December 14, 2013
I thought a few days at home would help Pearl feel well enough to go to Logan for the USU Cheer Clinic. She looks forward to this every year.
And every year she gets sick.
Last year, when I went to wake her up to go, the room smelled funny. When I looked at her closer, I could see barf in her hair and on her pajamas. Sweet. But that little pipsqueak cried and begged us to take her. So we did. She made it through the clinic, had a nap, and then performed at the game. Granted she didn't feel too good but nothing was going to stop her.
This year was a little different. She woke up and said she was ok to go. Just before we left she said her stomach hurt again but she wanted to try and make it. About 45 minutes into the clinic I walked over to check on her and she said she wanted to go home. That's when I knew something was wrong. She's a pretty tough cookie. I took her to the nearest Instacare thinking that maybe she had a bladder infection. It may be TMI but I used to get bladder infections a lot when I was her age and her symptoms were just how I remembered them.
Luckily we were the only ones in the Instacare so we didn't have to wait long. They ruled out strep throat and a bladder infection. But the way she was wincing when the doctor poked her stomach made them worry she might have appendicitis. She had a lot of the same symptoms. So they said they needed to do a blood test.
That did NOT go down well with Pearl. She is terrified and I mean TERRIFIED of needles. It didn't help that I had told her she wouldn't need a shot either. When that poor phlebotomist came in and Pearl saw her box of supplies she FREAKED out! Screaming and crying! The nurse who was helping figured I was one of those moms who was going to be as upset as her child. Nope. I'm heartless. And a new favorite of that nurse. I practically laid on top of Pearl and told the phlebotomist to just "stick her." I'm not sure Pearl will ever forgive me but that nurse told me after, "I like you... you're kinda mean like me." With a wink.
A pink bandage and Popsicle later and Pearl had stopped crying. The blood tests showed she had a high white blood cell count so something was bugging her. With those results, the doctor told us to go up to the hospital and have an ultrasound to rule out her appendix. Not the diagnosis I wanted to hear. Jeff met us at the hospital and we checked in. And waited. And waited. And waited. For three hours. To say Jeff was less than pleased would be an understatement.
And the diagnosis after that wait (and bill)? Nada. Nothing. Healthy appendix.
Apparently Pearl is fairly healthy. The nasty viruses going around haven't taken full effect on her like most of the other kids the doctors have seen. It's just going to be a slow, long drawn out process to a full recovery.
