The Concannons have succumbed to one of the worst stomach viruses floating around. Of all the times I've been sick, well...this time took the cake. Now that Barry, Isla and I are on the mend from this intestine-eating menace, I'm taking time to reflect. Reflect with me...
Day 1 (that becomes Day 2): It's a Friday. We leave a memorial mass in Buncrana and depart for Derry. Immediately upon departure, Isla begins puking her guts out. Like, serious non-stop puking. We stop to clean it up. Once clean, we depart again...said puking begins again. It doesn't relent. I panic...convinced she is dying. I demand we go to the hospital. Thus begins the longest ride between Buncrana and Derry ever. To say I was clattered in vomit would be an understatement, so you can only imagine how bad Isla was. We arrive at the hospital...screaming baby, panicked mommy in hand. We are seen immediately but only to be kept waiting in the emergency room for 6 hours waiting on the Children's Ward to let us up to be admitted (I think we're in Day 2 at this point). While waiting, Isla pukes more, over and over...so much it becomes bright green bile and that is what we look at for the next 5 hours. Any normal person would be disgusted...put off eating. But, not me. I'm a beast...a starving beast...and I decide to eat a sandwich whilst covered in green baby bile vomit. Barry is repulsed. I was starving. I think I mentioned that. Finally, upon arriving in the Children's Ward, Isla stops puking. Thankfully and just in time....because that day is her birthday (yes we're definitely in Day 2 now). She turned 1 in the same place she was born, however it wasn't really a day worth celebrating as she was so sick. She's hooked up to a fluid drip. Barry goes home to sleep. I stay. Barry has to return home because Isla's birthday party starts at 2pm on Saturday, when he finally gets home, its 5am on Saturday. We could have cancelled the party, but we had a caterer coming and paid for and about 30 people set to arrive. Even with the wee guest of honor missing, the party would have had to have gone on.
Day 2 (officially): Barry wakes up and gets the house ready for the party. Meanwhile, in Ward 6, Isla wakes up and pulls me from my pretzel-like sleep position I've managed to find most comfortable in the most uncomfortable chair in the world located beside her bed. You would think they would provide at least a footstool for the parents that stay in the Children's Ward with their babies...hmmm. Isla tries to pull her IV out. I'm exhausted and have to think of creative ways to distract her from this new, dangerous toy she's discovered. Nothing works. I beg the nurses to let us go home...of course I know they can't...she has to be seen by the Doctors...so, I wait and thank God that my phone has enough Internet access to get YouTube. I pull up an episode of In The Night Garden (which also happens to be the theme to her birthday party) as I glance at the 'No Mobile Phones Allowed' sign. Eventually, she tires and sleeps. So do I. The Doctors come in 2 hours. Hurry the f*&% up, I think to myself. Barry phones and wakes us up. Everything is ready for the party. The Doctors come. They want to watch her more. I tell them about her party...its her birthday...she hasn't thrown up since 3am...let her go home. She's keeping fluid down...let her go home. They want to watch her. They come back in 2 hours. She can go home. We arrive home at 1:50pm. Did I mention her party started at 2pm? Did I also mention I have been awake all night and neither Isla nor I have bathed and we're clattered in puke? I use those ten minutes to do a quick wash and try and make us both presentable. The guests arrive...the party goes on. Isla goes to bed. The guests go home. I crash. I wake. Barry and I order chinese. We go to sleep.
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| The birthday girl at her first birthday party. |
Day 3: It's 3am. I wake up. F&^$, I think. I have to puke. I beeline to the toilet. Hello again, chicken and black bean and boiled rice and spring roll. I'll never be eating you again. I've got the bug. I crawl back to bed. It's 9am. I waken just enough to hear Barry heaving down the toilet. He's got the bug. Isla is better. WTF are we going to do? We're both incapable of watching a child now! The house could have burned down and we would have been completely incapable of escaping with the shape we were both in at the time. I text my friend and ask her to watch Isla. She agrees and comes to get her. Thank God! I go back to bed...Barry goes to floor. Bathroom floor to be exact where he spends the next hour. After a few hours, I decide to take a bath. I haven't had one since Friday. I'm rotten. There's not enough hot water for a bath. I don't care. I sit in a tub of cold water because I can't move. I get out...back to bed. I'd rather go through childbirth again then have this evil bug again, I think to myself. Instantly, I slap myself across the face. I must be delirious. Anyone that knows me knows how I feel about childbirth. NEVER AGAIN (without getting drugs sooner than I did before anyway). It's been six hours and Isla has to come home now. We still can't take care of her. I text another friend to come to the house to watch her. She does. Hallelujah! She arrives just in time to be serenaded by the gentle sound of me dry-heaving in the bathroom. She entertains Isla while I remain in the bathroom for the next two hours. I have no clue where Barry is...he could be in bed...no idea. We're still not better when it's time for Isla to go to sleep. I tell my friend I'll give her anything she wants to spend the night and take care of Isla. She agrees. Isla begins puking again. "F*&^ sake!" Barry and I shout. Not again. Thankfully, it's just the once. She sleeps. We sleep.
Day 4: We awaken feeling better. Not great, but better. We get the news that several people that were at Isla's birthday party are sick. They've got the bug. What can I say? We know how to throw a party...we give away the best party favors, too! We hope Isla will be able to have her first piece of cake today leftover from her party and possibly even open her presents, but we're still not well enough. We'll have to put it off. I have to pull it together though. I have to teach Zumba tonight! Feel better, feel better, feel better. It's time to change for Zumba. Barry and I are upstairs in the bedroom. I'm getting dressed. I feel better. I think I can teach. Barry makes a comment to me as I'm getting dressed that makes me realize that me having this stomach bug was all worth the trouble. What was it? He said: "You're looking rather toned now after being sick all day yesterday." Thanks, babe...although now as I type this in Day 6...I'm sure the toned look has left me since I've began eating again. Must go now. I have a Cadbury Double Chocolate Mini Roll waiting for me and an order of chicken and black bean coming from the Chinese takeaway.
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