Avery everyday and we’re wearing the bracelets in support. I can’t imagine how you must feel inside, Lori Beth. You are doing such a great job taking care of your baby. God Bless you and I pray for your strength as well. Amber
Trussville First Methodist and Kids First are praying for Avery (and her family). My girls work at Kids First and know all of your girls, so tell them Savannah and Lily Strange are also praying for each day better than the previous. Please let us know if you need anything! Hang in there Avery, and please eat and drink just a little when mom asks. She knows best!