Since Ryan was back to his bouncy, giggly self, I took him and Alyssa to the playground Sunday evening, where they played with my brothers, while my mom and I pushed them on swings, ran around with Alyssa, entertained Ryan, kept grass out of his mouth, and took pictures. Lots of pictures. My favorites are the following four:
Yesterday. Dan left for work at 11am, and Alyssa came into bed with me a few minutes later. Being half-asleep myself (I was up too late!), I didn’t think much of the fact that Alyssa came into bed and snuggled right down to sleep without wanting to bounce around and play. When I woke up a bit later, I realized why she was so compliant – she had a fever. I was dialing the doctor’s office while I was still taking her temperature, because the thermometer was reading 102.6 and still wasn’t finished. They requested I bring her in for an appointment later that afternoon. Meanwhile, I gave her a warm bath, put her in clean clothes, gave her some tylenol, and settled her on the sofa with a pillow, blanket, pacifier (we’re weaning her off of it, but I’m not going to deny her a comfort source when she’s sick!) and a sippy cup of juice. She laid there for quite a while, watching Blue’s Clues and Barney (*shudder*) and drinking three cups worth of juice.
I took her temperature several times during the next two hours, and it came down to 102, then 101.1, then 99.9, and finally 99.2. Since her fever came down and she was drinking and eating, I canceled her doctor’s appointment, and by last night she was pretty much back to herself, especially after a five hour nap.
And thank God she was back to herself, and she and Ryan went to bed without a fuss by 11. Because by midnight my hellish new day began.
(Cutting for TMI)
I got my period yesterday evening, and by midnight I was suffering with cramps that felt remarkably like contractions. Uncomfortable is an understatement. I was in pain. Even with taking some ibuprofen and holding a heated corn sack to my belly, it took me quite a while to fall asleep. I woke up at nine, feeling really bad. I laid there for a few minutes, trying to remember what I had eaten the night before, or if there was a stomach bug going around.
I made it to the bathroom just in time, and spent the next two and a half hours vomiting more violently than I’ve ever vomited before. First came clear fluid, since I hadn’t had anything more than water for over twelve hours. Then came bile. Then came blood, a bit more bile, blood, bile, etc. In the midst of me crawling from the bathroom to the bed and back again (for no more than a five or ten minute dazed reprieve at a time), Dan woke up. He asked if I wanted to go to the doctor, or if I wanted to go to the hospital. I was half-tempted to ask him to take me to the hospital. I had never experienced such painful, violent, forceful vomiting and heaving that continued well after my stomach was empty, to the point that my stomach wouldn’t relax and there was nothing more than bile and blood coming out. I thought about a similar virus my mother had about ten years ago, same kind of vomiting and heaving, and she wound up being hospitalized for a week. The virus she had came from a nursing home she was seeing patients in, and four patients had died.
But I decided to see the doctor first. This was around 10am. The appointment was for 11:50. Suddenly, at 11:15, the heaving and vomiting stopped. Finally. I could barely get back into bed, could barely speak, could barely see. I was hot. I was cold. I was soaked in sweat. My skin felt chilled and prickly. My face tingled. But I managed to get back into bed and under the covers. I passed out. 11:40, Dan comes in to get me up and out to the car. I tell him to cancel the appointment, because it had been almost a half an hour since anything had happened, and while I felt like I was near death, I wasn’t getting sick.
I woke up at 2:30. My stomach was very tender feeling, my throat was raw, I had a headache, but I felt a bit better. Dan left for work (he was going to call off, but since I was better he decided to go in), and the kids were both napping. I stumbled into the bathroom, thoroughly scrubbed the toilet, sink and trash can, sprayed disinfectant everywhere, and then took a blissful shower.
Now it’s almost 5. I ate a few crackers and took a few sips of water. I’m going to be taking things very easy today. But I do need to get some fluid in me. For whatever reason I weighed myself right before I got sick this morning. I then weighed myself this afternoon after waking up. I’m seven pounds lighter. But I’m worried because I know most of that is water weight, and it isn’t healthy to lose so much at one time.
Here’s to hoping we’re done with being sick! No more fevers, and for God’s sake no more vomiting!
Definitely sounds like a bug or some sort of food poisoning. Hope all of the sickies are making their way out of your house!
I hope you are all feeling better soon! I agree with Ally, definitely sounds like a bug or food poisoning! Ick!
anytime you puke blood it’s scary and that worries me. If it happens again even if you feel better do go, it could be something strange like colitis. My friend had that growing up and it just flared up and stuff. It was an odd little disease that they really did nothing for at that time.
Hi Jenn! I have just started reading your site and I’m really enjoying it.
Sorry to hear that you and your kids have been sick – sounds like you guys might be getting over it though! Your pictures are beautiful. I am so envious of your camera, geeze.
Feel better! Your bout of whatever sickness you had sounds like food poisoning – I had exact systems like that about a year ago after having some bad Chinese food the night before. Whatever it was though, I hope you get better soon
Wow, that’s nuts. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that that fever was Alyssa successfully fighting off whatever got to you!
Wow! those pix are soooo adorable! :-)
Yikes! Sounds like you had a mild touch of the flu, although it’s never good to puke up blood. I’m glad you started to feel better though!
I think you still needed that appointment, even if you’re feeling better because you could have a stomach ulcer or something like that.