Day 1

Funny, I just posted about how I was going to stop writing to much about Sarah in the hospital and all of her medical issues, and here I am about to embark on a 15 day journey of doing just that.

Sarah was admitted to Akron Children's today around 8:45 am. We waited for several hours to get her central line in place (which was put in near her groin) because the hospital is very busy right now.  She and I both were pretty cranky as we were both hungry due to the fact that a procedure that was supposed to take place between 10 am and noon got delayed until 2 pm. I stayed with her while she got her central line, and it was pretty hard for me not to break down. She was put under sedation and doesn't remember a thing which is good.

Her plasmapheresis was delayed by a day which means that a 14 day hospital stay is now going to be 15 days. I know that the hospital staff isn't any happier about having to keep her longer than I am, but it was still a pretty frustrating day none-the-less. I feel like we just sat and sat there for hours on end. (I guess I feel that way because that is what happened!)

As always, Sarah was a trooper. She received an IV, had blood drawn from a different location than where her IV was, and had the central line put in. Her only complaint was that her leg was sore where the line was put in. No tears from her. No whining. She was a champ like always.

We were visited by a member of the Doggie Brigade. Sarah met a new friend named Clark. Clark happens to be a pure bred bull mastiff. He was one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. He brought a smile to Sarah's face which made me happy.

Sarah also had crafts brought to her room along with some new silly bands by the Child Life nurse at the hospital. She was happy to be able to work on something while waiting around for this and that to happen.

Tomorrow her treatment will begin around 9 am. It will last for about an hour and ten minutes to an hour and 15 minutes. She will then be free to go about her day. She will most likely spend some time with her favorite doctor, Dr. Locastro.

The other kids spent time with Bob today, and then Andy babysat for a bit. He did a great job. On top of taking care of Josh and Elizabeth he also straightened up the upstairs as well as did the dishes that the kids dirtied. I was grateful for his help. My in-laws helped to take the kids to their soccer practices. This was a godsend as it allowed me to get dinner (take-out) and have a few moments to straighten up a couple of things at home. My goal is to keep their routine as normal as possible.

My mom will be spending time with Sarah's in the morning tomorrow, so that Bob can work. This will allow me to spend the morning working on school work with the other kids. Tomorrow evening I will be staying with Sarah and Bob will be home with the kids.

As for the rest of the tonight, I plan on snuggling with the 3 kids I have at home. I will also spend some time thinking about how I need to have a better attitude about this whole process. I need to make sure I have a better attitude from here on out because getting cranky like I did today will help no one, and only make these next 2 weeks drag on forever.