Not Quite What I Had Planned

Most of the time when my plans fall through, it is usually something pretty simple.

I planned to finish an entire load of laundry but I didn't get it done.

I planned to clean all the bathrooms on Tuesday but wasn't able to.

I planned to make hamburgers for dinner but forgot to thaw the meat.

You know, plans.

They fall through.

This time, though, it wasn't quite as simple.

It goes back to about 4 months ago when I planned a mini-trip with my parents to take the girls to a cabin in Gatlinburg in March. We bought our tickets to see the Dixie Stampede and go the Aquarium.  We were excited.

But during the week leading up to our trip, Audrey Kate began running a small fever. I didn't think much of it, as I believed it to be a cold or something, and assumed it would be gone each morning when we woke up. But 5 or 6 days later her fever was still there, and it even began spiking at night.

There were no other symptoms to alarm me and by that time it was the weekend.

{I am a doctor-avoider. I don't like taking my children to the doctor for every little thing. I especially don't like to go to the weekend clinics!}

My in-laws came in for the weekend and AK seemed better, though fussy, and she had a good time with the grandparents. My parents didn't arrive until Monday night. Our first night in the mountain cabin was scheduled for the next day.

Well, we were having a delicious dinner {if I do say so myself} on the back deck with my parents, enjoying the lovely weather, when Joe, who was sitting at an angle to Audrey Kate, exclaimed,

"Oh gosh! What is happening with Audrey Kate's neck?"

We all looked, and sure enough, there was swelling underneath her right ear. I googled her symptoms {because we all know that google is the best doctor out there} and assumed it was a swollen or infected lymph node. 

First thing the next morning, while also packing and planning for our trip, and planning to get a hair-cut later that morning, I took AK to the pediatrician. He hesitantly supported my conclusion that it was an infected lymph node and began her on some strong antibiotics. I got his ok to make our trip to Gatlinburg despite the set-backs, but he wanted to see Audrey Kate the next day to check the progress.

Our time in Gatlinburg, and my attempt to get Audrey Kate back to Knoxville for her follow-up appointment, is truly a story of it's own, and I will not do it justice by telling it right now. Let's just say it involves a journey of epic proportions in which I managed to unwittingly stumble upon a town called Cherokee, North Carolina. And while the fine folk there were kind enough to re-orient me, I hope, and pray, that I never, ever {ever} ever go back there. Ever.

The pediatrician took one look at Audrey Kate's neck and began a consult with a pediatric ENT.  We were sent to the Emergency Room for a CT scan of her swollen neck so they could get more information about what might be going on. We arrived to the ER at 5. By 10:30 they finally let us give AK some food. By 11 they had the results of the scan which showed it was probably not an infected node but a super-infected cyst. {I know, I know. We can't all be super at everything we do. I have exceptional children.}

The cyst is a common and easily treatable issue. As it turns out, the super-infection is not.

{In the ER waiting, Audrey Kate was highly entertained by my make-up. She mostly enjoyed putting it on Joe. I enjoyed watching that, too.} You can see her swollen neck a bit in this picture.

Audrey Kate endured pricks and sticks and prods and pokes, all for her own good, but by 3 AM,

when were finally admitted and given our own room, she had. had. enough.

She refused to let anyone but me hold or touch her, not even Joe.

The treatment plan has been to give her powerful antibiotics in order to get rid of the infection. Afterwards, surgery might be in the picture. {Basically, the cyst has probably been there since birth. A common cold virus or upper respitory virus caused a secondary infection in/around the cyst and caused it to swell.}

Right now, though, getting her infection cleared up is the main priority.

{GiGi and Audrey Kate and Doctor}

My camera battery died a while back, so I am taking some pictures with Joe's phone. I haven't been home since Tuesday, and each day we are here they extend our stay. I am still not quite sure when we'll be home, but Saturday is the earliest.

Of course, it has been an effort in keeping her from pulling on and ripping out IV's and various wires attached to her limbs.

I think the hardest part has been hearing her say, "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" Each time she is examined, but knowing that there really isn't much I can do.

This experience has definitely given me a new appreciation for parents whose children are facing very serious illness and spend months at a time in hospitals. Audrey Kate's issue isn't very high on the serious scale, and I am very thankful for that. There are children here with cancer and congenital issues that are life-threatening. My heart goes out to their families.

{Isn't there just something automatically pitiful about a baby in a hospital gown with wires all over?} {The hairbow makes it better, though. Right?}

{As long as she can play with mommy's make-up, mostly it's ok.}

Please pray for us to get out of the hospital quickly and for Audrey Kate's infection to clear up well.

I had plans for us, and they didn't quite include being here!