Spring break...hospital style

Two years ago, my freshman year, I got to go skiing with my youth group! It was the first time I had been skiing. It was one of the best trips I've been on! Last year, I was planning on going on the ski trip again, but I wasn't going to ski. I know that's weird but I wanted to go so bad! A few days before the ski trip I backed out. I knew there was no way I could ride 12 hours on a bus plus try to survive the trip. I was in too much pain. So they left on Saturday morning, coming back Wednesday night. I just planned on staying home all spring break.

Saturday night I didn't sleep at all. Sunday morning while my parents were getting ready for church, I begged them to take me too the hospital. I was in so much pain and was so exhausted. So we were off to Children's Hospital...my whole family. We got to the hospital around 11 am. I got checked in at the ER and went through triage. It was the first time I had been to Children's ER. I usually went to a different hospital. We got to my room pretty soon. Okay by room I mean curtain area. We waited for the doctor to come. Remember how I'm always the talk of the hospital? Well curtains aren't very private so I could hear them say "oh wow there is girl with Lyme Disease here". Apparently when someone checks in, the reason for visit pops up on everyone's computer and monitor. The doctor came in and let's be honest, I didn't like her at all. The first thing she said was "well you look pretty comfortable for claiming you're on a lot of pain. You don't look like you're in pain". Now that made me a little angry. Oh I'm sorry, I've just gotten used to being in pain from this disease so I am pretty good at hiding it. She didn't want to give me morphine because I'm a "child". So she said she will get me some pain medicine that isn't very strong because I'm a "child".

A nurse comes in with the IV cart and gets my IV started. He scanned my bracelet, scanned the medicine, and put the pain medicine in my IV. He put the pain medicine in and in less than 2 minutes, the pain was worse and I got so hot and itchy. Oh no, I'm allergic to it! We yelled for the doctor and told her I'm allergic to that medicine. Obviously they can't take the medicine out of me, so I had to deal with it until she finally agreed to give me morphine after she went and talked to another doctor. She would come and go like that for a long time, accomplishing nothing. We asked if there was an infectious disease doctor there. There wasn't. (God was watching out for us! We hadn't learned yet that we don't want to mess with infectious disease doctors) the morphine helped a little but quickly wore off.

I asked for more because the pain was back to being horrible. She agreed. By this time my brother and dad had gone to get food and my brother went with my aunt because we knew we would be at the hospital a while. One of my nurses was amazing. She put in a movie for my parents and I. I have no clue what the movie was. Haha I was out of it! She kept bringing warm blankets to me and she sat on my bed and watched the movie with us. She pretended like I really needed her so that she could just hang out with us. I was getting tired from finally having a break from pain. We turned off the lights for a while. Since it's only curtains, it is really not quiet or dark. I just watched people walk back and forth as the curtains moved from people walking by. I was also enjoying listening to peoples conversation. I'm so nosey like that. I fell asleep off and on for a while. A few hours later I needed more medicine. I had to wait a while though since I had already had so much. The doctor was convinced that I should gave been better by then. The problem was that I wasn't. This time I broke down begging to be admitted. She REALLY wanted me to go home because she didn't know what to do. She left and went to talk to someone and came back with another doctor who agreed to admit me. It was around 7 pm when this happened. I had been in the ER for 8 hours.

Before I was taken to my room they gave me this cute little box of things that they give to every kid admitted. It had a journal, stars for your rooms door, a bracelet that says I am special, a stuffed star, and a prayer star. It was really cute! I still have it actually!

My mom left to go home and pack things for the hospital. My dad stayed with me and a nurse took me to my room. My room was the first room you come to when you get off the elevator. My nurses came in and talked with us for a while. Then they came back to take blood for tests they wanted to run. They tested me for lupus, ms, and other stuff like that. Pain medicine makes your mouth dry and makes you so thirsty. I had one of those huge cups that they give you in the hospital and I drank so much water that night.

Then the floor doctors came. We told them what was going on and they wanted to run tests too. They made me walk around and tested my strength and weird things like that. They left just before my mom came back. We got settled in and my dad went home for the night. My brother was spending the night at a friends and he didn't even know I was admitted. When the nurses came in they told me to stay on top of the pain and ask for medicine before it got out of control. I followed their rules but got rejected, several times through out the night. Apparently, the ER doctor said I couldn't have anymore. So the whole night I got nothing.

I went to sleep and the nurses checked my vitals during the night like normal. Then at 7 AM new doctors and nurses came on. That means that I got to meet the new nurses...at seven. AM. Then the floor doctors made rounds soon after that. I think there were at least 5 doctors on my room during rounds. They talked with my mom for what seemed like forever. I went back to sleep. Even though I had to wake up every couple hours to check my vitals, I slept so good. It was great.

My dad came to the hospital sometime in the morning. The cafeteria called us because I missed breakfast. They said I needed to eat something so I ordered toast, chicken noodle soup, and some other things. Let's just say that I only had a couple bites of toast. I'm not sure if they know what chicken noodle soup is...because let me tell you, it was not the kind of chicken noodle soup that the rest of the world eats. I moved stuff around on my tray so that it looked like I ate more. I'm such a rebel I know.

I don't remember when I got to go home...

Back in October when I had surgery to put my port in, I was at a different hospital. When I was taken to holding, the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses came to make sure everything was ready. A doctor came in with my surgeon and she said she knew us. I had no clue who she was. But she said "I saw you at Children's hospital in the ER like 7 months ago". Oh my...I guess she remembered me since I have Lyme Disease. Okay I know that's why she remembered me. She was there to watch my surgery for some reason. It was very weird that she was there!!

So, with spring break next week, I am determined to stay out of the hospital! My youth group is going skiing again and I am so jealous! I will just be hanging out here! Diseases don't take breaks so I will still have to do IVs and everything.

This is a new song that I heard. I love it! At Winterfest(Christian youth conference weekend) in Dallas this year, the theme was The Veil. I think I told you all about it. Then a few weeks ago I heard this song having something to do with the veil.

MercyMe - All Of Creation

Separated until the veil was torn
The moment that hope was born
and guilt was pardoned once and for all

Captivated but no longer bound by chains left at an empty grave the sinner and the sacred resolved

[chorus:]
and all of creation sing with me now
lift up your voice and lay your burden down and all of creation sing with me now fill up the heavens let his glory resound

Time has faded and we see him face to face every doubt erased forever we will worship the king

[chorus]
and all of creation sing with me now
lift up your voice and lay your burden down and all of creation sing with me now fill up the heavens let his glory resound

the reason we breathe is to sing of his glory and for all he has done praise the father praise the son and the spirit in one

and all of creation sing with me now
lift up your voice and lay your burden down and all of creation sing with me now fill up the heavens let his glory resound


and every knee will bow oh and every tongue praise the father praise the son and the spirit in one




"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:16-18