The Most Traumatizing Blood Drawing Experience.

My poor, poor daughter.

During our trip to the ER last Sunday, Storie had to have blood drawn. Let's just say she remembers what happens when she gets held down and they start poking and prodding her arms from our last 3-day stay in the Hospital.

It all starts when they tie that awful blue band around her arm. Oh boy. The nurse was poking and prodding looking for a good vein. I told him that the veins he will get the most blood out of are in her wrist, not on the inside of her elbow. He then informed me that they have to take so much blood, they can only get it from a vein higher in her arm. I told him that we have been in the hospital several times before, and the last time they drew her blood every 4 hours for 3 days straight. And that I know what i'm talking about.

After being very unsuccessful looking "higher in her arm", he took my advice and BINGO there was a winner right on top of her wrist.

Those dang nurses, don't they know that Mommy always knows best?

After that horrific 10 minutes of looking for a vein was finally over her started to get his needle ready. Let me tell yall that this guy was s-l-o-w! Seriously, I could have done it in half the time he did. And when you have a screaming 21 month old being held down it's best to just get it over with all ready! Our lovely nurse had other things planned first though.

Like showing us their new numbing solution. It's in the pressure thing that they had to press down on her hand so hard it probably hurt worse than the tiny little needle would have. oy.

After they finally got all they needed and the horrific experience was over, Storie clung to her honey and ate a fig newton (as pictured above). My poor girl, I would have gladly traded places with her and been poked 20 times if that meant she was spared.

Sick Toddler

This past weekend we stayed in Red Oak to house sit/babysit Heath's little brother while his parents stayed the weekend in Ft Worth at the Nascar races. Sunday Morning we had plans to go to Cowboy Church with his Grandmother, but Storie had other plans. She woke up that morning screaming and crying, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She cried and cried for 30+ minutes before Heath got her to go back to sleep. I could tell her face was warm but I honestly didn't think anything of it Because she has never had a high fever before.



5 1/2 hours later we decided to wake her up out of her coma nap. She was acting super lethargic, not looking at us or talking, not interested in eating or drinking, and she didn't want to be put down. None of that is like her, at all. She has never been sick besides the normal teething runny nose and barely-fever. When we took her temp it was 102.7 and that just plain freaked me out. With her history I didn't even want to risk sitting at home waiting it out.



Before Storie left the NICU they drilled it into our heads that if she ever has a high fever before she turns 3, to take her to the hospital, because it is almost always more than just a fever in preemies. We took her to Children's Hospital in Dallas. It's by far my favorite out of Cooks and Arlington Memorial. They moved us through the whole process very quickly. We were there maybe 45 minutes before we saw the Dr. I would highly recommend that hospital to anyone with children.



After we went through the most traumatizing blood drawing experience out of them all, we got the results back very quickly that she just has a viral infection. And we were quickly released! You have no idea how wonderful it is to be told better-than-bad news and be released within 3 hours of getting there. After all of the hospital stays we have had, it's a scary place for us.



So 3 days later Storie is feeling much better. She still has no appetite but she ate more today than she has in the last 4 days. Tuesday morning Storie woke up covered in throw up, all over her and all over her bed. It was just everywhere, and I gagged. A lot. We haven't had anymore of that all week, thank the Lord almighty!



It seems though that Storie has passed some of her symptoms onto Heath and I, with the exception of the fever. I'm hoping we are all rid of this by Saturday!! Praise the Lord that nothing serious was wrong with Storie and that she is resting and healing at home :)