At 4:00 a.m. on 23 December, little Rachel, seven years old, came into our bedroom complaining of a stomach ache. However, this was not usual. She was in severe pain. I had not seen one of my children in such pain. She had been complaining of a stomach ache for the past two days and had vomited the previous night. Cathy and I thought that the same stomach flu that had ravaged through the family during Thanksgiving had returned with a vengeance.
But, her suffering was so great that we decided to call the TRICARE Nursing Hotline. Cathy talked to the nurse for a bit and then passed the phone to Rachel. There, at 4:10 a.m., in bed, I listened to the conversation in a grog.
“Yes.”
“Un-huh.”
“Un-huh.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I accidentally fell into the coffee table in the living room while playing hide-and-seek with my brother.”
“Mom, he wants to talk to you.”
I was instantly awake and started putting on my clothes. Suddenly, I realized that this was no longer an illness. We were dealing with an injury.
“Well, what did the nurse say?” I asked Cathy.
“He said to take her straight to the Emergency Room. Tell the staff that we suspect she has ruptured her spleen.”
We got dressed quickly and drove to Mary Washington Hospital. We were pleasantly surprised that they had opened up the new ER and were much quicker and more efficient than in previous visits. Of course, it could also have been Rachel’s severe pain and the suspicion of a very serious injury.
Rachel was seen by a doctor in a few minutes. He ordered blood work, an IV, and a CT Scan. Rachel had to drink a radioactive mixture called “contrast” in order to better illuminate the bowels during the CT Scan. Although they mixed it with grape and apple juice, it tasted terrible. (Yes, I tasted it. I have never tasted anything so bitter, even with the fruit juice.)
Fortunately, Rachel is very smart and understands and accepts things if you will just explain them to her. She drank the glass of contrast down quickly.
Unfortunately, her stomach could not handle it and it came back up.
The second glass of contrast did not go down as quickly.
Rachel was given morphine for pain. The nurses had a terrible time getting the IV in and taking blood. Rachel has small veins and is very afraid of needles – possibly from her surgery at 8 months old.
Her CT Scan came back normal, but the doctor informed us that her Lipase test was at 1652. A normal count was around 100. This indicated that her pancreas was injured, not her spleen.
As explained to us, when the pancreas is injured in such a way, it leaks enzymes into the surrounding body cavity. These enzymes are used in the normal digestion of food. Once in the body cavity, these enzymes start digesting the flesh around it, in this case, the pancreas itself. Thus, the tremendous pain that Rachel was experiencing.
The initial treatment is to completely empty the bowel and stomach in order to not trigger enzyme production from the pancreas. Then, monitor her Lipase to see if the numbers drop. If they drop, then continue treatment and gradually reintroduce food while continuously monitoring her Lipase. If they do not drop, then surgery is required to repair the damages pancreas.
They put a line through Rachel’s nose to pump her stomach and started feeding her intravenously. Then, around 1:00 p.m., they transferred her to the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Cathy called home to have the kids put a bag together for her. She stopped off at the house to pick it up and then was off to MCV.
The first day was rough and Rachel was very uncomfortable. She continued on Morphine. Friends helped with the children and with food. Thank you so very much.
However, when Rachel awoke the second day, she signed (sign language) to Cathy that she was “A-OK.” She was feeling much better. They stopped the morphine and her Lipase came back 600. Still, too high, but headed in the right direction. We were disappointed to learn that Rachel would have to stay in the hospital for Christmas. Even though she was looking like her old self, she still needed close monitoring.
I visited Rachel, with the rest of the children, on Christmas Eve. Then, the children and I came back home. After feeding the children and getting them ready for bed, I went back to MCV by myself – a trip of 52 miles – in order to bring Rachel’s “Santa gifts.” Santa Claus was able to visit the hospital that night for Rachel. She was so worried that he would not be able to find her.
The morning of Christmas the children awoke early, as usual, but the children only “had” the one gift from Santa. In our household, Santa usually brings one “large” gift for each person. That gift is usually unwrapped and laid out around the Christmas tree for the children. Each child saw his or her gift from Santa and was able to play with that gift only. Then, after breakfast, we put two family gifts per person, including two for Rachel and Cathy, into the car and went to MCV to see Rachel.
The second that I arrived in the hospital room on Christmas Day, our son, Michael, called from Washington State. Michael is serving for two years as a missionary for our Church. He is allowed to call only twice a year – once on Christmas and once on Mother’s Day. What a grand Christmas it was. We all opened presents in the hospital room and Michael opened the presents that we had sent for him in his apartment in Washington. The Lamoureux Family was together once more for Christmas.
Around 4:00 p.m., we were at the end of our phone call with Michael, when the doctor came in. He gave us a choice. We could either take Rachel home immediately, upon the condition that we strictly monitor her diet and have follow-up care with our family pediatrician, or Rachel could stay in the hospital another day. The choice was ours. What a choice! Of course, we chose to have Rachel come home with us! I picked up Cathy and twirled her in the room – we were so happy.
So, Rachel is back home with us. We were able to go home and have a very Merry Christmas after all.
At this time of year, and throughout the year, we are reminded that family is the only thing that matters.
We are very grateful that we still have Rachel after two brushes with death. We recognize, and are grateful for, a loving Heavenly Father that wants us to be happy and wants us to be together as a family forever.
Thank you for your support and prayers on Rachel’s behalf. Friends matter, too. In fact, our lives are ultimately measured by the quality of our relationships one with another. May your life be blessed this New Year. And may God’s richest blessings – blessings of family and friends – be yours.
Chris Lamoureux, 26 Dec 02.