STARGAZER:

A View Into My Universe

The Difference in a Day

There’s no way I can explain what was wrong with my fireplace. The tech went on (and ON) in excruciating detail about the seal, my long chimney, the oxygen having to mix with something, blah, blah. I was more interested in whether the fireplace would work, as was Mari, staring longingly into the firebox.

And VOILA! For a mere $86, Mari and I were back in business!

Yesterday was an extremely active day; with the rain coming in today, I mowed both the front and back lawn, did a little light weeding and even went for a walk afterward. Then we come to today…

This morning, my son-in-law called (he never calls) to let me know that Older Daughter was unable to rouse Obro. She loaded him in the car to take him to the hospital but decided to call 911 instead. It was fortunate she did since Obro’s blood sugar was dangerously low. The EMTs told her that if it had dropped even more in the car, he could have had seizures. They were so kind and also gave Obro this stuffie, a comfort animal that many emergency service personnel carry. Our sweet boy doesn’t remember the trip in the ambulance (since he was out of it ) but I’m sure the experience is burned into his mother’s psyche. In the meantime, OD’s neighbors were calling and texting to ask how they could help. A good friend across the street took charge of Sharky and escorted him to school. Other people offered support and caring thoughts.

By the time Obro arrived at the children’s hospital with the EMT’s glucose syrup bringing up his blood sugar, he was much more his hilarious self; he was ravenously gobbling down banana bread. When I tentatively texted OD about whether she needed company, she responded, “R (husband) is good company but I want my mom.”

This 3-year-old was awfully brave about the poking and prodding. After six hours in the hospital though, he firmly told his mother, ” I need to talk to the doctor!” Later, when the doctor arrived, he informed him that he wanted to go HOME.

As someone who HATES to have my finger pricked or an IV inserted, I was very impressed with Obro. I wasn’t as thrilled with the hospital’s parking situation or how easy it was for me to get lost, end up at the wrong garage, wander around asking people where to go, and the biggest issue: why didn’t I use the bathroom before I left the hospital?

Although it’s great to be home, I’ll leave soon to babysit Ian so that his older brother and parents can attend a cousin’s choir concert. As for the rest of the week, there are many, many question marks. I’m reminding myself that as much as I dislike uncertainty, c’est la vie. Sigh.

Comments

47 responses to “The Difference in a Day”

  1. Doug M Avatar
    Doug M

    My God Margaret, this was a sweet but scary read. Obro is a brave little boy, and you get big kudos for venturing out to be there, but how does such a thing happen in someone so young? Gosh I’m relieved he’s okay. I’m happy for Mari too, I also like your fireplace but man!!

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Thanks, Doug. I was concerned but have faith in our children’s hospital; it’s excellent. The parking situation was awful, but as you know, I’ve dealt with hospital parking WAY TOO MUCH. I get frustrated, then I simply handle it. The doctor explained that in very little kids (Obro is small), the liver hasn’t yet stored the glucose that it uses to balance out the insulin from the pancreas. We adults have plenty stored in the liver. So, anything like a virus (in his case a cold), a lot of activity or less food than normal can throw off the blood sugar in a small child. Of course, our blood sugar drops anyway at night which compounds the problem. Doctor said to make sure he has some complex carbs near bedtime for while. This gave OD quite a scare. I didn’t tell her (although I could have), “Get used to it.”

  2. Pixie Avatar

    Is he diabetic? Or is he diabetic now? Has he been sick and vomiting? Not eating? Poor little bugger. Poor mama and grandma. That’s so scary.
    One morning when Katie was around nine months old and I went to check on her in morning, she was grey and listless. Scared the shit out of me. She was dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea. When they’re little like that, they can get quite sick with scary outcomes. I’m so glad they called an ambulance.
    Sending hugs Margaret.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      No to all of those. He has a cold (basically), perhaps was extra energetic or didn’t eat enough at dinner, although he’s usually a great eater. According to the doctor, little ones don’t have the stores of glucose in the liver that adults do; the liver balances out the insulin and glucose. The problem goes away when children get older and bigger. I think I mostly understood how he explained it. Vomiting and diarrhea can make babies (and anyone) dangerously ill with dehydration. Yes, and they get sick SO quickly. Hugs back at you, my friend!

      1. Pixie Avatar
        Pixie

        I’m glad I never knew about this possibility when Jack was little. Such a scary outcome, but easily fixed thank goodness.

      2. Margaret Avatar

        It’s probably especially common in the super energetic type kids like Jack and Obro.

  3. JT Twissel Avatar

    Whew – how frightening – hoping for the best!🙏

    1. Margaret Avatar

      After we got back to their house, I took care of Obro so Older Daughter could lie down. I think the stress and worry wiped her out.

      1. JT Twissel Avatar

        I can imagine. I hope that never happens again!

  4. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    Those things are so scary! I’m glad everything turned out ok.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      I was concerned but know that Mary Bridge is an excellent hospital. No surprise, they’re great with children and make everything a game.

  5. Maureen Avatar
    Maureen

    Good lord, what a scary ordeal! The pictures show that Obro improved very quickly, thank goodness. Enjoy your time cuddling with Ian and know that you are such a blessing to your family.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      It took a while for him to get back to normal. By the time I got there though, he was his sassy self. He was so cooperative and good with all the tests though. I was amazed! I try to be as involved as possible while still leading my own life. It can be a balancing act; thankfully, my daughters always respect my activities and time.

  6. Linda Avatar

    What a terrifying ordeal. 😳
    I am glad you and Mari have your fireplace.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      We’re enjoying the fireplace right now, Linda! My house is warm enough, but I love the ambiance. (as does Mari)

  7. Jay Avatar
    Jay

    I’m glad she chose to make the call. It’s normal to believe we can handle it all, but you never know. Four I have let them take Carl, just in case, and parking can be daunting, especially when you’re stressed. Once I wasn’t even sure where the hospital was – and didn’t get to ambulance chase.
    I’m glad the fireplace is working again. Maybe that will cause the outside temperatures to warm up a bit.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      I am too. I told her that as did the EMTs. I don’t know how much an ambulance ride costs or how their insurance works, but they have the money. I very much dislike hospital parking. Seattle hospitals are expensive although less stressful for parking than the free ones in Tacoma. The cool mornings are when I usually have the fireplace on. Later at night also.

  8. Luftmentsch Avatar

    Is Obro OK? Is he still in the hospital? (I saw from earlier comments that he’s not diabetic, which would have been my next question.) I’m thinking of all of you.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Thanks so much for your concern! He seems OK today and I’m sure they’re carefully watching what he eats. He was released yesterday afternoon, thankfully.

  9. Robin Avatar
    Robin

    Margaret, how scary! Hope everyone is ok now.❤️ Glad to see Mari has her fireplace back.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Obro seems to be OK this morning; he’s back to his usual sassy self.

  10. sillygirl Avatar
    sillygirl

    That was a scary thing to read!!!!!

    1. Margaret Avatar

      My daughter was terrified when she couldn’t wake him up. Too much excitement!

  11. AC Avatar

    This is very alarming. I’m that everyone rallied and you all coped well. We’ve just been watching ‘The Pitt’ so my alarms were really going off. Hopefully, all will be calm today.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      I could use a calmer day! We did cope–with the help of the wonderful and kind EMTs and the excellent medical staff at the hospital. They were very reassuring. Obro’s tests for the scary stuff came back fine, so that was a relief.

  12. PipeTobacco Avatar
    PipeTobacco

    Hopefully, as you say… it may be from his cold and perhaps not eating enough due to that (along with low glycogen stores in the liver… as can be typical for his age). Hopefully his medical team will get the tests done just to reassure all of you it is neither hyperglycemia (unlikely) or even more unlikely a form of diabetes. I feel and am very hopeful that it was a temporary challenge due to the cold and not the other two….. but the screening will give you further reassurances.

    PipeTobacco

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Thanks, PT. You’re right about the myriad of causes that probably led up to this. He’s an energetic child and usually a voracious eater. The tests for scary things came back fine, so that was a relief. He had an excellent medical team; we were very thankful.

  13. Betty Renfroe Avatar
    Betty Renfroe

    That was so scary. I hope there is a plan in place for prevention.

    So glad he was able to resurrect the fireplace. Sounds sort like Lazarus in the Bible. Dead but now alive. Just rejoice and don’t question 😊😊

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Thanks, Betty. For a while, he’ll need to have some complex carbs before bedtime to make sure his blood sugar doesn’t drop too much at night. My daughter was terrified and I’m glad she called 911. I’m sitting by the fireplace right now–heavenly!

  14. addofio Avatar

    So glad you’re all ok! My brain jumped straight to childhood diabetes (my mother was a type 1 diabetic), so I’m glad you passed on the doctor’s explanation. Loved OD’s “. . . but I want my mom.” I’d send you all hugs, but since none of you have ever met me, that might feel al bit weird to y’all, especially the grands 😊

    1. Margaret Avatar

      I’m just glad that my explanation made sense; some of the doctor’s explanation went over my head but I think I got the gist of it. While OD was comforting Obro, she herself needed comfort and the reassurance of the mom presence. I like hugs and appreciate them!

  15. Kaye Avatar
    Kaye

    Oh my! How stressful for everyone. I have never heard of that happening to a child but happy to hear he is fine. I’m glad you could be there for all of them.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Thanks, Kaye. I had never heard of it either; now I know more than I ever wanted to about the function of the liver regarding blood sugar. Never had a clue. I didn’t want to intrude on them, but OD wanted me there, so I could give maternal support to her while she was giving maternal support to her little one.

  16. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    Your daughter made the right call by having the ambulance transport Obro to the hospital. Scary stuff. It sounds like everything is under control and Obro has proven to be the best little patient.
    I’m glad you were able to be there for your daughter. You helped ease a very stressful situation for her. That said, finding your way in a big hospital is never easy.
    For only $$ your fireplace is working. I hope this will be the long term fix you and Mari hope for. It looks so cozy.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      In another positive about calling 911 (as we discovered with my husband and mom), arriving by ambulance means you’re fast tracked into the ER versus waiting in the Waiting Room for hours. I was supposed to be doing a few other things yesterday, but they got postponed. I’m terribly parking phobic and this situation reinforced that. I was happy that the repair bill was under $100. Spring is expensive for me with property taxes, car insurance, income tax quarterly, etc.

  17. kayak woman Avatar

    When my mom became a frequent hospital flyer in the last months of her life, it was always easy to find a close, free parking place outside the small hospital in her small city. The hard part was the five-hour drive to *get* to her small city. Glad all is well.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      When Mom was in Covington hospital last January, the drive up there wasn’t fun, but the parking was very easy, and it was no issue finding her room. Smaller hospitals are great in that way!

  18. ceci Avatar
    ceci

    I’m limp just reading about your grandson’s and daughter’s ordeal. And yours of course…. And yes it’s so much better to arrive at the ER in an ambulance, usually avoids that horrible limbo in the waiting room. Of course best of all is not to need to go.

    I love you and your cat’s shared devotion to the fireplace.

    Ceci

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Definitely a terrifying situation. Seeing that darling little boy hooked up to all those machines and wires in the hospital was also sobering. I’m so happy that he’s better now but with four grandsons, I’m sure there will be other scary times. 😬 I don’t look forward to that. I don’t know which one of us loves the fire more!

  19. Steve Avatar

    Wow! That must have been so scary! Reading this I had the same thought that others did — that perhaps diabetes was somehow involved, but I’m glad to see from your comments above that’s not the case. I hope Obro stays healthy and I’m glad your fireplace is working!

    1. Margaret Avatar

      It was truly terrifying! Since diabetes would involve high blood sugar, not low, I wasn’t worried about that–more about what underlying condition or illness could be causing it. Low blood sugar is much more dangerous than high in the short term. Obro seems to be having a normal week after that scare, thanks! Mari is madly in love with the fireplace; I have to keep it working for her, right? 😉

  20. Midwest Mark Avatar

    What a scary experience. I’m glad Obro received good care (and a new stuffed animal!).

    1. Margaret Avatar

      It was! I wonder if my daughter’s blood pressure is back to normal yet. Obro loves stuffed animals and loads them onto his bed so that there’s barely room for him.

      1. Midwest Mark Avatar

        Maybe in a past life he was Noah.

    2. Margaret Avatar

      Well, it has been raining a lot here lately–another atmospheric river? Bah!

  21. Anne Bennett Avatar

    Scary. I hope answers are forthcoming.

    1. Margaret Avatar

      Thank you, Anne! I’m relieved that it was nothing serious, like a condition or illness. Just a weird fluky thing.

Leave a Reply to KayeCancel reply

Discover more from STARGAZER:

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading