Day 2

DAY 2 :
The first morning dawned and so did the realization that our life had changed. Daniel had gone home to spend the night with the other children, to give them comfort and as much information he could, which as this point wasn't very much. While he was gone, test results began to trickle in. First, came the news that Sara had a virus. This particular virus required isolation. Isolation meant everyone who came into the room had to wear gowns, masks, and gloves. Since Selah and I were already in the room, we were exempt. However, we could not leave the room for any reason, except to leave the hospital.

When Daniel returned, in his lovely yellow gown and mask, Sara and I were watching some tv. I say she was watching, but she was so disconnected and out of it at this point, that I'm not sure she really knew what was going on. She would complain of pain in her legs, so I would massage them. The reason they were hurting so much is because she was so dehydrated, and her potassium levels were so low, they were causing her leg and stomach to cramp. This did improve over the course of her stay as she was rehydrated and began taking  high doses of potassium.

My parents came to visit. Sara lit up a bit when they brought her a gift, but for the most part she just kept quiet and watched tv.

As the day continued on, various doctors, mostly residents, came and went. We were introduced to one of the doctors from the Pediatric Diabetic Resource Center (PDRC) where Sara now has her various appointments. This doctor (who will remain nameless), gave us tons of information of what was going on in Sara's body and what we would be doing going forward. His personality was a bit overwhelming and that was very frustrating. He did give us some good news. She was stable enough that they were going to move her to the Intermediate Floor. So instead of having the one-on-one care in the PICU, there would be 3 patients for every nurse.

Late afternoon they had everything ready, and we changed rooms. Sara was also allowed to finally eat something. This really made her happy and it was good to see her spirits improve with this news.  After dinner, Justin, Melinda, Jaxon, Emil, Jesi, and Liam came to visit.  They were all very concerned for her. She was so happy to see her nephews. Children under 18 were not allowed on the floor, but because they were family, they let the boys visit.

This night, Daniel stayed with Sara. It was hard to leave. I had been taking care of a lot of her needs. However, Selah and I needed some sleep, and that wasn't going to happen at the hospital. The kids at home were so excited to see both of us. The older girls gave Selah extra loving, while I snuggled with Jadon and Alexis.

After they all went to bed, and the house was quiet, I finally let the tears flow. I was grieving for not seeing Sara's sickness earlier, grieving for the loss of her innocence, and grieving for her future of needles, pokes, and constant monitoring. It is a hard thing to hear that your daughter will forever have this disease. It is a disease that is 24/7/365 - no holidays, no vacations, always there affecting every decision made.