Thursday, April 19, 2012

This is Life


Ever had one of those days that got so nutty you just felt like standing on your head?  I've had one of those weeks.  Where to begin?  Oh, I know....let's start with the TWO squad trips for Miss Kemeri.

Tuesday night, Kameryn, Kade, Sydni, the three little girls & I had just set down in the living room to watch some t.v. (K'Tyo had just gone to bed).  Kemeri had been running a low fever since waking up from her nap, but she was so excited to see everybody & started playing.  A few minutes later she climbed up on my lap, which is our usual bedtime gig.  I suddenly felt like something wasn't right, & when I peeked around at her face, I saw something no one wants to see.  Kemeri's eyes were rolled into the back of her head, lips dark blue, body was like a noodle, & she was completely unresponsive.  God bless the big kids that were home, b/c they all jumped into action (Joe was picking up Kyler from his driving class).  Kam called the squad, Syd took the other 2 girls into another room, & Kade called Joe.  I got Kemmy on the floor & started trying to stir her & thankfully, she began breathing again without needing CPR, but was still unresponsive.

We were taken directly to our local ER, & while they were great, with her limited health history, they wasted no time having us transported to the children's hospital that we've been going to for her medical evaluations.  Know what "running hot" means?  I do now.  It's when the squad doing the transport goes full throttle down the highway with the lights & sirens going so that you make a 1 hr. 15 min. trip in under an hour.  Fortunately, I just got home from the driving in China, so this did not phase me much.

After a very long night in the ER ruling out lots of stuff, it was determined that she had a febrile seizure, which is actually a fairly common thing in kiddos between 6 months-6 years old but is one of the scariest episodes I've ever witnessed.  Who knew?  This is my 9th child, & we have never experienced one of these.  Two days later & you would never know anything even happened.

Since we're in medical mode anyhow, wanna let you know we're gonna be needing some prayer warriors in the near future.  We had Kemeri's MRI last Friday.  A specialist we had consulted with when reviewing her medical info thought that her spina bifida was quite minor & at most she would probably need a minor surgery to fix the dimple/skin tag on her back.  It's going to be a bit more than that.  Our punkin has a tethered cord, which will need to be released, & there's also a fatty mass pressing against her spine that will need to be removed as well as some of the excess bone at the bottom of her spine.  While I had hoped for the best, something told me it would be more, so I am not completely surprised by this.  I am sad that she will have to go through this (6+ hours of surgery/week in the hospital), but we have all resolved that we're in this together & will do whatever we have to for our sweet girl.  I'm sharing all this for 2 reasons:  1) Prayer is powerful! and 2) This is part of our journey, & I'm finding more & more through this blog that when you keep it real, it's amazing the people God brings into your path that either have been there done that & can offer support OR might be traveling the same road currently OR that might someday stumble upon Kemeri's story just as they are looking to adopt a child with the same need.  God is so cool like that.

Kemeri didn't much care for that MRI business, but I do believe she is the cutest sleepy patient ever!


She continues to get along well with all the kids, but I suppose I have the most pictures of she & Kendi together since, well, they are most always together.
I just wish they were always as angelic as in the above picture.  Unfortunately, this is the exception, not the rule.  Case in point:

 
This is what happens when these 2 discover a box of strawberry quik within reach (note to self: Kemeri can reach higher than Kendi, so rethink the positioning of things).  Yes, fashion is out the window these days.  I go straight for the sneakers.

2 comments:

Jami said...

Okay~ The last picture...well that's just ADORABLE! How come it's always cuter when its someone else's children making the mess! Thanks for sharing your sweet story. I think I would have been in panic mode if that had happened...so glad she is doing so much better and it's nothing serious. I will be praying about her surgery...never what a mama wants to hear, but like you said...y'all are in it together!! Thanking God she has a family like yours! :)
Jami--Baas Group

anything but LoKEY said...

Will definitely be praying for your little one. We are most certainly anxious to get our little guy home and see what will need to be done in his case as well. I will glean any info you pass along. We really don't know what to expect. I am sorry she has to endure such a long surgery, but thank goodness she has a wonderful, loving family surrounding her. :)