More Life Lessons (PART 1)

Before I start, I thought I would share the technical definition of our weekend experience.

Here is a description of DKA, Diabetic Ketoacidosis (copied from http://type1diabetes.about.com/od/glossaryofdiabetesterms/g/Ketoacidosis.htm.)

“Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is a serious and possibly life-threatening condition that results from not having enough insulin. Those with type 1 diabetes are at risk for developing DKA because their bodies do not produce enough insulin to process the glucose (sugar) they take in from the food they eat.

Glucose is the main source of energy for all bodily functions. Because there is not enough insulin to process the glucose, the body is literally starving, which helps explain the extreme fatigue people with DKA experience. When glucose is not available, the body naturally looks for an alternate source of energy in stored body fat. As fat is burned, it produces ketones -- a toxin that poisons the body.

DKA is most likely to occur in the early stage of type 1 diabetes before a diagnosis is made, during periods of sickness or when too little insulin is taken.”

The emotional, mental, and physical tolls are yet to be fully processed. 

Saturday started as a close-to-normal weekend.  Tim went to work early for an extended work week.  He dropped Tristan off at a wrestling tournament at Bonneville High School.  Tired from some pharmacy snafus with my sleeping medications during the week and migraines, I slept in trying to catch up on the missed sleep.  Chy and Syd slept in too.  Chy got up about ten, not feeling well.  She was tired and looked a little flushed.  So she just stayed in bed.  Syd and I cleaned around the house, planning on grocery shopping in the late afternoon.  Until about 2. . .

Lesson #1--After vomiting twice, check ketones and take the child into the clinic!

Chy started vomiting.  She had been trying to drink water, but her stomach was not having it.  Her BG seemed to be a little high, but not crazy.  So just a sick little girl, right?  Um no.  Well, it may seem hard to believe, but this is the first time either Chy or TJ has been this sick since being diagnosed in 2010.  I just didn’t know.  We waited way too long.  Tim got home around 3:30 with TJ.  (Tristan did pretty good for his first tournament this year. He won 3 out of 5 matches.)  Chy tried resting, but just continued vomiting. In the evening, Syd and TJ went out with friends.  Tim and I watched television.  Finally, by 10, I knew that she just didn’t look good and that something was just not right.  Nothing was staying down.  Her eyes were sunken and lips were turning purple.  Chy, however, was asking us not to take her to the hospital.  “It’s not that bad, Mom.”   I couldn’t handle it anymore.  So Tim picked up TJ and Syd, and then we went to the ER.  At 11:30, the “excitement” had just begun.

Lesson #2—Avoid ERs on Saturday nights.  ERs are crazy on Saturday nights.  They are full of insane and drunk people.  NO JOKE! 

It’s not good when the PA just briefly scans her and tells us that they are going to admit her to the hospital with DKA.  However, Chy needed to get several liters of IV’s through her little body and stable blood work before they would move her to pediatrics.  Nurse Holly commented that her blood was like syrup.  She was down to 85 lbs., a little skeleton hooked up to tubes and machines.  She just rested with her eyes closed, while we restlessly waited until 4:30 am.  However, the ER did provide entertainment with bowling accident patients, drug addicts (stealing ER drugs in a shoe), a psychosomatic patient (believing he is vomiting for 4 hours, moaning and grunting), policemen (with tazers that they are not afraid to use!), and an assortment of society’s other finest citizens. 

After several hours in ER

Lesson #3—No one gets sleep in a hospital!

Somewhere around 4:30 (plus the hour for Daylight Savings) and on liter #3 of IV fluid, Chy was moved to the pediatric department of the EIRMC (Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center).  Doctor’s orders--hourly vitals and BG checks and blood work every four hours.  I wasn’t planning on sleeping Saturday/Sunday night anyway.  Tim waited with Chy and I until we got the basic paperwork done, the first set of blood work, and the new nurse’s briefing.  He came home so he could be here when Syd and Tristan woke up.  They were both pretty worried when we had left the house.  Tim had texted them updates, but we had hope they were actually sleeping.  Someone should get some sleep.  Chy and I tried to rest in between the hourly nurse’s visits, but . . .

Dr. Liljenquist came to the hospital around 8:30, Sunday morning.  He was comforting, patient, and helpful.  He always explains more than I can understand, even when I am fully rested.  However, I felt better trying to process all of the information.  Dr Liljenquist is also just a calm, reassuring personality.  Definitely what I needed. 

Lesson #4—True friends are there for you!  (Thanks Heather!)

After the doctor left, I was extremely restless, so I texted my friend Heather.  She already has a lot on her plate, but within the hour she brought me a butter rum latte!  She sat with me until Tim came back after lunch.  She held me when I cried, made me laugh, and took my mind off everything  I don’t know what I would have done without her!  THANK YOU!

More waiting . . .  Part 2 later . . .