The Ritz

Elizabeth is finally resting, so I will make this brief, as I want to rest while she is...
Liz was admitted today after she started bleeding rectally, a sure sign that her CDifficile infection has caused Colitis. Hopefully, she will only be here a short time to get things under control, hydrate her through iv and manage her pain and nausea at a higher level. She will then be able to finish treatment at home. This is the plan, at least. Last time, a quick visit turned into a 10 day stay, but she has told her doctors that she has a plane to catch (next Friday) and they know she wants out, like, yesterday. Besides the obvious necessity to be here, an upside is that all er docs are in one place and so hopefully Infectious Diseases, Hem/onc and Gastro. can come to a meeting of the minds and get an even better plan together for getting this awful 3 1/2 month long infection under control and also find a way to determine why she can't kick it (the thinking seems to be that her bone marrow and white cells issues have much to do with it).
I can report that her counts look good tonight. This is a huge praise, as her platelets have been very low at times and given the bleeding I was so worried that would be the case. She fell asleep crying because of nausea and a horrible head ache, but I am hoping that with the iv, she will get re hydrated and feel a little better with that alone. She was so brave as she was stuck 7 times in failed attempts to start a line and then faced an uncomfortable and very awkward vaginal exam for the first time by a male doctor. She is amazing.
I will leave with this, as I want to journal it to be able to read about later, though I doubt I will ever forget it. As much as her sass can drive me crazy and as hard as it is to keep control of so that sass doesn't turn to disrespect, she made me laugh today.... for as brave and strong and loving of a girl she is, Liz is a princess through and through:
Liz has been in the newer part of the hospital for as long as she can remember. Better painted and decorated with views of a garden and the nurses she knows, Miller West is where she is most comfortable and yes, it is "better". Today she was admitted to the Core (the older part of the hospital). Upon getting to her room she started crying saying she was scared of "this new place". The tears quickly gave way to eye rolls and glares as she said "this place has ugly wall paper and the bed is crooked. There is no garden to see my butterflies and it smells. I want to be moved. I need to be moved!" And so, I let the charge nurse know of Miss Noel's request. We'll see what happens. Her teacher put it well when she commented "You can take the girl out of the Ritz but you can't take the Ritz out of the girl" So true.
I love my precious, pooping, princess-like Ritzy girl.