Alexa update

Yesterday brought about the close to what has to be the longest, almost most stressful week of my entire 30 years.

It all started the 16th when Alexa refused to eat lunch citing she didn't like it. The rest of us thought the ham quiche was delicious, she wanted peanut butter. I stuck to my guns and said no lunch unless you eat what I am serving (trying to end being a short-order cook). Later that evening we went to a cousin's son's birthday party. Alexa kept complaining about her belly hurting and needing to lay down. She did for about 5 min at a time and then got up and zoomed all around. She managed to eat some cake and a half slice of pizza.

Honestly - I figured she was just really hungry. Saturday she went to my mom's for a sleepover with her cousin. Again she complained about the belly pain, would lay down, then run all around. This last 3 hours - then she vomited all over my mom's kitchen floor and living room chair (thankfully leather, easy to clean!). Chris went to fetch her home and we ended up dealing with vomit all night.

Sunday seemed to dawn a better day. She insisted on having mac and cheese for lunch and again with dinner. No complaints about anything (except about wanting to watch "her shows" on tv). In the wee hours of the morning it started again. And she kept vomiting everything up but water until yesterday (the 25th).

The week included 2 doctors visits and one ER trip for rehydration. The ER thought they could get away with some zofran and pedialyte, but that just came back up while getting ready to leave. Instead she ended up hooked up to an IV, which according to Alexa "she screamed her head off about". Their diagnosis: stomach virus and a UTI. Apparently they had to collect urine twice. The first one they felt was contaminated. Retesting showed no infection till it was cultured. She never once complained about anything hurting when peeing. The only thing she complained of was belly pain around the belly button. No fever, no diarrhea. And the strangest yet best of all - no one else in this house got sick. Obviously whatever she had wasn't contagious. So did the UTI cause the stomach issues? Or vice versa? I have no idea and the drs seemed a bit baffled as well. We narrowly avoided having to take her back to the ER for hydration and possible overnight with hard work of sipping water.

And so today she's off to school with orders to take it easy and drink water, only eating if she feels up to it. She's slowly being herself again - friendly and loveable, instead of bossy and bitchy. I really do feel for whomever she ends up with in life - like her dad she is a lousy sick person! She hated being in bed and I don't really blame her, as she is normally a pretty active child. She's lost a good amount of weight in my opinion, probably about 6 lbs. Enough that I had to readjust her pants today (thank you adjustable waists!) so that they would stay up on her.

We'll get to go back to the dr the first week of February to make sure she's infection free. And hope that whatever struck here doesn't strike again.