Landree ER Visit #3

Okay so I want to thank everyone for the prayers- Landree didn't tear down the house Tuesday. Instead we had a trip to the ER. I started feeling better and decided that I better start working on the laundry that I had left undone for a few days. In the layout of our house, my bedroom comes first, then the bathroom, then the closet so I was walking back and forth sorting laundry and Landree was going back and forth with me. On one of my trips I noticed that the lid was off of the prescription bottle of cough medicine I had been taking at night. I sat there for a minute and tried to figure out if I maybe left it like that or could Landree have opened it (yes, she can get child proof lids off). There was still about a third of the bottle left but I had no clue how much was supposed to be in it. So I decided I better keep an eye on her and sure enough she started getting groggy but it was almost lunch and nap time so I wasn't sure. I then started talking to her and tried to stand her up and she fell. I tried to call her Pediatrician's office and they were out for lunch and I was connected to the Methodist Nurse line well I may have been on hold only a few minutes but it seemed like an eternity. I hung up and called poison control who told me that since it had Codeine and Guafasein in it and we had no idea how much she had drank then I definitely needed to take her to the ER and he found out where we were going and said he would call ahead and let them know we were on our way and send them all of the info they would need to treat her.

So I called Brian to meet me there and off we went. Well it was early release day for the schools and I hit 4 school zones on the way there. I remembered that Haley had conferences for the girls today (hence the early release) and asked if she could Peyton afterwards if we were still there. I also called Melanie and asked her to give it to me straight and tell me what I was looking at here. Landree had fallen asleep and I had no clue if she was asleep or unconscious. To tell you how long it took me to get there- Brian who came from across town beat me there. I got her out of her car seat and she woke up so I did have a moment of relief that she wasn't unconscious. She saw Brian and did say Daddy and then just laid out on his shoulder. They took us right back and we got in a room. The doctor came in and moved Peyton by Landree, he then looked at both their eyes and turned the lights off and on and looked at them. He said that since their eyes were very close in size and color that it was good to have Peyton there to compare how they reacted. He then showed us, Landree's pupils were tiny and did not react to light at all. This is when I got scared- not that I wasn't scared before but I knew I needed to get her to the hospital so I didn't have time to be scared. Looking at those blue eyes with that tiny little black dot still haunts me. The doctor said that since she was conscious, she could drink the charcoal instead of having to have an NG tube- thank heavens.

Two nurses came and did a urine catheter and put in an IV port and took two tubes of blood. Haley thankfully came by and picked up Peyton before her conferences and Landree heard her and started saying, "Haeey, Haeey." I was so relieved that she was actually noticing someone. The nurse then brought us a container of apple juice that had been mixed with apple juice and told us she needed to drink it. People it was solid black- not a transparent black but a opaque black and she said that it would stain. Brian and I looked at each other like yeah right! She did drink it and within a minute I watched her pupils start getting bigger and within 2 minutes she was talking again. I knew that charcoal worked to absorb the drug but I had no idea it worked that fast. After about 15 minutes she was hollering for food. It was 2 o'clock and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. After awhile the nurse brought her apple juice, applesauce, and teddy grahams- yeah! all stuff she could eat. Landree wanted to drink but didn't want to eat anything. She was a happy camper as long as she had something to drink and her Abby Cadabby (Peyton saw it in the suburban and thought Landree needed it- thank goodness the 4 year old had the forethought that Landree would need a lovey- I hadn't even brought her blankie). Brian was trying to get me to go and eat lunch but all the moms out there understand that it was impossible for me to leave that room. Landree was cranky and now that I knew she was okay, I realized that I was exhausted and Brian joked that I should ask them for something for my cough. I did realize during this time that our nurse was the same nurse we had when Landree had to have her eyebrow glued together last September. The doctor came back through and said that her urine did test positive to opiates. Opiates- did he really have to say it way? Couldn't he have said codeine instead- sounds like she got into illegal drugs.

Landree started getting sleepy and we encountered a problem- they put the IV port in her thumb sucking hand. The nurse checked with the doctor and he said that it was okay for her to sleep but she couldn't go to sleep because she couldn't suck her thumb. As the afternoon wore on, she started getting more lethargic and then we realized that her pupils were shrinking again. Landree then threw up all over me, the bed, and the floor- somehow she stayed clean. Brian got the nurse and then the housekeeper came and the room was cleaned up. We could still see the housekeeper down the hall when Landree started projectile vomiting. After 5 rounds, she finally stopped and was very lethargic again. The doctor came in and said that she might be feeling the effects of the guafasein now and that he wanted to give her an IV of fluids and that after an hour if she wasn't any better than he wanted to keep her overnight. Well IV fluid does the body good. She started talking and making her little ham face and was back to normal. She did become oddly attached to a washcloth and called it, "My coff." She then realized Abby Cadabby had gotten some charcoal on her and she went nuts trying to get the "poopoo" off of her. My shirt was covered in charcoal vomit and Brian asked for a scrub top. The nurse said she would do her best and I finally just had Brian take off his undershirt and I put that on. About 30 minutes before we left she had finally found a top for me and I was relieved.

I was sitting on the bed and Landree was standing between my legs covering my head with a towel hollering, "Boo, Mama, Boo," when the doctor walked in. He said that he didn't think he even needed to ask if she was okay and that we were free to go home.

It was 6:30PM when we were leaving and I was EXHAUSTED. As we were walking out I saw the Doctor that glued her eyebrow and the nurse that helped when she broke her thumb- can you tell we have been to the ER TOO MUCH. Brian went to go pick up Peyton from the Willards- Haley said that she was wonderful at the conferences and didn't talk and interrupt and Haley fed her lunch and she got to spend the afternoon with Abby. So Peyton had a great afternoon and I was so thankful that Haley had those conferences and was able to get Peyton. I headed to Chik-fil-A to get supper and I thought that their plain grilled chicken sandwich would be nice and easy on Landree's tummy. We all got home and ate supper and Landree ran around all evening right as rain. She went to bed easy like normal and I have to admit that I checked on her many times that night. I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes all I could see were those big blue eyes and little bitty black pupils.

I am now worried that CPS will be knocking on my door soon. I am certainly not getting any mother of the year awards anytime soon. Everyone keeps telling me not to be too hard on myself. I know I can't watch her every moment of the day but it was ridiculous for me to have left that bottle on my bathroom counter. Needless to say Tuesday night, Brian and I did a search for all medicine within Landree and a stool reach and thanked God that we were home with our baby knowing it could have been much worse.