The latest and the greatest with Miss Em

Easter morning

We almost made it this year, staying out of the hospital that is.  I was hoping we could keep her home a whole winter, but it's not happening this year.  A week before Easter, Em came down with a stomach flu.  It hit her on a Sunday night and by Monday morning we were losing ground with her.  She wouldn't eat or drink(always a challenge when she is sick) and her blood sugars were really high all night(loses a lot of fluid with this).  Normally, Em's sugars either run low with this kind of illness because she's not eating or they will plateau.  I had also given her Zofran around the clock all night and it was not working.  Throwing up is not good for her with the Nissen.  She was admitted in the hospital Monday morning for i.v. fluids and was discharged Tuesday morning.  It was really stressful trying to keep her hydrated through the night.  I felt a huge weight lifted once the i.v. was in.   It could have been a lot worse.  It's never fun staying there, but I was relieved she was in a safe environment since things can change so quickly with her.  She was a sick little girl, but was doing really well after she got hydrated.  She started eating and drinking, that is why we were able to come home so soon.  The countdown has started over, maybe next year... 

Her behavior is still really difficult most days.  Her and I have met with a family therapist and I have been feeling really good about some of the new things to try with her.  I'm understanding where her behavior problems stem from more and that alone makes it a little more bearable.  His speculation is that all of her medical issues have led to an attachement disorder.  From day one of her life she has had a difficult road healthwise.  Due to her birth trauma and chronic illness she wasn't able to fully attach and bond the way she should have, especially with me.  It's easy to see for me, all of her life I have had to respond to a lot of her needs and care with some sort of discomfort or pain(shots, therapy, etc.).  It's a little difficult for me to swallow because I'm the mom.  Moms are supposed to make things better, comfort and soothe.  Taking care of her in the way she needed has left her traumatized.  Jeff and I both have been traumatized with it all, it's only fair that she is too.  So when she is acting out or in a meltdown as I like to call it, she is feeling hyper-anxiety.  To make herself feel better, she tries to control or manipulate situations.  When I don't give in to her the feelings escalate, resulting in the meltdown.  It breaks my heart now that I better understand what is going on.  The good news is this is something that can get better, it's going to be a long road though.  I called the Utah parent center and was given some great advice on where to receive help, right now I'm currently trying to get it all figured out.  I wish she knew how much we love her.   

Isn't that picture of her above so great?  Can't tell she got out of the hospital a few days before, I love that about her.....