Simon went to Ann Arbor this last week end to visit his friend from Norway that is an exchange student there. His friends Americanized name is also Simon. Well, they went to the Michigan football game on Saturday and then came home for dinner. Around 8pm, Simon started to have abdominal pain but still went out and played pool and table tennis with Simon and his friend. At 1am Simon woke up with severe abdominal pain and vomiting After being that way for 2 hours he finally called me. He at first told me I could pick him up in the morning but after talking a little more he said that I could come then. I arrived in Ann Arbor about 4:30am and saw there was a light on in the living room so I went to the door and noticed Simon's host mom was on the couch and I didn't knock as she was getting up. Well, she opened the door and I said something to her and I scared her half to death. She hadn't seen me she was just letting the cat out as the cat had woke up. Simon had never talked with her and she didn't know I was coming. I went upstairs to get Simon but he was in the bathroom, poor kid. I got his stuff and when he was up to it, we left. On the way home I was debating if he had a bug or what. But Simon was in the hospital in March with the same abdominal pain and vomiting and they couldn't find anything wrong and then told him that if it happened again that he should go to the hospital. So, I debated in my head what to do, home, Hurley or Mott Children's in Ann Arbor. I decided against home so now, Hurley or Mott Children's. I would feel more comfortable at Hurley and it's closer to home but I don't really like the pediatric surgeon at Hurley and if there is something that is hard to find, what better place to go than Mott, one of the best hospitals in the whole country. So, back to Ann Arbor we go (I was only about 10 minutes away.) After I finally found the ER I pulled in and they had free valet parking and someone from security was right there also. Simon wasn't walking very well and security got Simon a wheel chair and insisted on pushing it himself. We were triaged right away and sent to the peds er. Once we got there, they offered to put Simon right in a semi private room with a 2 year old or we could wait 5 minutes for another bed to empty, and that's what happened. When they asked Simon how much pain he was in on a 1-10 scale with 10 being the worst, he said 9. I was very surprised because he never complained at how much pain he was in and he just lies there. He is one tough cookie. Since he was having abdominal pain they had to put in an IV and give him fluids and drew some lab work. When the tech was going to start the IV he was doing in the part where all the hair is and I couldn't believe it. I almost said something but I figured that isn't the best thing to do just before he poked him. I didn't want to make him nervous and not hit the vein. Well, he didn't get the vein and had to poke Simon again but at least away from the hair in his arm. His lab work came back and his white count was elevated (13) so they wanted to do a cat scan to rule out appendicitis. Simon was suppose to drink one cup of contrast and then in an hour drink another. Poor Simon as he had been vomiting for hours but the last time had been 3 hours ago so maybe it would work. He was able to get the first cup down, only saying something about the taste once. After he finished the cup he was nauseated and in a lot more pain. So, when the doctor came in, I asked if Simon couldn't have something for the nausea and he also apologized for not giving him something for pain yet. Before the next cup of contrast Simon got his nausea medication(Zofran) and some Morphine for the pain. The morphine was a super small does and the nurse pushed it very slow, over 4 minutes but it still gave Simon the weirdest feeling and a headache. That only lasted about 5 minutes and then he started to drink his 2nd cup of contrast. After drinking a small amount, Simon asked me for his bucket and then to remove his hoody that was on top of him and he was so non nonchalant about it I didn't worry too much. Simon then puked up all the contrast. After the nurse called radiology, they said for him just to drink a couple of sips and then take him for his CAT scan. After he returned, the ER resident said that his appendix was thickened and that they were calling surgery. It didn't take too long for the surgery resident to come in and he was talking with us and he got paged and left the room before he was done. While he was out they came in to wheel Simon to surgery and we didn't even know he was going then. Simon had a question to ask the doctor (if the surgery could wait until after soccer season which the answer was no) and we hadn't talked to Simon's parents yet as I wanted to have all the test results back and what they were going to do first. We got a hold of Simon's mom, Liv before they wheeled him out and off to pre op holding for surgery. They let me sit with him there but he wasn't there long and off to surgery he went. It was about 12 noon then but I thought it could have been only 8 as everything seemed to go fast. I was so sure the clock was wrong that when I called Floyd, I asked him the time and I was the one that was wrong. After surgery, the surgeon came out and talked with me and said that everything went well and he had acute appendicitis. I guess that Simon's appendix was pointed downward and that is why he didn't have the typical abdominal pain for appendicitis and had they done a rectal exam he would have had excruciating pain. I was finally able to see Simon again at 2pm when they were taking him back to his room. Once we got to his room we could hear his room mate yelling, moaning and crying and that never stopped the whole time we were there except for when he had his morphine and went to sleep. It made for a very long 24 hours. Of course Simon slept quite a while as he still had a lot of anesthesia in him so he wasn't able to hear his room mate then. When Simon did wake up I ordered him a tray and he sat up and then had some abdominal pain and nausea but he still tried to take a few bites of jello. He then took a pain pill and went back to sleep and was able to sleep through his room mates antics. When he woke up this time, he was hungry. He ate his yogurt, macaroni and cheese and finished his jello and he was still hungry. We thought there was a Wendy's in the hospital and he decided he wanted the big sandwich, the baconator. Well, they closed the Wendy's and he didn't want me to leave the hospital so he had 3 bowls of cereal. He was finally full but now he was awake and all we could do was listen to that guy. We had the tv on and watching poker but in the background, was the guy still yelling and being very rude to the nurses. Simon had told me to go and get a motel room so I could get some sleep the nurse in me couldn't leave, I know the difference when parents are around and not. Finally, at about 2:30am I wasn't able to get any rest with the screaming kid and I knew I had to drive home and had only slept 4 hours the night before I had to do something else. The charge nurse was getting me a list of motels but she offered me a small bench in an empty room and that is what I did and I was able to sleep 2 hours. Simon was asleep at the time so I didn't feel so bad. When I got back he was still asleep but I found out that he hadn't slept the whole time as the kid was yelling again. That room was horrible. When the surgeons made there rounds at 8am they said after he ate breakfast and walked he could go home. I informed him that he had done all that very well and that we wanted out as soon as possible because of our room mate who was yelling at the time and they all laughed and understood. After an hour the nurse came in and I told her if they didn't write the orders soon, that I would just take him home as we had had enough. We finally left at 1 and we were so anxious to get home and have some peace and quiet and some good rest, which did happen. Simon got home and went to the couch so he could have Tivo once again (he really missed that in the hospital) and the OC was on. Right now it is 7 in the morning and Simon is sleeping. He had so much pain yesterday that we decided he was staying home another day and we will take each day at a time. He is out for soccer but will be back before the end of the season. He says he has had such bad luck with soccer so far.
Simon's friend had called Simon while we were in ER because he never knew Simon had been sick and Simon didn't tell him he was leaving so when he woke up and found Simon gone, he couldn't figure out what happened. And he was very nice and came and visited Simon after surgery, along with his host dad, Tom.
Simon has talked with his mom a couple of times but his Dad has been in Denmark so we left messages on his cell phone. Simon had a number for is Dad in Denmark but it was in an e mail and he hadn't written it down. Who would have expected something like this. But he will be able to call him today so he can hear Simon's voice and know that all is well.
This has been quite the experience for Simon and I once again was somewhat of a nurse, poor Simon. :-) But he is now on the road to recovery and should not have this abdominal pain again.
Our experience at Mott Children's was a very good one except for his roommate and I'm glad I decided to go there.
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