There are two reasons I really dislike winter... the cold, and the viruses that go around. I dread those viruses.
On Friday, my teenage daughter M. got a stomach virus. Now, these are always unpleasant for anyone, but for her they can quickly turn very dangerous. For whatever reason, M. is extremely susceptible to dehydration, (no doctor has ever been able to tell us exactly why, just that some people simply are). Despite all of our precautions, and following doctors orders diligently, it always seems to happen, and it generally happens in the blink of an eye. One minute she can seem fine and alert, the next minute she starts to pass out. Friday evening was no exception.
She awoke from an hour nap, feeling much better, after being sick most of the day. I was relieved to see her looking good, and we talked a bit as I followed her to the bathroom, and waited outside the door in case she needed me. Two minutes later she emerged, slumped and slurring her words, and then she fainted, going down inches away from me, like a ton of bricks, and hitting her nose and head pretty hard. To say I was scared is a gross understatement. By the time I got her to the hospital she was tired, and in pain from the fall, but much more alert. She had no memory of fainting.
Not only was she severely dehydrated, her blood pressure was extremely low. Even after a full IV bag, it still was dropping, reaching a low of 77/37. After another IV bag and a few more hours, I was able to take her home. (Very lucky this time as previous episodes have resulted in days of hospitalization.) She is on the mend now and should be up and about in another day or two.
So, remember to kiss your kids today, and let them know you love them. Seeing your child so vulnerable, always puts things into perspective.
41 comments:
oh I am glad she is on the mend now, what a scary time. I have been giving lots of kisses to mine today as she has a sickness bug too (not half as bad as your poor girl) and has spent the day on the sofa. Roll on spring!
: )
How scary! I'm glad to here she's home safe.
How scary, even if you have experienced it before! Glad she is home and doing better.
Poor child...how frightening for you both! So glad she's on the mend
Take care
Jude
That’s scary! I’m happy she’s home again and feeling better!
That is scary!
I am so glad that M. is on her way to recovery. You are so right about putting things in perspective. Life hits you hard at times and we have to remember to count our blessings and not worry about the little things that bother us!
I wish you and your family well!
As if the stomach bug isn't bad enough! Poor gal, I'm glad they patched her up.
Oh V, you must have been completely panic stricken ... what a horrible experience for you both. I hope your daughter's face is not too badly bruised. x
Nothing more frightening than a child, no matter what their age...in pain and or peril. I am so glad that your daughter is mending. I wish you both many blessings to heal and find peace after such and ordeal.
Susan
Yes, one must kiss even tall teenage boys! I'm so glad she is turning the corner and has you there for some TLC. Blessings.
How terrifying! So glad that she is feeling better now -- and glad that you were there!
So sorry you all went through that. Thanks for the reminder .... I just told them all I loved them.
My four year old daughter is quite prone to fainting as well, but not to quite the same extent. She has some funny triggers (apart from dehydration) such as tickling!
For quite a while it was looking likely that she had a very serious electrical fault with her heart, which we now know is not the case. We were so relieved that it was "just" fainting, but I know how scary it is to have your child unconscious.
Scary!!
Glad she's on the mend.
Oh, Victoria! I'm so sorry to hear about this -- that is so very frightening!
Glad to hear that she is on the mend -- be sure to keep us posted. You are both in my thoughts and prayers right now.
Sounds frightening, hope she's feeling much better now. How right you are though, things like this put everything into perspective. I shall think of you tomorrow morning when my three wake up and I tell them how much I love them :)
Keeping your family in my prayers! So glad she is home and doing better!
I am glad to hear that your daughter is getting better. I am sure she will be ready to run around again soon.
Oh. My. Goodness. How scary is that. I am SO GLAD she's ok! I can well imagine YOUR relief!
How scary!! So glad to hear that she is doing better. Yikes!
How scary for you and her. I hope she's well on the way back to good health now. Take care,
And I'm desperately wishing my Monster would go to sleep right now. At least my little one, the sick one, is sleeping well.
I hope you guys have a restful few days.
I have to admit that viruses are the worst part of winter. Trying to get medicine through the clenched teeth of a little man who acts as if you are trying to poison him is no joke, but without it we too risk dehydration issues (though not as bad as M's.
I hope she is feeling much better soon, its not easy to see them so ill.
Hugs, Sharon
Poor girlie! It must be very awful for all of you, I'm glad to see she's on the mend.
My wee girl gets lots and lots of kisses, every day. :)
OMG! How awful for both of you (and the rest of the family). Nothing else really matters when you have a sick child. I hug and kiss mine every day and tell them I love them because you just never know. Oh, I think I am going to cry....
Oh man. What a scare. How fortunate she was home with you- Mommy reaction can't be beat.
We had to take my baby to the ER for the same thing- he just kept losing fluids and wouldn't/couldn't drink... we get very cautious at the onset of anything that could bring him back to that point now.
Glad to hear she's doing better!! Hugs to you both.
Oh jeez. So glad to hear she's ok!
oh my, how scary. i'm glad she was home with you. hope she is feeling better and that you're now breathing normally! good reminder for all of us.
I'm glad she's better. That's so scary!
There is nothing scarier than one of your children being THAT ill. I hope she feels better, and mom too.
Yikes! glad she's feeling better! My 15 yr. old passed out in the kitchen last year (narrowly missing cement counters) and it scared the shit out of us, so I can relate... hope you/she can figure out how to prevent in days to come... good thing you had the wherewithal to be RIGHT THERE.
and, yes, I will kiss my kids today.
This dehydration issue happened to me a lot when I was younger - I fainted so much I could tell when I was going to for minutes ahead of time. I did grow out of it mostly when I got older, about 22 or so, it's much more rare now, but I am careful. It's very strange!
Once in college I passed out just like your daughter did, but I was in the middle of the street in DC and broke my nose! My mother had me calling her to say I was okay every 2 hours for a month. After that it made me feel better to call her too. Moms are great :)
Oh, hope she'll get better soon, Vic.
about kissing the kids..
Btw, do you also have difficulties to kiss teenage kids? Because I do. They often avoided when will be kissed by me(already ashamed now?)although it happened at our house, not in public!
Oh HONEY. How awful for you both. I'm glad that she's on the mend now, and I'm puckering up for my own little sweetie, who will be coming home on the bus very shortly.
So sorry that your family went through this terrifying time. And so glad that M is recovering now. I think as mothers, our worries will never end. Take care too, Vic!
What a scary time! ((hugs)) and sterile kisses for you both. Come on warm air and sunshine!
Oh boy, how scarry! Glad she is on the mend-wishing her speedy recovery!
Annamaria :)
Oh that is so scary! I hope that your daughter is feeling much better now. And I hope you've recovered from such a horrible fright Vic xo
My stomach churns at the thought of it :( I guess when it's happening you just grit your teeth and get on with it. The strain and relief afterwards must be immense. Thinking of you, and off to kiss my son!
wow, that sounds crazy scary, I hope you are all doing alright now.
Here's to spring and warm friendly weather and very good health.
How scary...glad to hear she is home and on the mend. Sounds like you acted quickly!
Take care.
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