Fall is here, and all is well...

Sorry I have not written more, but it's been a busy summer. Isabella is more of a joy to have in our lives each day.

I have put up some more recent pictures, in case any of you are looking. http://www.schaps.net/photos/isabella/ is the address.

All is well. Thank you for visiting. Tony and Angie

Bella's fever

I decided to start using the weblog again, because I want to remember some things.
First, I need to say that life with Isabella is delightful. She's a charming little girl who loves kitties. We are so blessed to have her.

We had a scary incident this past Sunday night, June 2. We had been up in Luck, WI, at Angie's relatives' house Saturday and Sunday. Bella had a temperature, but nothing too bad, and she was mostly in good spirits. When we got home from the trip home about 5:30 pm and Angie took Bella's temperature, she was at about 103°. Angie called the nurse line and they said to try alternating Tylenol with Motrin every few hours. Since Isabella was due for something, we gave her some Motrin. The nurse said we should bring her to Emergency if she reached 105°. I think her temperature remained stable for a bit, but then at 7:30 she registered 105.4°. Angie took the temperature two or three times in each ear and it was the same each time. I put it in my own ear, and it registered 98.3°, so if anything, it seemed Bella's temp might even be a bit higher than 105.4°! The worst part was the way she was acting: listless and lethargic, very unusual for her.

While trying not to freak out, we got ready and piled in the minivan to go to Children's. All sorts of terrible thoughts raced through my head, and we made good time to the hospital only breaking a few traffic laws. They weren't busy and we got right in with a nurse who measured her at about 104°. That was a relief. We were told that the Motrin dosage we were giving was not enough, so they put some more in her. Then we went to wait to the waiting room. We were lucky we got there when we did, because it got much busier after that. Soon we were in an exam room to first see a nurse and then a nice doctor from Chilé. He was great with her, and after a thorough checkup, he said they would run a blood test and urine test. The lab would know in under an hour if her white blood cell count was elevated (I guess indicative of something bacterial), and if it wasn't, he was suspecting it was a virus due to the odd rash Isabella had on her upper body. The nurses came in got blood and urine samples (which upset Isabella very much), and then one of them pushed a cart with TV/VCR and some "Baby Einstein" tapes, which she loved. When the results came an hour later, it was as expected: normal white counts. Her fever had also fallen dramatically by that point, and though tired, she was getting back to the Bella we know and love.

Two days later, we still don't know what she has, but it isn't getting much better. The staggered Tylenol and Motrin doses help stave off the fever, but she is still obviously not feeling well.

That's all for now-- good to be back to the keyboard writing about Isabella!

T

Going HOME!

I had to be at school today, but the surgeon was apparently pleased with Angie's progress, so she called a little while ago to say she can go home today. I am at school, so her parents have to pick her up-- darn it. But I will see her after school.
Yeah! The queen is returning to the castle!

#10 - Surgery Recap & Pics

For those of you just joining us, a brief recap so you don't have to read all the way down to post #1-- Angie was feeling increasingly rotten for the last few weeks, and she finally went to Urgent Care last Thursday and the doctor on Friday and was admitted immediately on suspicion of appendicitis-- but the surgeon found out that it was actually a perforated colon as a result of diverticulitis-- and they caught it early enough so it could be fixed and she only needs to be in the hospital a few days. If the colon had leaked out more, the situation would have been much more serious. She's been in a lot of pain but quite a trooper. We expect her to come home Tuesday or Wednesday. If you need more info, you can scroll down and read the earlier posts.

The good news is, she'll make a full recovery and only needs a modified diet. Angie's parents have been taking care of Bella and bringing her to visit twice a day, which has been wonderful. I start school Tuesday so will depend on our families even more to help out.

Thanks for all the kind words-- hope you enjoy a few pictures of Isabella visiting her Mommy.
T

#9- Monday's OK

Hi,
everything is progressing just fine-- Angie's plumbing has come back to life the past two days as they are introducing her to food again. She had oatmeal this morning, at least a couple bites, and that is the most substantial food she's eaten. That's the good news. The mediocre news is that she's not getting out today, and I'll be surprised if she's discharged tomorrow. Two doctors have told us that typical hospital stay for surgery of this kind is 5-6 days, and recovery time at home is a few weeks.

The bad news, if you can call it that, is that school starts tomorrow, and I have not been able to prepare these past few days as I needed to, so I am getting rather nervous...

The best news is that Angie will be just fine, and we are extremely blessed. More coming later, including a cute pic of Angie and Bella I took last night...

T

#8-Sunday morning

Angie had a fever and bad headache last evening, so they decided to give her some Tylenol, and that seemed to do the trick. Today she's a little better than yesterday morning, so I guess that's progress. When the doctor comes in today, we'll try to pin him down on a discharge plan. Angie would certainly like to stay another night, but that's about it. It's pretty strange living in a hospital-- the people are nice, but it's not home. And it's not our bed!

Speaking of home, I need to run home this morning and have the first shower since we checked in and get a few supplies. Gotta get going so I can get back here by the time Isabella arrives-- and then they have a prayer service in the chapel down the hall as well.

Cheers!

#7 - Update @ 5:00 PM

Our little Isabella Bellaboo Bellaballuba booboo doll came to see Mommy and Daddy today, and we sure enjoyed that. She got the broadest of smiles when she spotted Mommy, and she even smiled a lot at Daddy (I am sort of chopped liver compared to the "Dairy Queen" treats Mommy provides, and I am OK with that). I caught her just staring at me later, so I know she likes me, or thinks I'm quite an odd bunny. Isabella has been well taken-care of by Marcia and John (Granny & Papa). They are also taking care of our 'doggers' Hannah and Mud, who no doubt are wondering what's going on.

Angie was still in pretty rough shape this morning, but as the day has gone on, she's brightening up. The surgeon came in (when I had snuck out for a bite of lunch, so I missed her). She said basically the same stuff as we already knew, though we found out they have sent the tissue sample out for a biopsy on the very very slim chance there is something else wrong. Angie is still have 'ripping' pains in her abdomen from time to time, so it is likely she'll be here until Tuesday. Another doctor came in a little while ago to see if we had any questions about diverticulitis, etc. Angie will have to take it easy for a few weeks and eat a little more fiber, and fewer things with small seeds.

Anyway, Granny and Papa are bringing Isabella back for a visit this evening. I am going to try to sneak home and get a shower before then. We are thankful for the thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. The hard part is over, now the waiting for Angie to feel better. She is only able to walk a few feet without feeling sick, so that's something that needs to be overcome in the next few days.

More later---

#6 - 5:00 am - restless night

It's been a mostly restless night for Angie - hard for her to get comfortable, keeping the pain down with self-administered morphine bumps limited to one every ten minutes. The care team is quite excellent, and nurse Daphne has been very accommodating, especially of me and my assortment of bags and technology devices littered around. They also set up for me a pull-out chair 'cot' which has been much more comfortable than the one I had during Isabella's birth.

I was able to get a few hours sleep, though it took me a while. I foolishly drank a diet Coke I had in the car at about midnight - I think the caffeine kept me tossing and turning for a while. In any case, they are trying to get a new IV in to make her more comfortable. It looks like success!

Angie needs a lot of rest today, so I think I'll request minimal and short, quiet visits from those of you who choose to come. Psychologically, she's going to need time with her baby. And this room is not like the maternity ward; it's literally half the size.

Good, the nurses have left, and Angie feels more comfortable and is dozing off. Maybe a few more hours of sleep. T