Friday, April 11, 2014

No More G tube!

He was deployed to Iraq when it first was placed.  I was 7 or 8 months pregnant with Jacob.  My sweet baby girl with the rotten liver disease needed a feeding tube.  It has to be surgically placed because of the other ugly scar she had on her little belly, from a previous surgery at just 1 week old. I was scared but I did not know how scared I should have been.

She came out of surgery weighing 14lbs and sporting a new tube in her belly.  I watched as they gave her a big vial of some pink stuff by mouth.  Then in horror I watched my girl barf it up.  I watched them try to give it to her again and I asked the nurse what she was doing?  She said  "I am giving her some pain medication ".  I said  "don't give it to her again".  In my big over stuffed purse I had a bottle of tylenol for babies, my portion I normally would give her looked very small compared to the big vial they were giving my baby.  The Nurse said "Do you want your baby to be in pain?" I said  "no,  but I don't want to watch her throw up again either".  I told the nurse I would give her my baby tylenol.  The nurse rudely told me That I would not dose by the bedside, I remember getting on my tip toes and meeting her face to face and and replying "Watch me"!!

 I am so glad God gave me the courage and mothers instinct to stick up for Emma.  The nurse told me to wait where I was , she was going to go check on something.  When she came back , she had to admit the Dr put in the wrong dose of Tylenol for my daughter.  I praise God and often think of how close we came to maybe losing her from a accidental overdose.  A careless mistake, a potentially deadly one, ecspecaily for a liver patient!  Since that day I have been a mama bear , defending her with all I have at times.

The Gtube caused a lot of issues requiring 5 trips to the ER and my husband being sent home early from deplyment.

For 8 years, I changed gauze, tube fed, cried, screamed, cursed and from the same mouth both praised, felt lucky and relief that I had something to help make my baby grow and give her a fighting chance.  I am a firm believer that a gtube is a blessing although it has brought forth many curses from my lips.

In January 2014 , Emma got the tube taken out, we waited for it to heal up.  It did not and had to be surgically stitched. All the memories of getting the tube hit me like a tidal wave.

 I lost my mom a few years ago (STUPID ALS!).  She was always there to encourage me and set me straight when my thinking and feeling got out of whack.  Now it was just me and God.  I prayed, I prayed for peace, I prayed for protection, I prayed for immediate healing , I kept wondering if he was listening to me.  I kept wondering why some prayers get answered and others do not. My dad pointed out that thank God some prayers are not answered could I imagine what this life would be like? I wanted this one answered! In a BIG way!!! I boldly approached the thrown to plead my case, I humbly approached the throne, I begged at the throne.  I admit I am a beggar sometimes when it comes to prayer.  I asked everyone I knew to pray.

 It took a while to get in for the surgery so I had plenty of times to work myself up and get myself sick, then get mad at myself for not trusting God enough. For my friends who are not believers , I love you and I thank you for sticking with me here  .    

Here comes the cool part!! On the day of preOp.  We saw the biggest rainbow ever as we were driving to the hospital .  As I saw the rainbow we actually started driving through the rainbow, right under the arch for about 5 miles!!! How cool is that!!! I knew God was with us!!   What a wonderful , beuatiful way to show us! How do you not feel instant relief .  I cried tears of joy and laughed and cried some more, happy tears.

Surgery went well , took one hour longer than they told me.  Emma is home and healing well, off pain meds and I am looking for ward to a new chapter in our lives. Praise the Lord!!!