Green plans delayed

It was St. Patricks day.  I had the green festivities ready for take-off.  The Leprechaun was going to leave the kids a scavenger hunt around the house while they were at school.  And the end of the hunt would be a bag full of colorful treats and chocolate gold nuggets.  The green dinner was planned out: green linguine, pesto sauce, broccoli and lime jello were among the highlights.  After a bowl full of Lucky Charms for breakfast...(which is pretty special in and of itself because it's the only time of year we buy that kind of cereal)...the kids were off to school and I was ready to get to work.  

Unfortunately, sweet Lucy had her own "green" plans for the day.  It soon became apparent that Lucy had come down with a stomach bug and couldn't keep a single thing down in that little body of her's.  She was hungry...so I gave her just a single cheerio or bit of cracker.  And it came up.  She was sooooo thirsty....so I gave her just a few sips of water.  And it came up.  Things were not looking good.  

I put in a call to the doctor to get their opinion and they said to keep a low-threshold on taking her into the ER for IV fluids if she doesn't start keeping something down.  With kidney issues already in place, damage can happen more easily with dehydration.  Not a surprise to hear, but also not what I really wanted to hear either.  

By 2:00 that afternoon, I felt it was time to take her in.  She was really struggling and so very thirsty but still couldn't keep even a couple swallows down.  Thankfully, I had some friends who quickly stepped in to help out with the other kids after they would get out of school in an hour and I took her into the Pediatric Emergency Department.  

Then the fun really begins.  Trying to get an IV in a small child is hard.  Trying to get an IV in a small child who is extremely dehydrated is even more difficult.  And that certainly proved to be the case.  After trying 3 different places in her arms and hand, they were finally able to get a successful poke in her foot.  Poor baby.  

Yes, she had to go through something hard.  BUT with fluids pumping, she soon began to perk up and feel better again!  Ahhhh.  Beautiful.  That's where the good stuff outweighs the hard stuff.  Seems to be true often with medical issues.  Those fluids were exactly what she needed.  And after a few hours of being there, her stomach also began to settle and she was able to eat popsicles (yum) and drink water without any backlash!  

So the Leprechaun will have to make his appearance next year.  The green dinner was put back in the cupboard for another night, thanks to a friend providing dinner for us all instead.  But our baby was feeling better and not so greenish herself...and that's what really mattered this time.