I Thought for Sure it was Poo….

Up until Thursday, our week had been pretty normal.  We had gotten some school done.  We had played with friends.  I had folded laundry….

On Thursday though, Boston was feeling sick and throwing up and was cuddly and clingy.  I thought he had gotten some sort of stomach bug and sent Josiah’s friend home who had spent the night in fear that maybe  by the weekend we’d ALL be down for the count.

Boston took a good nap and slept well that night.  He had woken up at 6:30 on Friday morning, so I pulled him into bed with us and he slept till nearly 9.

Mike and Boston were sitting at the kitchen table watching Monster Truck races, and Boston usually loves these.  He grunts and cheers and pumps his fists and says, “MONSTER TRUCKS! ARGH!”  with a lot of enthusiasm.  But that morning he was watching and there was no cheering on his end of the screen.  I figured he was still a bit off from feeling under the weather the day before but that he’d snap out of it soon enough.

But then suddenly he started screaming.  Yelling. Crying.  It made us all stop and wonder what was wrong.  Mike said before he started crying Boston visibly shook.  Something was hurting really bad.

We tried consoling him, but nothing worked.  He was grunting and crying.  I thought, “I bet he has to poop.  Once he poops he’ll be fine.”  He kept crying.  Loudly.  Unlike the mellow B-man that lives with us.

Mike said, “Take him in. Something is really wrong.”

I said, “It’s poop. I bet it’s poop.  We should give him some time.”

Mike said, “Take him in.  Go now.”

I said, “Ok.  I’ll go, but I’m gonna feel dumb if this is just poop.”

I got in the car and he cried the whole way to the hospital.  All the way to the bridge.  Across it.  By the lake. To the ER.

I was thinking, “I’m gonna check his diaper before I walk through those doors to the ER.”

Nothing was in his diaper.

The nurses and doctor believed me that he was uncomfortable, and so started the tests.

We did an X-ray.  It showed nothing.

We did some blood work (and I cried the whole time they put the IV into his little hand as he slept through it all).  It showed nothing.

They decided to do a ultrasound.  During the ultrasound the lady was training someone new.  As she’s looking around, I saw her jaw drop when she saw something.  Since they can’t say anything, I figured they had found something.  She mentioned to his colleague to go back to the appendix and I thought, “Appendicitis? No.”

It’s rare in little tykes, and the thought of it hadn’t even crossed my mind.

Sure enough the surgeon came in before the doctor did to tell me the prognosis.  Our little Boston had appendicitis and was having surgery that day.

He ended up having surgery that night around eight and he was gone from us till nearly 11.

I had gone back home and Mike had stayed at the hospital.  We had company that had just arrived into town and they’d be here till Sunday and we had three other kids at home.

By the time I got back to the hospital Mike was talking to the surgeon.  Our little guy had a ruptured appendix and a stone the size of 1/6th of a pea.  The doctor said that we brought him in and caught it at a good time.  If it were a day or two later it could’ve been bad.  Here I thought it was just poop…….

I think that there’s a lot of times I could look at things and begin to whine about how it’s a huge disruption to our life.  It is and it’s hard.  It’s hard on our family and it’s hard.  It’s just hard, but I also feel like there have been many graces these last few days.

-Mike was persistent that I bring him to the hospital.  He was quick to know that something was really wrong with our boy.

-The nurses were kind and attentive and knew that something was wrong too.

-We found the infected appendix early for a 2 year old.

-Boston cried. A lot.

-We had company coming into town that we had known for a REALLY long time. (Her mom had babysat me.  I had babysat her. And now she babysat my kids)  I knew that they would make themselves at home and they would help take care of our children

-Jesus was gracious to see that our boy was kept safe and sound.  He put our boy in safe hands.

-Again I’m grateful for Settle Children’s.  Again they’ve proved to be an excellent hospital and care for our children has been superior in the past and now.

-Grateful that we live in a city where we can get excellent care quickly.

I’m coming to understand and trust more in Jesus’ sovereignty.  Even though I do not want pain for my children or myself or my husband, Jesus is sovereign and He is good. I’m reminded that He holds them in His hand.  He knows the number of their days and they are His.  It’s by His grace that He’s allowed us to have them and care for them and love them and raise them here on this earth.

Thank you everyone for your prayers.  They are more appreciated then you know.  That in itself is God’s grace to us.  Knowing prayer warriors.  Thank you.  The body of Christ has come together across the country and continents.

We’ll be here till Wednesday, so we have some balance work to do between here and home, but we’ll get through and Jesus’ glory will be on display.  His love.  His grace. His healing power and His sovereignty.