Waiting on the Lord

This past week, Wynne opened up the flu at our house. Parents, you know the drill; somebody starts the vomit, and it will eventually make its way out of the bodies of others in the house (if not everybody). Sorry if TMI.

So when Cy told me on Sunday night that his stomach hurt, I prepared the couch for another victim. He slept in the living room and didn't move off of the couch most of the day on Monday. It was Labor Day, so thankfully he wasn't missing any school. Wynne laid around too, very feverish. Not fun. Middle of the night: Shae vomited and joined Cy in the living room infirmary.

Tuesday morning medic report: Cy still very run-down and achy. No vomit yet. Shae and Cy slept in and missed school that day. I had our neighbor friend take Ally to her first volleyball game, as Mark is not home till late on weeknghts during the football season. By Tuesday evening, Shae was feeling 100% better and ready to go back to school. Wynne was feeling better, too. Cy was still a bit "icky" feeling but agreed that he would go to school the next day, as he had no fever and his stomach pain was coming and going.

Wednesday: All kids back to school. We figured maybe he pulled an abdominal muscle or something, so I gave him Tylenol and Flex-all (muscle cream) and wrote an explanatory e-mail to his teacher. She was kind enough to give me updates throughout the day. Cy came home, showed some signs of improved hunger and perkiness, and seemed to be doing pretty well. But he still complained periodically with an emphatic "ouch" when he moved his stomach a certain way. I looked up "appendicitis" on the internets (I love that Will Farrell sketch of President Bush on SNL a few years back!) and it didn't match Cy's description much. The pain was supposed to be on the right side of his abdomen, and Cy kept pointing to his left side. I figured it was a muscle pull and would take a few weeks to feel better. Cy agreed.

Thursday: All kids back to school. Half an hour before dismissal, I got a call from the school secretary to come in and get Cy. He reported that his stomach was hurting, and Sandy got a 100 degree temp on him. I drove in and picked up all the kids since it was the end of the day by the time I got there. Cy wanted to get home and drink some water. He had half of a sub and laid around most of the night. He was really quiet. I knew it was time to take him to the doctor, but I had to wait till morning because the clinic was closed. I gave him some Tylenol and hoped that he would get better overnight, as I had 2 towns to be in and a million errands to run on Friday (not including the house cleaning chores).

Friday morning: Cy was worse. Very lethargic and in obvious pain. He was not whiny about it, just "ouch! ouch!" when walking, moving, etc. I had hesitated to take him into the doctor all week because they really frown upon bringing in the stomach flu. With the H1N1 scare going around, I was really going back and forth about making an appointment, but one look at Cy on Friday morning and I knew I had to call as soon as the clinic opened. Our doctor was booked all day. The doctor on call, Dr. Sloan, could work Cy in at 9:30 so I rushed to finish mopping the floors and cleaning the toilets, then showered and woke up Wynne to get Cy over to his appointment.

We waited about 30 minutes to see a doctor, but Cy was so good about it. He brought his Wimpy Kid books to pass the time, and when I think back on it all, he was such a trooper. Especially considering how Wynne was talking like me, reporting to the doctor who had puked in our house and when! When Dr. Sloan nudged around on his abdomen, Cy nearly leapt through the roof. "He needs a blood test, urine test, and stomach x-ray STAT." About an hour later Cy was being admitted to the hospital for an appendectomy. Four weeks, one day after his ear surgery.

Five hours of IV and other-kid-arranging later, Mark and I watched our little boy being wheeled off for another surgery. It was two hours before kick-off, slightly reminiscent of the night when Cy arrived in this world, only a lot less happy. The calls back and forth from the assistant coaches did bring back a little deja vu, however.

The past few days have been a blur. We don't know how many days that Cy will be in here, but it was a ruptured appendix, very messy, and he's in terrific pain. How's that for an ironic description? Do you call that an oxymoron? I don't know; I'm operating on low sleep and crappy diet right now. I miss the girls, but as I sit here on the hospital laptop on this my night to stay overnight (we take turns), I remind myself that Cy is God's child, and He will provide. He will find a way and bring us through this. I hate to see our little boy in so much discomfort, but I am encouraged by his nighttime bathroom trip and hall walk. It hurts to get out of bed, as he has 3 little incisions and a whole lot of soreness, but Cy is incredibly tough--I can't imagine all the pain he was going through all week. His phy. ed teacher told Mark last night at the football game (parent/family night, we missed it but Daddy got there just in time to coach the boys to another victory) that Cy buckled over a few times in phy. ed, but he figured it was just a cramp or sideache. Little did we all know.

I thank God that there are doctors, nurses, and instruments capable of removing the nasty infection growing inside my son's abdomen. I thank God that we had the surgery done not a day later. I thank God for the visits of family and friends, especially of our pastor who kept night vigil with me last night until Mark could get here for his night shift. I thank God that Cy's white count went down a little since yesterday. I thank God that he showed a little progress in sitting up and walking to the bathroom a few hours ago and is now resting peacefully. I thank God for this hospital laptop which allows me to communicate and look up His Word in our deepest times of need. I thank God that He gives us Hope and that Jesus suffered more than we can ever imagine, so He knows our sorrows and is no stranger to pain. I could feel sorry for myself and think back on the other 4 child hospitalizations that our family had to go through, but that is draining, and I need all of the strength and hope I can get. So I concentrate on what is going right, right now. (Plus I got a little work done on this college class-by-mail I'm currently taking!)

Although I hate how Cy has to go through this, I thank God for the chance to take care of our not-so-little boy and to make no apologies for it. It is nice to hold his hand, to have him rely on me a little, to comfort and reassure him with God's Word and an old VBS song:

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising up again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name!

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.--Psalm 27:14