One Long Week

It all started on a Wednesday. Cole couldn't seem to keep his feedings down and would vomit it back up. I called the next morning and got an appointment with his pediatrician. I wondered if maybe he had a stomach bug since there are lots of them going around, but decided it would be best to just have him seen since he was only 5 weeks old at the time. 

 

Friday morning came and with it his doctors appointment. I explained everything that was going on to his pediatrician in great detail. After hearing everything I had to say and examining little man, she diagnosed him with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). She gave him a prescription for an antacid and told me to keep an eye on him and if it didn't get better to either take him to the ER or make another appointment to come back in and see her. 

I thought the antiacid helped a little Friday night, but by Saturday his vomiting increased and became more forceful. Everyone kept telling Lee and I that it was "normal" and that their children did the same thing. I was less than convinced. If this is "normal" than Cole was quickly becoming an only child.

My washer was doing so many loads of laundry a day just to clean the vomit that I thought I might cry. We were on day 6 of continuous vomiting when I decided it was time to be seen again because this plan of action obviously wasn't working. I tried to get a hold of the nurse at the pediatricians office but was unable. At 10pm on Monday night, I found blood in Cole's diaper. So, I called a fellow coaching wife who also is an NICU nurse at the Children's hospital and asked for her advice. After discussing with her and my brother who is a medical student, Lee and I decided to take Cole to the Pediatric ER. 

When we got there it was PACKED! I mean we're talking PACKED to the point where there were few seats left. I was terrified Cole would pick up something from one of the other sick kiddos who were coughing all around. Thankfully, the paramedic at the front desk offered for us to move wheel chairs out of a small nook and let us hide out inside and hopefully prevent exposing Cole to unwanted illness. 

At 12AM the pediatric ER shut down, so we all headed over to the main ER. I don't know how often you've been to the regular ER in the middle of the night, but it was a scary place to be with a little one. At 1:30am, we were told the pediatrician left at 2am and there were 8 children in front of us in line. Consequently, we left and I decided to just call his pediatrician at 8am when they opened. 

Cole slept good that night and mommy and daddy crashed! 

At 8am I woke up and called his pediatricians office. Her nurse told me that it sounded like we needed to go back to the Pediatric ER because he would need testing done that they couldn't offer at the office. 

So I called my husband at work, and graciously his school let him leave immediately and drive Cole and I to the Pediatric ER. 

After several tests and ultrasounds, Cole was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis. 

Pyloric stenosis is an uncommon condition affecting the opening (pylorus) between the stomach and small intestine in infants. The pylorus is a muscular valve that holds food in the stomach until it is ready for the next stage in the digestive process. In pyloric stenosis, the pylorus muscles thicken, blocking food from entering the baby's small intestine. (MayoClinic.org)

Within hours, we had gone from our comfortable home to the NICU floor at the Children's hospital waiting for emergency surgery on our 6 week old baby boy. 

The next few days were a whirlwind. Cole was unable to have the surgery that same day as he was too dehydrated. Consequently, he was put on an IV of fluids and monitored overnight before having surgery that next morning at 9:30am. 

[Watching them wheel away your little baby boy into surgery when he's only 6 weeks old is a horrible experience. No matter how much you trust the medical staff, you never want to hand your little baby over for surgery]

Then came the wait... The (what felt like) very long wait...

At 11am his surgeon came back to his NICU room to meet us. Cole's surgery had gone perfectly. Praise the Lord!! He was doing well and was on his way back up to his room in the NICU. 

He spent the next few hours recovering before they gave him several feedings of pedialite. He was able to keep the pedialite down, so by 8pm he was able to nurse. That made one happy momma and a very happy baby boy! It had been 39 hours at that point that little man had eaten. 

To his surgeon's surprise, Cole never threw up again after his surgery. YAY! 

He stayed another night in the NICU and the next evening we were released and headed back home!!!

I have never been more thankful for the loving and caring staff at St Francis Children's Hospital! They were amazing! I can't sing their praises enough. 

Our little man is all smiles now. We brought a completely different baby home from the children's hospital. He smiles and giggles and wants to play all the time now. He eats and eats and makes this momma so very happy. 

As grateful as I am to the doctors and nurses at the Children's hospital, I am even more thankful to our Heavenly Father for having His hand of protection on Cole through everything. He went before and behind and enclosed our sweet little Cole in. Thank you, Father for Your faithfulness. Our little boy is a testament to Your goodness.