I sit here awake in an uncomfortable hospital bed in the same room as my daughter, staring at the clock ....focusing on 3:03 AM. Yep, I am just one of those moms who won't leave the side of their sick child. I relate myself to a mother bear. For example, this morning at 6:30 am two white coated lab techs approached my offspring, searching for blood. Instantly , I awake on defense. I bark out orders....which I am sure to these innocent employees of Met hospital...sound remotely like the growls of a mother bear roaring warnings to the approaching danger to her cub. I growl out warnings of protection...stating that our room is safe room, and there are no needles allowed in our cave. I growl out protests of the early morning visit of mangled steel and plastic, demanding to see our nurse to confirm it is 100% necessary to stab my child for the liquid ruby gold? With returned growls from the lab techs, stating it is their job and they have orders to withdrawal blood. Now anyone who has ever watched National Geographic has learned never to step between a cub and her mother.....apparently these fine employees of Met have not had time to browse the public networks of great educational nature series. After requesting EMLA for my daughter ( thus to freeze the intended needle insertion site) and time to prepare my cub mentally for a needle....the lab techs still tried to get their way. With a massive swipe of my bear claws, and a growl that could wake the dead, they wisely retreated to venture into other caves, until our EMLA cream had time to take effect. A wise move on their behalf. This mother bear now slowly nudged her cub from slumber, and prepared her for what was to come.
After a short venture from our cave, the humbled lab techs returned, requesting access to my child....in which I allowed with my supervision. Two separate pokes, and the blood cultures, CBC's and medication levels where off to the lab to be processed. I thanked the techs for coming back , but reminded them that there is no other danger worse than that of a mother bear protecting the welfare of her cub.
Now you maybe reading this, thinking......okay Kimberly , obviously you have gone a little heavy on the drugs.....but in reality, most of the time I feel like a mother bear. At the hospital I am constantly patrolling my territory looking for dangers. Those may be viruses, bacteria, fevers, or contaminants. I am always swiping my claws in the air to remind strangers that they are not in charge of my cub....but I am, and ultimately I will do what is best for her, at any cost. I always have my hackles up, preparing to stand my ground, and the best part of being a mother bear is the snuggles and bear hugs I get to share with my cub...because these seem to have the most healing effect on her.A mother bear will stop at nothing to protect....I am just one of those mom's.
So in all seriousness, I am concerned about Annika. After the morning blood tests, she complained that she was tired and went back to sleep. She continued to sleep until 2pm. When we got the results from the morning lab, her white blood cells are crazy, her hemoglobin is really low, her albium level is way of and she is showing signs of infection....but the puzzling thing is where, and what is causing it. The fevers have broke today, but she is exhausted. Why , we do not know. So all day long we hung out in our cave. Thanking the Lord for modern technology and my big fish game account. We snuggled and giggled, and share the most important thing together....TIME. So the plan for Friday is more blood tests, and more waiting.
Roar....Roar....Roar!
