Thursday, May 8, 2008

Day One



Ok...so it is 11PM and I just finished eating dinner and am heading out in 15 minutes to get Jed from the airport.
Today was supposed to be mild, a few test and a contrast enema that the Dr. needed before our appointment tomorrow. We were supposed to be there for about 2 hours. Well it was 10 hours instead. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. Madison did great with the test and the contrast enema was a little difficult, however, she did good ( I guess she has no choice since there were 5 adults holding her down). We were done with the testing and getting ready to go home when Madison started vomiting. No big deal we thought...she did just have 2000 Ccs of fluid injected in her belly.
Long story short since I only have 10 more minutes! After sitting in the bathroom of radiology for 2 hours with continuous vomiting they put her on a gurney and ran down the halls with her saying something about “she is having a fluid transfer”(?) We ended up in the ER department and her color was WHITE and she was totally out of it. It was sooooo scary. I was sobbing totally unsure of what all was happening. 5 hours later and lots of IV fluids and we were on our way. She probably threw up 25 times (including once as they were putting the IV in.) They basically told me that her body could not handle all of the fluids that were added to her body (messes up the electrolights?) and it can start to put some of your systems in shock. It is interesting because something like this happened last August when she was in the hospital in Freeport – we thought that it was a coincidence but after today I guess that we know it was not. We will have to see what we can do in the future to make sure we avoid these scary situations! The radiologist said that this has never happened to her in her practice of doing enemas.
Maddie is sound asleep and totally exhausted. We need to be back at the hospital by 7am to have an xray to see what her belly looks like after all the trauma today. We will then meet with Dr. Levitt for the first time ever. I am so anxious as to what he will say. The radiologist did say that she has “a huge colon, which Dr. Levitt will talk to you more about” The tests did show that she is completely impacted almost all the way to her stomach. Not good at all. Some did move today after the tests but she still looks about 6 months pregnant.
I am exhausted and will be ready to get answers and the agenda from Dr. Levitt tomorrow. We really do not know what the plans are until he decides on the severity of her case.
I know that many of you do not know anything about what her condition is. I will try to add more details in the next few days but in a nutshell:
Her colon is not capable of moving stool at all. She is almost 6 and in diapers because she has to be on medicines that loosen her stool so that it can not “hang out” in her megacolon. She has lost all sensation of knowing when to even go to the toilet because of so many years of overstretched bowels. A web address that you can click on for the Cincinnati clinic that shows a power point on this condition is :
http://seraph.cchmc.org/mediasiteex/viewer/Viewers/Viewer240TR.aspx?mode=Default&layoutPrefix=LayoutTopRight&layoutOffset=Skins/Clean&width=800&height=631&peid=43791c8b-1c9c-45df-b435-fa19b2881141&pid=4e4aa0e2-2ff3-40fa-aa56-b2dc2b1fa150&pvid=504&mode=Default&shouldResize=false&playerType=WM7&pid=4e4aa0e2-2ff3-40fa-aa56-b2dc2b1fa150&playerType=WM7
I appreciate all of your prayers and I will do a better job at updating once I have a chance to breath!
Love to all,
Nikki
and by the way... ask Danielle about the near death of my youngest! It involves an outlet and a metal barrette!! She is getting better training for her baby to be than she knew was possible!!

17 comments:

Fit Mommy said...

Good Luck Nikki and Maddie,
I'm praying for you all.

Tory said...

I hope tomorrow goes a lot better for all of you. I will be thinking about you and praying the doctors can find a way to help Maddie.

lily field furniture said...

We love you Mads and are so proud of you! We can't wait until you feel better and can come back home!

Andrea Whitbord said...

My, my....I am utterly speachless. My, OUR hearts are pouring for you. I don't know if I can stand the emotion of it all.....am in tears. Lord, bless ALL of you, especially Maddie as we fill our hearts and lift them up to you.
Jed & Nikki, you are such wonderful parents.....you tell Maddie how much she is loved.....it is endless; enough said.

Jim said...

Kids. You and Jed have had a difficult year. But I am thankful that you trust in Lord who is faithful and loving and whose plans, although difficult to understand at times, are always couched in His great love He has for us.

jayandkandy said...

Couldn't stop crying as read what you shared! With ALL our hearts we'll be continually praying!! We love you all so very much!! Jay & Kandy

The Cruses said...

Can't imagine how hard yesterday must have been. Our hearts are with you. We are praying so much and especially for your time with Dr. Levitt today. Please hug Maddie for us. You guys are so precious.

senakate said...

We love you guys and we are continuing to be in prayer over Maddie. We'll be praying for Dr. Levitt too. Give Maddie a big hug from us!

Sally said...

Maddie is a trooper. We love her! Gabby misses her and loves her and wants her tummy to get better. The Lord continues to give Maddie the strength to get through these test. She is an awesome kid. I pray for the doctors as help Maddie overcome this difficult situation. We love you guys! Ben, Sally, Gabby and Noah

Sonya said...

You both are so strong Nikki and Maddie, it continues to amaze and inspire me! I am praying for your family to continue to have faith, hope and strength through this incredibly difficult time. Love you all, hang in there!

The Moodies said...

We are praying for you guys! We pray for the answers you desire as well as peace and comfort while you wait. Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated. Give Maddie a squeeze for us!

Unknown said...

We love you Maddie and Smith's. We will continue praying for you all during this time. If there is anything back home that we can do for you, just let us know.

Jon and Linda said...

We, out here in the west, are following your blog and keeping you in our hearts and thoughts and prayers.
Maddie, you are one brave little girl. Hopefully today is a better day filled with much good news.
We love you guys!

BQ + DQ said...

Hey! We're praying for Maddie and that the Dr. has positive information for you all. What a girl to endure those tests! Some adults aren't that brave. Good luck.

the back door said...

hi nikki!! this is kori's freshman roomie...

our little guy had somewhat the same stuff. we started treatment when he was 4 and have made huge progress. i don't know that our situation was quite as intense but i know i spent so many days crying out of total frustration. mostly before i understood there was a medical problem...but jack had stuff backed up to his tummy as well and it was not pleasant to get it out. know i'm praying for you and will follow maddie's journey. and when you are so tired and sad - there really will be an end (somewhat) - i still have to monitor bowel movements, but wow....there is a light at the end of the tunnel. much love and blessings to you all.....

A_Stukenberg said...

Oh my word- I kind of knew about Maddie's troubles, but I had no idea the extent of her situation. Tell Maddie that I hope she starts feeling better and that she is very brave!!! You are all in my thoughts and prayers- I pray that the Lord will give you strength through all of this. Love ya guys. You're a fantastic family- wish you the best!

Jen said...

One day at a time mom and dad - Maddie is such a brave little girl and you should be so proud of that. Keep your strength up and your faith stong. We love you all so much!