Simply Scripture on a Sunday - v.10 {and then some...}

On Valentine's Day night, we attended a wonderful church event -
a Luke 14 Banquet.Even in that post, I suggested that Peyton just wasn't feeling like herself.We got home and while I busied myself preparing that blog post,the home nurse worked on getting Peyton ready for bed.Before long, Peyton had thrown up.She had a low grade temperature.
That night was rough.  I didn't sleep much.Peyton was extremely junky sounding and I was having to get up to suction her frequently.When morning came around, she was so not herself.She's hooked up to a monitor at night and I immediately saw that her heart ratewas extremely high.  It was 180 when it should normally be much closer to 100.Her temperature was 103.5.  One of her highest temps ever.More throwing up.
Rather than calling the doctor's office when they opened,we decided the best approach would be to get Moira ready for school and off on the busand then take Peyton to the ER.

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I arrived here with Peyton and got her checked in.Triage is off to the left.  The door out of the waiting room and over to the ER is to the right.We went right.Skipped triage altogether.

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While Ron was parking the car, Peyton and I went back into the ER.
We were taken to a room similar to this one:

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Within what seemed like seconds, there were about 7 or 8 doctors and nurses in the room.

Lots of questions being asked.

Peyton's port was accessed before I knew it.

{usually there is some sort of drama over that}

Ron came in in the middle of everything.

Somehow in the amount of time that had elapsed between leaving home and arriving here,

Peyton's condition worsened...

a lot.

She was extremely lethargic.

I don't honestly know if I've ever seen her like that -

and that's saying a lot considering how many hospitalizations she's had.

The nurses got fluids going immediately.

However, her blood pressure was really low,

while her temperature and heart rate were really high.

The orders were not just to start an IV line into her port to get fluids going,

but, rather, to give her a huge bolus of fluids into her line using a big syringe.

Somewhere over 300cc of fluids were given immediately.

Then the IV pump was set to administer a continuous drip.

The children's hospital was exceptionally busy and the only room available 

was in the step down unit of the PICU.

Now, by the time she got her room, she probably could have gone to a regular room.

But the way came into the hospital, this was actually where she needed to be.

Of all the hospitalizations she's had,

Peyton has never had to stay in the PICU - step down unit or full blown PICU.

This was something new for us.

An indication of how bad things were.

It wasn't until all of the chaos of the ER simmered down

and we were up in a room seeing the PICU team

that I truly realized how scary things had gotten.

One of the first things the attending brought up to me

was whether or not our DNR orders still held.

This was something that we'd dealt with back in September 2010

when Peyton was at the height of her repeated respiratory illnesses.

DNR orders being brought up to me this time was a bit of a shock to the system.

Can I remind you all that these orders are for my five year old!!!

I'm not going to spend time explaining or justifying our decisions for having those orders

as those are incredibly and intensely personal.

No decision we've come to {and there is a lot involved here}

was made with out plenty of medical consultation and 

and enormous amount of prayer.

The fact is, Peyton was incredibly sick when we brought her in this week.

Without being asked about those orders,

there were some incredibly difficult moments

when I was looking at her wondering if this was it.

There were moments this hospitalization {as there have been in others}

when she seemed so bad to me that I couldn't imagine how she'd bounce back.

Moments when you wonder if you're supposed to accept an outcome 

you're so not ready for.

I pray that none of you ever has to go through this with your child.

Part of my scripture readings this week was Psalm 34.

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Friends, I had so many people praying for Peyton.To be honest, there were probably countless others praying for her -more than I could imagine.
We were scared.But we trusted in God and we prayed for her.
God knows our fears.And He is able to deliver us from them.When I read Psalm 34, it really struck me.We are to pray to Him.He desires that we cast all our burdens on Him so that he may deliver us from them.
And deliver us, He did.
Can I just say that in the past, when Peyton's had these illnesses,she's never in the hospital for fewer than five days.And she's actually stayed in for eleven days once.
We came home on the fourth day.
Consider everything I just shared about the shape Peyton was in initially.DNR orders being confirmed.Pneumonia.  Bacterial infection.
FOUR days!!
To be home in that short a time, in my opinion,is nothing short of a miracle.
Praise God for His mighty works.Pray without ceasing.Don't worry.Just pray.His will be done.

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