Grateful Me: Get your own poop!

Elizabeth is going to drive me crazy. Honestly. She is going to get over all of this health stuff and I am going to be left a crazy person because she has broken me down. For days I have been begging her to let me collect her stool. She has refused. First, she told me the doctors and I could collect our own if we wanted poop to take to the lab. Then, she would go to the bathroom and come out, after she'd flushed, and let me know she'd gone and "oh well" I missed it. Grrr! This sounds incredibly disrespectful of her, but there comes a point when I have to let her feel control over this situation and even let her voice her feelings and frustrations, no matter how sassy they may sound. I needed the samples to take to the lab to turn in when she was there to get labs drawn and she knew that, so she was holding off the trip by not letting me have what she knew we needed. Pretty darn smart!
Finally, she cooperated this morning. Out of nowhere and without prompting or begging, she called me into the bathroom. What the heck?! After the days of tears and anger and resistance, she just simply called me to her. Oh, Elizabeth Claire!
She'd fasted last night and this am and we were able to get to the lab. She was in a panic because she hates missing even 30 minutes of school, and the trip was taking extra-long because we had the lab techs in a scramble, trying to figure out how her blood needed to be drawn and processed. I guess her orders were pretty uncommon and it took time for them to figure things out. I was able to calm her down and even get her to eat something after we left the lab for school.
I am grateful we were able to get this done. Her doctors acted quickly in getting us the orders and these labs will be so helpful to have before her two big appointments in the next couple weeks. Hopefully, the results will guide us in helping her gain weight, too, as these labs are specifically looking at the way Elizabeth's body absorbs nutrients and also if her body is absorbing iron (more specifically, iron into the bone marrow).
I could go on and on (and on and on and on) about how screwed up our health care system is and also how frustrating it is to drown in medical bills that come about because of caring for an ill loved-one. But at the end of the day, I am grateful for a society where health care is even available. I am also grateful beyond words for doctors who not only care for Elizabeth, but treat her with kindness and urgency.

You got me here and now you want a picture? What am I supposed to do? Smile because I am getting my blood taken?