Pray!

I am too tired. Too darn tired of all of this.
Last night, while I had a full house of kiddos as I was watching Megan's girls overnight, Kaitlin got very sick out of nowhere. One minute she was fine, and the next she was miserable. For eight hours through the night, she had a horrible headache, stomach pain and vomiting. Actually, it was more violent retching because, like Liz, she has a Fundoplication (her stomach is tied in a knot with her esophagus which limits the ability to throw up). I gave her Zofran (anti-nausea med) twice, but it did not help. For patients with fundos, sometimes you have no choice but to bring them to the ER for iv animetics because they are not able to vomit to stop the cycle.
Her symptoms are so strange as she is not nauseous and the vomiting comes mostly from movement or when she walks. She has a bump on her head from getting hit by the thick chain of the tetherball at school on Friday afternoon and has had a headache from that, but the docs think that she would have presented much earlier on Friday night or Saturday if this was the result of a head injury.
After being in the ER for a few hours she developed a fever....and the ER docs and her pediatrician decided to admit her. They obviously didn't get the memo....an admit was not part of the plan. Just a quick iv dose of Zofran to help a Fundo. kid and we were going to be on our way. Blah!

She is still fighting the fever and is uncomfortable and not talking, but she is thankfully sleeping after having been up all night and into the day. I was super proud of my girl who faints at a papercut as she went thru the ER process, but I think it speaks to how bad she feels; she doesn't have it in her to protest.

So many employees have seen me and said "you have got to be kidding me!", assuming from afar Kate is Liz and then feeling even worse when they realize it is "the other one." Kate has only been in the hospital as a baby, and she is in awe of all of this. The rookie Kate asked me why I didn't tip the transport-guy who brought us to her room from the ER. Ha!

Through the last year we have elected, with the doctor's guidance, not to chase a diagnosis for Kate as we found things out about Liz. We decided that if she presented with symptoms, we would have labwork done on her, but we have not had blood drawn to check her counts just because Liz is sick. In fact, the docs call Kate their "controller" in this, meaning that as an identical twin, if she isn't presenting with some of the things Liz is, they can use that information towards their therapy and diagnosis' for Liz. So, she hasn't had labs done in about two years.
In the ER they drew blood, and Kate does have low platelets. Now, platelets can drop due to the body fighting infection, so I am going to set my heart on that and not go the route that she may indeed also have blood issues as her twin does. The docs say we will repeat labs tomorrow and outpatient later to follow-up and they will speak to the Liz's Hem/Onc doctor.

Please pray, of course, that Kate get well soon (as in tonight!), and that Jackson stay well if this is contagious (and Walter and me too!). Especially pray that Elizabeth not get sick. Oh, that would be a nightmare and a certain hospitalization and. I can't have one kid on the pediatric floor while I check-in another! Liz's ANC is LOW this week, and she is extra susceptible to infction (so much so that she has been staying home away from people since Tuesday), and I need prayers that she will be kept safe right now.

Things happen. People get sick. I just wish we could get a break from the "things happen" stuff while we are dealing with Elizabeth's health right now. That seems only fair. One, but not both, please.
thank you!