Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Bravest girl in the World!

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What a week! Do you see this little princess in the photo above? Well, she has once again, amazed her momma. Thursday morning, she woke up complaining of belly pain, at the poke site we use for her SubQ chelation pump. I thought perhaps I had put the needle in crooked, or she slept on it, and it was pinching her. We stopped the pump early, but the pain continued. She cried off and on all morning. After lunch (which she refused to eat), she began to run a temp. Not much of one, but still a temp. That is when I began to get a little worried. By afternoon, she was walking all hunched over, the pain was still there, but seemed to come more in waves. She would be fine for a few minutes, back to her happy self, and then complaining of pain the next. By 4pm, I was getting very worried, so Dale took her to Springfield, to the ER. Five hours later, they were home, with no answers. Her urine screen was negative, and her blood counts were all normal. I had hoped they would do an ultrasound, to check her appendix, but they felt it was not necessary, since her blood counts were normal. Friday morning, she woke up still in pain, although she slept well through the night. Thank God we had an already scheduled blood transfusion in Peoria, at St. Francis Children's Hospital. When we got to the hospital, she could not walk without pain, so I had to find a wheelchair for her. Her hematologist examined her, and was also quite concerned over the pain. Once again, her lab counts were normal - with the exception of her Hg, which we knew would be low. Dr. Ross ordered an ultrasound, to ease both of our minds. I knew there was something wrong, when the tech left, and brought back 2 radiologists. Both agreed that her appendix were enlarged, irritated, and filling with blood, all signs that perforation was imminent. They recommended removing them ASAP. Panic hit me! All I could think of were worst case scenarios, and my heart broke for this little peanut who has already been through SO much in her seven years. We finished her blood transfusion, and were transferred upstairs, to the pediatric surgical floor. Wonderful, amazing friends stepped up for us. Marc and Sandra loaned Dale their van, so Dale could come be with us. They also took many of the kids for the evening, which was quite brave of them! Brett came to bring Meng a stuffed dog, which she fell in love with. He prayed with Meng, and his prayer brought me the peace I was needing. Meng's surgery began a little after 6pm Friday night. The surgeon I requested was available, and that also brought me peace. Dale and I hugged our sweet girl, who at that point was crying some fearful little tears. We prayed with her, and off she went to the OR. Then we spent some more time praying for her, and figuring out a plan of action for the upcoming days. Her surgery was quick and successful. Praise God, her appendix had not ruptured. She was able to have the surgery laproscopically, which was a blessing! She was in some pain, but not as much as we expected. Daddy kissed her goodnight and headed home (to rescue Marc and Sandra, and poor Patrick who took care of a screaming Daley), and she and I snuggled in for the night. Saturday morning, she amazed me. She ate a full breakfast. She never complained of pain. She wanted to go for a walk. She wanted to play games, and take a bath. We had to make her take pain meds. At noon, all the docs could find no reason to keep her hospitalized! By 1pm, less that 24 hours after major surgery, we were on our way home! Today, Meng spent most of the day mad at me! Mad at me because I would not let her ride a scooter, and climb on the swingset with her cousins. She doesn't understand why she cannot run and play, and I cannot understand how she can want to do these things so soon after surgery!!! LOL MengYan McKinney will never cease to amaze me. She is so incredibly smart, brave, and resilient. I know now how she survived in China, because she has the tenacity of a bulldog. She is a go-getter, and will not let anything stop her. God created her an amazing littler personality, that just doesn't let things stop her. I cannot wait to see what God has for her, in her future. It is gonna be awesome! She is a real treasure!