Simply Sarah: Anna's Adventure

Monday morning started like any usual day. I dropped both kids off at my parents house and then I was off to work. I got a call from Julie close to 11. Anna had gotten a hold of my brother Christian's pill box and had taken 1-4 of his Abilify (a mood stabilizer and anti-psychotic). He puts his pills in a pill box for the week. The box was on top of Julie's scriptures which were on the counter in the kitchen. Anna loves to play with Julie's scriptures and so she pulled them down. The pill box spilled onto the floor and Anna took at least 1 of the pills although there were a total of 4 missing. When Julie called she said that Anna was fine she was just acting drowsy and she was pretty sure that she had only taken 1 of the pills. I told her to call poison control and to call me back. In the mean time I hung up and talked to Natalie, one of the nurses I work with, who immediately looked up the drug. She told me that we needed to take her into the ER. So I gathered my stuff and rushed out. As soon as I got to the parking lot Julie called me back to let me know that poison control had advised her to take Anna to the nearest ER. I called Dave and Curt on the way to Alta View. I was pretty put together until I talked to Curt. I also called my mom who reminded me of the time that my brother Josh took 20 children's tylenol when he was about Anna's age. I prepared myself to watch Anna have her poor little tummy pumped and watch her puke her little guts out and assumed we would be home later that evening glad that the ordeal was behind us! I got to the ER and they were just getting Anna all checked in. By this time Anna was super drowsy and really agitated. They ran an EKG and checked her vital signs. Everything so far looked ok. Dave got there and Julie was obviously there. Anna hated having the EKG done. She was pretty hysterical! She did not like all the stickers all over her body. The staff was really great with her. They brought her a little purple teddy bear and a little fleece blanket. The doctor came in and saw us and explained that the particular medication that she had taken has a rather long half-life which means that the drug stays in the system for a long time. He wanted to talk to a pediatrician up at Primary Children's hospital to see what they would advise us to do. At this point Anna had pretty much settled down and had fallen asleep on David's lap. The ER doctor came in after talking with the pediatrician at Primary's and they had both decided that the best plan of action was to admit Anna to the hospital to keep an eye on her while the medication worked it's way out of her system. They were particularly worried about monitoring Anna's heart. I was sort of in shock at this point. I thought for sure we would be going home that afternoon and not being admitted to Primary Childrens Hospital! The nurse came in and had us sign the transfer paperwork and an ambulance came to transport us to the Riverton branch of Primary Childrens. Only one of us could ride with her and Anna chose Dave to ride with her. They strapped her car seat to the stretcher and buckled her in. She looked so little and pathetic on the stretcher. She was pretty upset about the whole situation. I followed the ambulance in my car. Anna calmed down in the ambulance but freaked out when she saw me. She wanted me to hold her. They took us upstairs to the 4th floor at the Riverton hospital. It was a really nice hospital and the staff was AMAZING!! Before we even had her unbuckled from the stretcher the Child Life worker had come in and found out what Anna liked and was back with some princess dolls and books to help keep her entertained while they got her all hooked up to the monitor that tracked her pulse, respiration's, and oxygen levels. Anna did not want more stickers on her chest and she was even more upset that they wanted to put the pulse ox on her toe. My mom was already there when we got there. Once we got all settled in the pediatrician came in to see us. She explained to us that the medication Anna had taken had caused prolonged QT waves on her EKG. They were hoping that this would resolve on it's own. She also explained that this medication does have a long half-life but toddlers typically have a pretty fast metabolism and that if she was going to have any negative side effects they would pretty much peak off at 24-36 hours. She wanted us to stay there so that they could monitor Anna's heart and lethargy until the medication was out of her system. At this point Anna was either sleeping or crying. She was sooo tired and groggy. My parents came shortly after dinner with Joe. Anna was really excited to see Joe. They were able to go to the playroom together. The 20 or so minutes they played in the playroom was the most awake and oriented Anna was the whole day. Curt showed up about this time too. He stayed for a little while. It was pretty crazy at this point. My dad and Julie, my sister Ashlie, my mom, David and Joe were all in the playroom with Anna. They all ended up leaving about the same time leaving just Dave and I with Anna, who was asleep again. Dave convinced me to leave and go to dinner with Curt. Anna was asleep after all and it dawned on me that all I had to eat that day was yogurt at like 9 that morning. So I called Curt who came and picked me and took me to dinner at Wingers. I had such a headache at this point. I was so grateful to be able to go to dinner with Curt. I love that man and needed some time to regroup before going back to the hospital. My headache went away before we got back to the hospital. Dave and I decided that he would spend the night with her the first night because he lived closer and it would be easier for him to run home and shower the next day. My parents kept Joe over night at their house. I stayed with Anna until she fell asleep. I left the hospital about 10 that night. I woke up at about 2:30 in the morning and after tossing and turning for about an hour I got up and took a shower and headed back up to the hospital. I stopped and dropped a bag with clothes off at my parents for Joe. Anna had a rough night the first night. They were concerned because she had stopped eating and drinking so they had to check her vital signs more often through out the night. She also kept saying that she had to go potty but couldn't pee when she actually got to the bathroom. They came in about 7 on Tuesday morning and did another EKG. When Anna was first admitted she had a low grade fever which was sort of odd. I asked the nurse if they could run a urine culture on her to see if she might have a bladder infection. I was concerned about the fever and the fact that she felt like she had to pee but couldn't actually go. So we got a urine sample and thought that for sure we would get to go home later that afternoon. The pediatrician came in and saw us again before she left and her partner came back on. She explained that they had sent her EKG over to the cardiologist to be read and pending the urine results it looked pretty promising that we would be able to go home that afternoon. Anna was still really fussy and groggy at this point. She was defiantly not herself but she was such a little trooper and let the nurses poke and prod her. We spent all day waiting. Dave ran home and showered while I stayed with Anna. They were really great about making sure that Anna was always entertained. They brought her play-doh and paint and stickers. They also had just about any kids movie you could think of. Later in the afternoon the new pediatrician came in to see us. It turns out that Anna did in-fact have a bladder infection. They were also concerned because her EKG still showed that she had prolonged QT waves. She was also worried because Anna was becoming dehydrated at this point despite our best efforts to get her to eat and drink. She was also having low blood pressure and a fast pulse which are both symptoms of dehydration. So we were going to have to stay another night and they were going to have to start an IV which we had happily avoided up until this point. They came in and started the IV which was pretty awful. They had to stick her in both hands before they were successful. Once the IV was in they gave her a liter of fluids as well as some antibiotics for her bladder infection. My parents brought Joe back up that afternoon to see her. It was cute because they kept asking to see each other. They aren't used to not being together. Joe brought her some flowers and a teddy bear. They went and played in the playroom again. After Joe left Anna would tell anyone who came in the room that Joe brought her flowers. It was pretty sweet! We decided that I would stay over night with Anna and Dave would go home to sleep. Anna ended up getting a second liter of fluids. They started to get a little nervous because despite the 2 liters of fluids she still hadn't peed. They had to do a bladder scan to make sure that there was actually fluid in her bladder. Anna lost it at this point. She got so hysterical about having to have an ultra-sound that she actually threw-up. The scan showed that she did have a full bladder; Anna just didn't want to pee I guess. After the scan Dave left to go home and Curt came to see me. It was really nice to have him there the second night. It was also nice because it was just us and Anna so it wasn't as crazy. Anna woke up while he was there and had to go potty (finally!!!). Curt was so good to help me take her potty which was quite an ordeal as we had to unplug her from the monitor and bring her IV with us. After Curt left I laid down next to Anna in the hospital bed and we both actually got some sleep! She ended up finally being able to go potty and so they only had to check her vitals every 4 hours which was nice. Dave came back the next morning just in time for them to come back and do the next EKG. At this point Anna was very helpful when it came time for the EKG. She still cried though as she lifted up her little gown so they could put all the electrodes on her chest. After the EKG I ran home and showered and came back. I was really hoping that we would be able to go home. The doctor came in late that morning to let us know that her EKG was finally normal. So they gave her 1 more dose of antibiotic through her IV and then they discharged her just after lunch. It was such a relief to be able to bring her home and know that she was ok. We took her back to her pediatrician the next day and she still looked great. By Friday she was back to old self. She started eating and drinking normal. Spending a couple of nights at Primary's was a humbling experience. I thought of other people who I had known that had spent time there, some living and some not. Even though it was scary I never thought I was going to lose my baby girl. I felt a peaceful calm feeling from the time I arrived at Alta View Monday morning until the time we left Primary Childrens on Wednesday afternoon. I cannot imagine parents who have to spend days, weeks and even months with their children at the hospital wondering if their child is going to pull through. My heart aches for them and the struggles that they face. I am grateful for knowledgeable medical staff who helped keep my Anna safe. The staff was also so amazing to my little girl. They were so sweet and accommodating. Anna's wish was their command. I am also grateful for the friends and family who called or texted to check on Anna and offer their support. I am so grateful for my little Anna and that she is safe and sound.