Catelin gave us a scare last Wednesday. I was just arriving at my office when Lisa, our nanny, called to tell me that Catelin was extremely lethargic, not eating/drinking, and barely able to move. I face-timed them and immediately verified that something was wrong…very wrong. My response: Get my baby girl to the hospital right now; I’m on the way. Thankfully I have incredible partners who were able to take care of my patients while I raced up there. To say I was hysterical would be a gross understatement. Steve was hunting in Colorado and by the grace of God was still at the house when I called to tell him – needless to say, he frantically tried to get on the first flight home.
When I got to the hospital, Catelin was lying on Lisa’s chest, barely able to respond. I took her back to the exam room where they put in an IV and took some blood…she didn’t even flinch. I spoke to the doctor while choking back tears.
After everyone left the room, I took the above picture of my precious little angel. I laid my head in her lap and wept. I prayed to God that He would take care of my baby and nurse her back to health…that He would keep her safe and calm in this terrifying environment where she would be poked and prodded and put through test after test…that He would help me be brave for her and give me the strength to face any obstacle in her path to recovery. And most importantly I thanked Him for giving her to us..for the incredible joy and unconditional love she has brought into our lives.
With my parents out of the country, my sister in Florida and my in-laws also out of town, I was beyond grateful that Eddie was here – he is in his third year of law school so this is a really busy time for him, but he dropped everything to be with us. I will never forget that and I am eternally grateful.
The ER doctor came back in to tell us that Catelin’s blood sugar was critically low and that could certainly be the cause of her symptoms. We ran through the days leading up to this and nothing unusual had happened. She was eating and drinking normally…we even had her 15 month appointment two days prior and she looked great- she remains off the chart for height (33.5”) and weight (29 lbs). She didn’t have access to any medications, etc that could have caused her blood sugar to drop like that.
After they gave her a bolus of dextran (sugar) through her IV, off we went for her CT scan. She started waking up around that time and cried as I tried to hold her head still so they could get clear images. While I hated seeing her that way, I was thankful that she was responding. The next 20 minutes were the longest of my life – then the doctor came in and said that her CT scan was normal. Praise God.
They decided to admit her to monitor her blood sugars and try to get to the bottom of things. We were there for two more days, both of which are a blur… she had numerous tests done – more blood work, frequent blood sugar checks, an ultrasound, and an EEG (to look at brain waves).
The first night she tried to play with her brothers in the playroom on her floor, but it required too much energy.
Steve and his mom got in late Wednesday night- I am so glad they were able to make it. The boys were such troopers through it all; especially Ty who hung out at the hospital with us the majority of both days while MJ was in school. They were worried about their baby sister and constantly tried to shower her with hugs and kisses. They also had a great time doing arts and crafts, playing basketball, checking out the fish in the koi pond, and riding around the hospital in the wagon!
Catelin started feeling much better the second day – here is a video (narrated by Colleen) of her walking to the playroom:
Catelin’s blood sugars held steady our last night in the hospital and we were discharged Friday morning. We still aren’t sure what caused it- they think it may have been viral and hopefully won’t recur… at this point, I am just glad my baby girl is better. Thanks be to God.
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