Last Sunday was a glorious autumn day. We started our day in Washington, DC, where we had been for a family wedding. We decided to see some of the monuments before heading home. We hadn’t known what our morning would be like so had kept it open, so it was very last minute to reach out to some other family in the area. Luckily one of my cousins was available so we met her for a delicious lunch, and we saw her parents who were in town too.
For more family time, we had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa on Monday, echoing a dinner the week before when Sonia was also able to join us. We love being able to have casual dinners with local family, or sometimes-local family. Amy got home from her first evening art class so it was great that she could share the details with all of us. The teacher for the class is also the newly hired art teacher for her school, but the students come from all different schools. They are mainly focusing on drawing people at the moment, which is what Amy does with most of her free time anyway.
Sarah drew pictures of people too. She drew a large smiley faced bus driver with smaller smiley faced passengers. I sent them to her bus driver who was quite moved. We are really incredibly blessed to have this driver who loves Sarah as much as she loves him.
Yesterday morning started off normally, aside from the fact that I was taking a two-day continuing education class at the massage school. I had a few hours of learning about the Trager Method before I left in a hurry after getting Carl’s call about Amy. I do want to learn more about Trager in the future because it overlaps notably with the thinking and experience of the Alexander Technique.
Carl texted me so I knew that Amy wasn’t feeling well (throwing up, intense pain near her hip) and that he was going to take her to Urgent Care. Then the people at Urgent Care sent them to the ER at the Children’s hospital. As soon as he called to tell me that Amy needed surgery for a twisted ovary, I got in the car and was on my way to join them.
Sarah was a supportive older sister and Nurse Bow-Wow. After what felt like a very long wait, with Amy being given morphine for her pain, she was finally taken to be prepped for surgery. As Carl and Sarah said their goodbyes, Sarah said, “Bye, Amy. I hope you feel better soon.” Amy’s face, though ashen and green and with her eyes closed in pain, brightened when she heard Sarah’s words. So often when Amy is upset or ill, Sarah doesn’t quite hit the right note for Amy to appreciate her efforts so this was heart-warming to see that connection.
Carl and Sarah went home. I had packed supplies for staying the night, but…. I realized a couple of hours later that I forgot my evening meds to help me avoid cluster headaches! And it’s not something I can just skip. So, feeling stupid, I told Carl of the problem. He arranged to have Grandpa hang out with Sarah after a late dinner while Carl drove the 20 minutes each way to bring me my verapamil. Amy was still in the recovery room and I hadn’t been called to see her, so Carl went home again without getting to see Amy. We didn’t know if it would be another ten minutes or another hour and he needed to get home.
Right after Carl and Sarah left and Amy was taken to the operating room, I went to the cafeteria for dinner. I went from feeling like I knew what I was doing to suddenly feeling overwhelmed and confused. It it actually just a normal cafeteria and I have been there before, but this time there were signs with barcodes all over the place that said “scan and pay.” I didn’t know what to do so I asked someone else who clearly worked in the hospital and was getting food. He said I could just pickup whatever I wanted and go through the checkout line with a cashier. For some reason that moment of confusion and then getting help switched me into feeling like I wanted to burst into tears. With many deep breaths I pulled myself together (I’m all for crying but that wasn’t the time and place I would choose) and got food. Then I talked to my brother on the phone while I ate and I felt ok again.
The surgery went well. They even gave me two pages of printed pictures of what they saw and did to her insides. She slept and slept and slept. She is sleeping now. We also were awake many times throughout the night with her vitals being checked or getting more Tylenol or water. This morning she ate some oatmeal, which is her first real food in almost 24 hours. Her skin is back to its normal color, but she is tired and sore. If she feels up to it then we can go home today but we are also welcome to stay another night.
Carl and Sarah are having a good morning. He said, “This morning I put Sarah’s hot chocolate on her coaster without realizing that her aligners were there. Sarah laughed and said, “Do not squish them dad. My aligners are not a spotted lantern fly!” After hot chocolate and meds at home, they went to Pamela’s restaurant for breakfast. Pamela’s is known for its pancakes, but Sarah chose her customary restaurant favorite of a toasted bagel with cream cheese.
Everyone at the hospital has been incredibly helpful and kind. I am so deeply moved by having a team of people work so diligently to help my children be healthy and well and alive. It is almost enough to make me want to be a nurse – except that I get squeamish about many things and I love my current jobs.
Earlier in the week I was interviewed about my experience of having a village of support. This moment with Amy exemplifies the power of my village. I always reach out for support when there is something big and/or hard so I emailed those who receive these updates via email. I do believe that prayer can help, whether with the medical condition or helping my own heart feel held. I felt so supported by all. It really meant a lot to get supportive messages. Amy especially loved the cat pictures and the silly videos from her BFF. Please know that I will always send you love and support if you need it.
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