NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.....:(

Well we got home from the Hospital and we started the Recovery... but something didn't seem right...Austin was struggling and I could see it right in front of my face... He was dropping weight, he was running to the bathroom alot and had NO APPETITE...I think he got scared to eat that he would be making more trips to the Bathroom....

I made a few calls into the Dr. office and they thought I should try more fiber and give it some time... watch for a fever but alot of it is normal after he had been through a ordeal of a ruptured appendix!! I thought oh... there probley right and so I started to think of more FIBER....By a few days I was getting more concerned and it was to where he had no energy and it would kill him to walk up the stairs, or even into the kitchen for that matter... I noticed his coloring was going really pale! By Sunday we couldn't even hardly get him to do anything and I mentioned to Troy now he just wants to sleep...(mind you NO FEVER YET....) So after he slept for 15 hours, by the next morning Troy had placed 3 calls into me to see if he was okay?? I was like he won't wake up he is tired... Troy placed a call into the Dr. office and called me right back that they would be running some BLOOD... and another CT... ughhhhhhhhhhh been there done this one....

Austins FAVORITE drink... NOT... he hated the CONTRAST he had to DRINK...

From there it all went fast, his blood came back at 20 WBC's (Normal is 7-10) and when we left the Hospital he was down to 14... They sent us over to CT and we drank the fun Contrast, as he layed on the couch in the Radiology... My emotions were so close to the surface as I sat there by myself feeling HELPLESS... How do Parents do this with little kids and CANCER?? I thought of Mary, and watching her son suffer for all of our sins, and this time of year... so much to do and now what did I have ahead of us?? My mind was going in every directions.. and really none of it mattered but AUSTIN at that MOMENT... The CT came back that he had a abcess from the Ruptured Appendix and that we needed to go in and drain it ASAP...I'm thinking okay were good and thought we'd be out of there soon...

They decided to admit Austin, they had to put a drain in him to get the infection out... We got up to our room, and he was in alot of PAIN... Troy arrived THANK GOSH... He is our COMFORTER when it comes to MEDICAL... I loved watching him at Austins side trying to comfort him and show his love to his son....:) one of those TENDER MERCIES that you want to FREEZE.... Dr. Peugh came up and told us it was alot worse then we thought there were 2 abcess on his Pelvis from the Appendix and he had lost 22 pds... he was a SICK BOY and would be in the Hospital for a week or so until they could get rid of the infection... I'm numb and Troy shows how WORRIED he is in this picture... Troy hugged me and said Mel, one day at a time... Christmas is going to work out but right now its about AUSTIN...and from there on out it was our focus... Lots of PAIN in his leg/butt area, the drain had to be place in the right cheek of his butt, since the abcess was right there... WE had great nurses and got to form a friendship

more on this 2nd trip to the Hospital... Austin was in and out on Morphine and it was just alot of hours waiting and PRAYING... On Thursday they went in for another CT... This was our worst day for the pain, and just trying to get Austin to drink the contrast for the test... we got it down him and within a few minutes it all came back up... tears were there for him and me with frustration of how we were going to get him to do this test... They decided that since it was in such a sensitive place and it was so painful for them to do this, they would wait the 6 hours from the contrast that he drank and totally knock him out.. I was hoping at this point that they would just take him into surgery... but Dr. Peugh said the RISK of surgery was not good, due to the infection spreading! So later that afternoon we headed back down to the Radiology and they were able to knock Austin out to where he wouldn't feel it and they drained a good amount of infection out of it, and felt like they reached the second abcess that it would communicate to the first one and drain out.. they also placed a bigger tube in him so it would drain the infection better... We were grateful and hopeful that this would help him to relieve some of this pain he was suffering...

We had success on that bigger drain being placed in, we started to see infection coming out of him and the nurses were happy when they had to flush it out and we were collecting alot more.. his blood count was looking great and we were feeling hopeful... but now Austin was struggling with EATING... He had NO APPETITE... he had a metal taste in his mouth from all the meds! They had to pic line him when we got there on Monday and they had starting a feeding tube to get his nutrients in him, but we knew there was no way to get him home for christmas with no eating... Dr. Peugh came and said it was a good thing we did the bigger tube and how happy he was to see the drain working and getting that infection out of there.. but the KEY now was the EATING.... he looked at me and told me to go get a tree and some decorations and we would be making the best of this CHRISTMAS in room 251.... I had a LUMP in my throat and when I saw Austin staring out the window with TEARS running down his face, I couldn't hold it in any longer.. I had tried for days to be STRONG... I was so WORRIED and so CONSUMED with everything happening.... I had NO SHOPPING DONE... I haden't seen MISSY and MCKAY for days and I was feeling OVERWHELMED... and now Austin with DEPRESSION on ruining all of our CHRISTMAS! Chelsey and Mitch came and sat with them that night so I could get a break and Me and Troy could TALK and decide what would be BEST for Christmas... I didn't want to do it... I wanted it to just disappear and do it another week... But how could we do it with our kids at home?? Troy the Positive was so good with me and just said hey will work it out will make it work, and it will be a CHRISTMAS we won't forget:)

This is Mother and Son and our Bracelets that we BELONG TOGETHER:)

Troy always by his side

Miserable Day....

He loved Chelsey and Mitch being there.... Distracting him with 24~and of course

Chelsey and her drawing on the board of Hangman, tic tac toe, and Pictionary...

A smile on his face on Friday when Nana and Grumpy brought him something to DO....:)

A long MONTH in December of Austin fighting this infection... But will take this trial and deal with it... you sit there in the Hospital and it gives you alot of time to THINK... I have decided that when your kids hurt you hurt DOUBLE... I'm GRATEFUL for our trial and that Austin will be okay it might take time but he can fight this... those that struggling daily with Cancer I don't know how they do it... We are doing his EAGLE PROJECT and focusing on those little ones that have a long road ahead of them...