My mom and dad were kind enough to watch Caleb and Rachel the whole day so Arnold and I could both go (thanks guys!) Brooke wasnt allowed to eat anything after 6am, so Arnold got up at 530, drove to Mcdonalds to get her some breakfast, and came back and woke her up. He basically had to drag her out of bed, haha. But once she remembered that the TOOTH FAIRY had come that night and she found her money, she was excited. We hung out for the morning and got everyone ready. I told Brooke to pack up stuff to take with her.. that kid wants to take EVERYTHING.. like she is packing for a vacation. So i put a few things back when she wasnt looking ;) What does a kid need with a pack of bubbles and a few hairbows anyway?! I also went down the road to pick up a few snacks for us, and Im sure the lady looked at me crazy, because I was just throwing random crap into a cart.. not really thinking. I ended up with combos, chex mix, cheese crackers, reeses cups, peanut M&Ms... yeah... not the healthiest of choices!
Around 10 am we went and dropped the little kids off with Mom. Then we headed down to Lauryn's house. Lauryn used to work at the hospital where we were going, and said she would drive us down. She is awesome! Arnold has a temper, and gets really angry quick if we ever get lost or late, so I was SO happy to have someone else driving us ;) She was also going along for emotional support. I was a WRECK. I had that sick feeling in my stomach all night before, and almost didnt sleep. I needed the distraction, so Im so thankful she came along, she is a great friend!! Brooke enjoyed having her along too.. I think she liked all the special attention ;) Lauryn even got her a treat for being such a big girl.. a puzzle, some animal crackers, and gummy snacks.
The drive down there went pretty well.. and we arrived just a FEW minutes late, but it was all good. When we went to check in, Brooke had to go the bathroom, so I took her while Arnold and Lauryn checked in. They looked like the parents, trying to check in their "noexistant" kid.. so it was pretty funny :P Then a lady came over and was our "escort" and took us on the elevator up to the floor where we were supposed to be. I must say, I really liked that hospital! It was VERY kid-friendly. Bright, pretty pictures and embellishments everywhere. And the staff was very kind and welcoming, I felt a lot more at ease. When we got to the right floor, I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork. Ok, actually Lauryn did it for me.. once again.. thank you!! Someone came out and took us to a "prep" room, where they took Brookes vitals and asked us a bunch of questions. By then I could tell Brooke was getting nervous, because her cheeks were red, and she was talking in her soft voice. But she was so brave! The nurse talked to us, then the anesthesiologist came in and went over what would happen. Then we waited a few more mins, but they let Brooke pick a movie to watch-- like i said, very kid friendly!!
Finally they came back and took me and Brooke to the MRI room. They only let one parent go back, and of course it had to be me because I had to make sure she would be ok! They had her sit on the bed, and put the mask over her face to give her some laughing gas. I sat there with her. At first she just acted a little silly, then she started leaning over onto the nurse.. then they laid her back. For a split second I could see some fear in her eyes, then her eyes rolled back into her head, and she was out. Didnt take long at all.. about 20 seconds. They then hooked her up to heart monitors and an IV. There were about 5 people in there with her, so I felt a lot better. Then the guy took me by the arm and was going to lead me out, and I turned right around fast and smacked right into their trashcan and knocked it over! I said OH SORRY! I am so nervous! LOL. Im sure Im not the first though. So I went back out to the waiting room w/ Arnold and Lauryn. They had a lot of kids tv shows on.. including Max and Ruby. Im telling you, i just cant escape that stuff!!!
Eventually we went to the RECOVERY waiting room. There was another family in their talking very loudly about their son, so that was pretty entertaining. Although I did feel so sad for the situation, their son had gotten into a car wreck that morning and was getting surgery on his leg. Finally someone came back and got me and Arnold, and we were able to go see Brooke. She had woken up and was in hospital bed. She was sitting up and looking pretty good.. never was I so happy to see my daughter was ok! She looked a little out of it, but of course that was normal. This is the one part of the day I forgot to take my camera with me.. so no pics! :( They said she did GREAT and I was so happy to see she wasnt crying or screaming like they had warned me could happen. They gave her some goldfish and sprite to sip. They said if she could hold that down and not get sick, she would probably be ok. And she did great! She really woofed those things down.. cant blame her after no food all day! After they monitored her for about 30 mins, they gave us discharge papers, then brought a wheelchair up, and a nurse wheeled her out with me, while Lauryn and Arnold brought the van up to the front. She was a little dizzy and off balance for the afternoon, and later became goofy and hyper. But i was just so glad she did so well!
We stopped off at TGI Fridays for Lunch (Supper?) On the way out of Charlotte. I usually feel SO weird about eating at strange times of the day.. like 3:30pm, but I was so hungry, I didnt care! We had a great lunch, then headed home. We dropped Lauryn off at home, then headed back to pick up the kids. Mom was sweet enough to make us a dinner to take home.. which we didnt really eat but we saved it for later this weekend!
They said we should expect results in about a week or less. I am hoping its SOONER than later, because waiting is the hardest part!!! Please keep praying that Brooke will be ok and we receive good results! I dont think I could handle any more of this stress!!!
Right outside the Hospital
Brooke and her buddy Lauryn!
She was such a great support!!! Love ya!
At lunch afterwards
I'm so glad it went well. I'll be praying you get good results and fast!
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