Cherie that is good news. I am glad is doing well.

Maybe your daughter holds in her problems and stresses, and doesn't even know it. Kids do worry. I am sure she worries about you, her Mom. She may not show it or even realize how she feels.

I was wondering about the blonde part. Hmmm.. I am still a Blonde since birth, all my kids too. LOL

How are her headaches now, any better? Did her LP report come back yet?

So much for a child to go through. I'm glad she's happy with her Pepsi

When I asked my eldest whether she is afraid of getting MS, when she was about 13 or 14, she said "no way . . . I wouldn't have to work and could sit around the house playing on the computer all day".

The pediatrician neurologist apparently asked my youngest what her top three wishes were, and she told me that she responded:

1. That the boy I like will like me for a long time too.
2. That my best friend will never turn into a leach, like some of the "wanna' be" girls are.
3. That my friend who is having a brain tumor removed is going to be ok.

After she told me what she had said, she said "oh, I guess I should have wished for you to be ok with your MS, mom".

Yeah she worries a little about me, but in her mind, that is not nearly as important as keeping the loyalties of the boy she likes.

She says she is not afraid of MS . . . I guess because it looks like I have a very easy life to a teenager.

As far as the blonde comment, it was more a stereotype, and she isn't even blonde any more. She is just a very carefree, actress, cheerleader, musician, non-academic type. She is actually a very strong kid because she spilled boiling water on her legs a few years ago, and go severe burns on her legs. She knows what pain and trauma are . . . even if her life has been a pretty cushy number overall.

As for her headache/backache, I'll respond in another posting. We had a very difficult day yesterday . . .

Cherie

Yesterday wasn't so good.

She laid around all day, taking 2 adult Advil every four hours. That was hardly touching the pain she had in her spine and head.

I didn't know what to do with her by 3:00, because she had already had more pills than she was meant to take in a 24 hr period, and she was unable to move one inch. Tylenol doesn't really help her either . . .

I called her regular doctor's emergency line (the pediatrician neurologist left on vacation on Friday), as well as the Children's Hospital nurse line. The emergency doctor on-call did not respond, and the nurse line questioned what was happening with her. In the end, she told me to call an Ambulance, and have her transported to the closest hospital. I would have preferred to drive her myself, but she couldn't walk or stand up, even WITH pain killers maxed out.

The ambulance drivers left us sitting in the hallway in ER, and after 30 min someone went and got me a chair. Thank goodness, my legs have gotten progressively numb over this last week. We waited there till about 7:00, in the main throughfare, and by then she couldn't stand the pain any more (the pills we had given her had worn off). They gave her something, and said they were going to try to get her over to the pediatric area so that she could get in queue to be looked at by a doctor.

With the pain-killer in her, she was able to get into the wheelchair, but that didn't last for long. We were sitting in the pediatric area, and she was was in WAY too much pain to sit up for longer than about 5 min. After about 30 min, I approached a nurse to ask if there was ANYWHERE in the hospital she could lay down. I didn't care about the wait, but she just couldn't sit up any longer.

The nurse was a complete *$&%# and said "no, she just has to wait her turn". I tried to explain that that was fine, so long as she could lay down somewhere . . . but she said they were "too busy, and there was nowhere to put her".

I guess I kinda' lost it at that point.

I told the nurse that she simply could not sit there any longer, and if they couldn't find somewhere for her to lay down, I would have to take her home. Honestly, I didn't know how I was going to get her home, or what I was going to do once I did . . . but I couldn't let this go on indefinitely.

I went and called her dad, and asked him to come take her to Children's Hospital in the city. He was on his way, when I went back and layed her on the ground in front of a bookshelf. The nurse came by and said "you can't lay her there either ... she is going to have to sit up until her turn". I helped my daughter to her feet, and we left the pediatric area for the main ER.

We were waiting there . . . OMG that was hard to see her like that!!! . . . and I approached the guys that had helped in the Ambulance waiting area for the first 3 hrs. I asked what pills she had taken, because I needed to know what to tell them at Children's, and I also wanted to give her more Advil if it didn't conflict. The guy couldn't believe they couldn't find somewhere for her to lay down, but he gave me the name of the pill anyway. The (&^%^ nurse saw me talking to him.

So we were waiting in the ER recieving area, when the nurse came out and said "we found a bed for her". I was SO MAD, I wanted to leave anyway . . . but common sense prevailed, thankfully.

I took her back there, then went outside to have a cigarette and wait for my ex. By the time our ride showed up, I had a complete breakdown. Honestly, I don't think I have ever cried that hard in my life!!

They gave her morphine, sent us home with more + a rx for Tylenol 3 and instructions on how much we can drug her over the next 24 hrs. If she isn't better by this evening, she is to go back to Children's for a blood patch.

What a freakin' day.

Cherie

Oh Cherie, I am SO very sorry that you and your daughter are having to deal with all of this!

I really hope that you can get some much-needed answers real soon - I can't imagine what you are going through right now and how worried you must be. I have seen how bad my mum has been with having to deal with my illness so it must be even harder for you as you have your own problems to deal with also!

I am keeping you and your daughter in my thoughts and prayers and if I can help you in anyway, please let me know as I do understand some of the pain your daughter must be feeling right now !

Please keep us updated when you can and I really hope that things get better for you both real soon!

Are you going to write to that nasty nurse's supervisor and complain about the way she treated you and your daughter?? She sounds like she was a bit (a lot!) arrogant and sadistic. Either that or she thought you and your daughter were drug seekers or something.

I'd complain about her.

Oh my Cherie! That is just awful treatment. It makes me sick thinking about your DD in so much pain and noone in that ER giving a darn about her wellfare or yours. Being the Mother of a chronically ill child, I know how helpless you feel. After my DS had his transplant, that put the end to any waiting rooms; they have to place him directly in a room b/c he is immunosuppressant.

I think you really need to write a letter to the hosp board or complain very loudly to someone. That treatment is unacceptable. I sure hope you can get some answers very soon and that your DD feels better. I want you to know that I am praying for her and her Mother, too!

sorry you had a rough long night of it...first the waiting there and the nurse with the bad attitude or reaction to wanting a bed....it is a hospital..wow if can not take time to find a bed...anyhow sorry about the hard time for your daughter and her pain. and the visit to the ER.

Hoping she is feeling much better and wont need the patch...hugss and good luck for the answers too, hugsss,sarah

Cherie,
I'm so sorry to hear what you and your daughter had to go through at the ER yesterday. I'm suprised they didn't think it best ( especially for a child) to just do the blood patch right away. I remember the horrible headache I had after my lumbar puncture and even as a nurse,I didn't know anything about blood patches after LP's if you get the headache. I had that horrible ,pounding headache for a full week after mine anytime I had to sit up.
After things have calmed down for both you and your daughter, I would most certainly write a letter to the Director of Nursing of that hospital. What you both had to endure was just completely unacceptable no matter how full or busy the hospital was at the time. My prayers and best wishes go out to both you and your daughter. Please remember to take care of you too as I know the stress of all of this has to be so overwhelming to you

Cherie that is awful. I don't know why they couldn't even find a push-gurney for her to lay on, if not a bed. How cruel, they knew she had an LP and should be laying flat for a few days.

I hope she stays flat now, no pillow, no recliner, to give the leak a chance to clot. Putting pressure, by laying on her back. If she is allowed to go to the ladies room she must stay half bent over and not raise her head and not go alone.

Drink plenty of fluids, sip them slowly, (water, juices) to replenish the fluid loss in her Spinal fluids. Build the pressure back up. Sometimes they take too much out with the LP, or too quickly.

Remember sip: If she drinks too much at once, it will go right out of her and too many visits to the ladies room. Pepsi is a diuretic, not good at this point. Caffeine won't help now. She may need a patch anyway, some people do. I hope and pray she won't need it, and is okay real soon, you too my dear.

JMO, if the Dr gave orders follow them. I am just trying to remember my LP's and Dr's. advice. Also I have seen this in hospitals here. No Aspirin or Vitamin E.

I am sure you know all this, the researcher/reader that you are.