See, I told you I was sick.
Those of you who have been following along are aware of Little One’s chronic stomachaches. Remember the worst birthday ever? Most mornings she would take her temperature and then announce she was too sick to go to school and then there would be a long argument. Later I’d get text messages frantically telling me she was too sick to go on and needed to come home. This semester, she’s already missed nine days of school. I assumed these problems were at least partially an excuse to get her out of school every day.
Well, I might have been wrong about that. This weekend her condition worsened and I had to take her to the hospital. She was released yesterday afternoon after being treated for dehydration and undergoing a bunch of tests. There are still more tests ahead for her, like an ultrasound and MRI while they try to rule out gallbladder problems.
Her stomach problems have gone on for a month and in retrospect I didn’t take it seriously enough. Rather than singing another refrain of “I’m Such a Bad Mother”, I’m trying to reassure myself that I haven’t been ignoring this situation. There have been many consultations with the doctors and we’ve tried several different medications, none of which worked. I’m sad that she’s been suffering so much.
I’m also frustrated that after all that time at the hospital they didn’t fix her. They did, however, give her a prescription for anti-nausea medicine that they give to patients undergoing chemotherapy. I’m hoping this will help her through the five-hour drive to Ann Arbor for my family’s Thanksgiving celebration. I hope she’ll feel well enough to have an extra helping of mashed potatoes, probably one of her favorite foods in the whole world.
Then it’s back to the stress of her everyday life and a whole bunch more medical tests. What am I thankful for? That they have these tests. That I have health insurance. That they’re going to fix her eventually.
Happy Thanksgiving, all!
Published by angelawd on November 21st, 2007 tagged Abnormal Motherhood, Mom of Teens
November 21st, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Angela, I’m so sorry you and your daughter are having such a rough time. Don’t beat yourself up over it, it’s an easy mistake to make, stomache aches are so non-descript it seems to be every kids’ best excuse to get out of school, and if there’s no fever it’s hard to tell…
I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I’ll put in an extra intention so that they figure out the problem and your daughter feels better soon.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Oh, I’m so sorry, Angela. I hope she is feeling better soon. If it makes you feel any better, when I was a kid, I faked it ALOT, even though I was also genuinely sick ALOT. It made my mother crazy, because she had no idea when I was really sick and when I wasn’t. Kids see an opening and they take it sometimes. Makes it hard to be a mom. You are an excellent one. Hang in there! Have a wonderful time with your family.
November 21st, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I hope your daughter gets some relief soon. I did something like that with my daughter and she could have been helped sooner. I still feel guilty and she reminds me of it every once in a while. I am afraid I prove that I am only human time and time again. I hope there are many good mashed potatoes in her Thanksgiving future!
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:31 am
Angela, I’m a new visitor here. I did a search for blog moms of teens and landed right here! So many of my blogfriends don’t have teenagers!
I’m truly sorry about your daughter, and I hope you are able to find something to go on quickly. I have an 18 year old daughter who is a senior this year and breaks my heart pretty much once a week. I’ll be back to visit again.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Hey you are a great mom! Never doubt that! You did the right thing. I know all about stomach ailments - I have acid reflux and ulcers since I was a teenager. Stress starts it and the teenage years can be quite stressful. But for me, I never got diagnosed properly until after lawschool, when I finally got a bleeding ulcer.
I hope you had a great holiday and I hope your daughter gets better soon!
November 24th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Thank you for all your support, everyone. I’m feeling a little low about my mothering skills and you have really lifted me up. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
January 12th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Make peace, not war!