Part 2 - our experience w/Perforated Appendix

The night after the surgery K slept a lot and we were all so relieved and even thought the worst was over and by the end of the week we would be home.... 

DH came the day after Mr K's surgery. With the Covid situation and in hospitals there are many restrictions. No 2 parents can be there at the same time for more than an hour and no siblings were allowed to visit. This made it soo hard, especially for me because I couldn't leave his side even going to the bathroom I would rush no more than 1 min away. I had no way of getting any food for myself either. When DH came that night he brought me lots of snacks my clothes and My Sister packed me a great care package.  A friend of mine even  had her doctor cousin that works on another floor deliver me a coffee one morning !!! Truly soo blessed. 

Gotta throw  in a Tim’s coffee pic

Mr K was showing progress the next day by taking some walks down the hall... even though still in pain he would get out of bed and push himself.

He got some gifts to open and was feeling better and recovering even called some of his friends and cousins. 

Sick kids even had a virtual call with some one the maple leafs. The hospital really goes above and beyond to make kids feel better. One of our doctors told K to request a Xbox system ha! But K was in no mood to play. 

The nurses kept pushing us to walk a lot and log the amount  of walks and for how long. This helps get everything back to normal after surgery. 

K had no food in his system because he was vomiting and didn't have a bowel movement yet. Basically had no food since the night before we even got to the hospital. 

One night after our walk, K looked soo pale, I knew something was wrong. I called my husband and told him K was sleeping at around 7pm and looked sicker. 

That night his fever spiked.  

His pain increased, his heart went into Tachycardia (rapid heart beat) He was screaming in pain and vomiting stomach acid. The Nurses were running in and out trying to calm him down. Giving him more fluids, more pain killers. K was soo sick that night, scariest night of my life.  I texted my husband at 2am crying and I felt like every minute was hours long waiting for him to calm down.. 

The doctor came in around 2 am and asked to put a tube down K's nose to his stomach to help with his continuous vomiting of stomach acid. They also said it could be the reason he hasn't has a bowel movement and they suspect some complications. 

K was in such trauma at this point, EVERYTHING INSIDE ME SCREAMED NO WAY! I made the decision based on my own gut and said NO. Not that night at least.  I asked to wait until the morning and to wait and see how the day goes and that I would really need to prepare him mentally for that... 

I Prayed soo hard for him to turn the corner. 

This pic was snapped when I was about to go on my Instagram and give an update that morning. 

But  I couldn't even say a word without bursting into tears. 

I prayed so hard to God and our guardian angels that night. 

Every night I played white noise for him, The sound of the rain,  to help soothe him. We did this at home most nights at bedtime so it comforted him. 

The next morning K had his first bowel movement at 7am and THAT was needed for the Doctors to put a pause on the tube down  his nose.  I prepped K that morning that, that could be a possibility.  He was not happy about it. Thankfully he didn’t need to have that done. 

The doctors came in and decided to give him stronger antibiotics.  They were concerned about some complications and sent him for another ultrasound and since it was over 5 days of not eating and barely drinking they decided to put him on the Nutrition IV.  

This would give him some energy but also was hard on his veins.  They had to change his IV to 3 different veins in  the coming days. 

All of our nurses were sooo amazing! They got to know K and his low patience when asking him the same questions over and over ha! We laughed sometimes when he rolled his eyes at us asking him over and over how he was feeling. 

With the stronger antibiotics and stopping the strong pain killers, his vomiting subsided. After a full day of no vomitting. We were able to try eating. 

K's choice for foods was peas and carrots and mashed potatoes.  Our goal was to keep food down! Go to the bathroom regularly and get strength by going for walks!

K slept a lot every night once the meds kicked in. Only waking to use the bathroom.  I finally moved from sleeping with one eye open on a chair to the cot bed in the room getting in a few hours at a time. 

I had to measure and log everything, from food in to food out. Ha Grade 4 fractions came in handy, although I did text my friends for help haha. 

Him feeling better gave me quick windows to run and grab a coffee and a gift card to the cafe that delivers to the floor. Honestly it’s so hard for parents when you can’t leave your child’s side. Not that I wanted food but obviously needed to keep myself healthy and on my own feet! Even finally taking a shower there as well. 

We created a group chat with the 4 of us and this was the best. Everyday DH and M would call and we would have our daily laughs. 

Mr M was having fun with his cousins too when DH came down to the hospital and even had his first sleep over! I was so relieved that he was having fun. He is such a big boy!

Both my boys grew up soo much from this experience.  

When the ultrasound results came back they told us that Another abscess was formed and it needed to be drained. 

8 days after the first surgery. K had to go in for this second procedure to drain the abscess.  :(  this was done by injected a syringe to drain it. 

That morning we were both up early.  K was sooo brave and ready for this to be over.  He asked questions, took some deep breathes and was ready. The amazing nurses talked him through it all., They had to sedate him and the procedure was just an hour and he was out and feeling great. Whew!!!! The abscess was small and they were confident that he was healing and will only feel better from then on. 

That day he ate soo much. The doctor said as long as we had a full day of checking off our goals then by the weekend we could go home!!!

Bring on the mashed potatoes!!!!! haha. 

On the 10th night, the doctors came in and saw how well K was eating and his strength walking. They took him off the nutrition IV and started him on oral antibiotics. They said as long as he keeps meds down that Friday, day 11 we could go home!!! K and I were sooo excited!!!!

K even had happy tears! We cried that night on our last walk in the halls.  We had soo many ups and downs. I was soo emotional. He was soo strong and went through soo much! 

Friday morning! We were both up early! One doctor walked in at 6:30am and saw us packed and ready to leave. Ha! I asked all my questions and he looked over the last few days and said we were good to go! 

We had to get his antibiotics so I left K on FaceTime with DH and ran to the shoppers downstairs to fill the prescription. I also dropped off our bags to the my car in the parking lot. Ran upstairs to get K and we slowly walked out of the hospital and drove home. It was soooo sunny outside. We opened the windows for fresh air and it was the best feeling ! We had happy tears driving home. Thanking God for every single thing! 

We can’t thank Sick Kids Toronto enough , Dr Langer and his staff and all the nurses at Sick kids  for their utmost attention and best care. I’m truly grateful. They took such good care of us.

When we got home DH had welcome home balloons and flowers for us.

Family came by with welcome home posters and delivered dinner to our door. 

We had phone calls and messages and soo much love sent our way.  

I missed this cutie sooo much!!! 

Sometimes life throws you some curve balls when you least expect it. Faith and Love got us through. Bringing our family even closer than ever before. Thank you for all your support through this difficult time. We are home and K is recovering perfectly. 


Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow Mama T on Instagram @aka_mama_t 

More links here linktr.ee/MamaT

Part 1- Perforated Appendix- WHAT!

Welcome to today’s story time, it’ll have to be broken up into 2 blog posts because it’s 2 weeks of info here! 

Ok, so you know when you feel a pain in your lower right pelvic area and you immediately think it’s your appendix and google what the symptoms would be, like sharp pain, fever, vomiting and in most cases it’s just gas or something. Well, for one, google doesn’t have all the answers. Heck neither did our doctor. We were all shocked. 

The last week of November my older son K complained about his tummy hurting. It was an on and off pain and we thought maybe it was gas pains or anxiousness since there were no other symptoms. It also was sporadic like one day pain, one day no pain. A few days later on a Sunday we went to the park. I noticed he looked pale but he was playing like normal with no complaint. I even told my sister, that maybe he’s coming down with something. We both thought maybe he looked tired from late nights?

The next day, Monday, he woke up and had pain urinating. I got on the phone and we had a virtual doctors appointment. We told our doc that  he’s had on and off tummy pain and just recently looked pale with loss of appetite the last few days and also pain that morning in the bathroom. Our doctor told us to head over to the office and see another doctor in person and get an ultrasound. 

This pic was taken on our way to the doctor not thinking much of it other than maybe a regular virus or something. Ugh! 

That afternoon we saw another doctor in our pediatric doctors office. She tested his urine for a bladder infection. Felt where his pain was, made him jump(one of the appendix tests I guess) . He looked sick but nothing stood out to her. She said keep an eye out for fever etc but he was fine.  I asked her for the ultrasound requisition and I got on the phone and booked the ultrasound for the earliest they had which was that Wednesday. 

That night, in the middle of the night K woke up screaming in pain. I was worried and was ready to take him to the ER but he fell back asleep and said it went away. 

Tuesday morning he crouched in pain. I called the ultrasound clinic near our home and begged them to take us in at 9am... they did. The technician kept asking questions like how long he had the pain, if the doctor  requested blood work and why they took soo long to send him for an ultrasound. So at this point I was panicking. I asked him if I should go to the ER, he said he couldn’t tell me, but there is something there and to call my doctor ASAP and he will send the report ASAP. 

I just knew deep down that this was way more serious than I ever expected. K looked sick. He was pale and weak and could barely walk at this point. Like how could I have not seen this coming. I felt sick to my stomach..but mama bear powers kicked in. 

I called my husband and told him I was driving straight to Sick Kids Toronto. We live about an hour or so from this hospital. On my way down I kept trying to get in contact with our doctor with no luck. Right about the time I was exiting the highway to get to sick kids, I got through. They told me to get to the ER ASAP that his appendix already ruptured. I told them I was way ahead of them and getting there right then! 

Our guardian Angels got me a parking spot right beside the elevators, thankfully there was a wheelchair right at the entrance too because K could barely walk. I sat him down and wheeled him in. 

Thankfully it wasn’t busy. They took us in immediately and I showed them the report the doctor had emailed me just then stating the perforated appendix and abscess that had already formed.

They had to take him in for their own ultrasound and at this point they weren’t sure if operating was a good idea because of how the infection spread in the abdomen.  Sick Kids has a team of doctors. We spent a few hours in the ER talking to multiple doctors as they decided what the best option would be. They started him with antibiotics as we waited. K was soo sick and soo scared, getting the IV AND covid test on a scared sick child was the worst!!!! My heart was breaking in a million pieces! Trying to calm my son down while keeping my own emotions at bay. 

They then wheeled us to a room and we spoke to all the doctors again. Their first option was to try and clear most the infection with antibiotics and then come back to take out his appendix (not sure how that would have worked out) but they explained that if it didn’t rupture it would have been an easy surgery of removing the appendix and basically in and out no complications. This wasn’t the case because the rupture already leaked into the abdomen and it was a risky surgery. Finally Wednesday they decided to operate.

 

K couldn’t have anything to eat because the surgery was the next day, I couldn’t leave his side, I was soo worried. I had 1 water bottle in my purse that we shared and I had a granola bar in my purse to hold me over. That night I sat in a chair all night and didn’t sleep. I kept checking him to make sure he was ok. I prayed soo hard over him, we were all soo worried. 

M was home with DH, DH kept M busy so he wouldn’t worry. He was missing us so much. Sending us pictures of the family he drew. 

M directed DH on how to make his favorite pasta too! 




(The pic above was when I was in the waiting room, when I thought after surgery it would all be over....)

Finally Wednesday surgery day. It was so hard seeing my son so scared and in pain. He couldn’t understand it. He was worried himself and didn’t think he was going to be ok. He was soo brave as they wheeled him in. We told him that he will wake up and not even know anything happened. He was wheeled in around 2pm and I ran to get something to eat. I was shakey and nervous and overcome with worry. I couldn’t think. I just ordered a grilled cheese and tea from Starbucks.  Texting family and friends helped me through. All the prayers and messages kept me occupied while I waited. The room was full of moms waiting. All of us in tears worried sick about our kids. I met another mom waiting 10 hours for her son in surgery. We all sat there giving each other sympathetic gestures, all of us praying. K’s surgery took longer than expected which worried me more. I paced the room as it got empty and I was one of the last ones in the room. The tv that had the names of the kids in surgery even turned off and the secretaries left for the day. 

Finally the doctor came out, he told me his appendix was so badly perforated it took longer to clear  but they cleared out the infection and took out his appendix. They told me we had a tough kid considering how long he went with his pain. 

They explained why the pain was off and on, that by the appendix rupturing it relieves the pain/pressure but leaks the toxins into the abdomen. Yikes! I was soo confused. The doctor said they got him on antibiotics and operated just in time. A huge sigh of relief hearing the doctor feel confident about the surgery.

His surgery was around 2pm and I finally got to see him around 7pm. I was soo foggy too that when the nurse asked me a question about K’s puffers, “when was the last time he had his puffer”  I thought she said hot peppers. We all had a good chuckle. 

After surgery K slept and just woke a few times to use the bathroom.  I was soo relieved and thought after surgery we would be in the clear. I had no idea what the next few days and 9 more days in the hospital was to come. 

We are so grateful for all the prayers and messages that helped us through this. God and our guardian Angels. 

I’ll continue in part 2 tomorrow! This was pretty long! If you read till now thanks for reading! 

Be sure to follow Mama T on Instagram @aka_mama_t 

More links here linktr.ee/MamaT

The Snuggle is REAL!

Our Elf arrives with Christmas Magic! 

So as soon as our decor goes up, our elf arrives!

He usually has treats like chocolate and candies and activity books or toys. 

Santa makes these treats for the local Dollarstore, so I'm sure the Elf gets first 

dibs on these treats from Santa's Shop. 

Sometimes he writes inspirational letters and is always cheering the kids on.

The kids wake up and jump out of bed to look for the 

Elf every morning to see what mess he's got himself into at night. 

Mommy is sure to catch a picture of the Elf, especially when the 

Elf makes so much noise when he is back from the North Pole.

Nightly he magically leaves and gives Santa the daily report and 

Christmas toy list from the kids. 

Santa then gets to work!

Our Elf sure does love chocolate. 

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows are his favorite!

What's your Elf up to? What's the most exiting thing your Elf has done?



Looking for Elf accessories? 

Check out Santa's Workshop below!

www.amazon.ca/shop/aka_mama_t

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Life of a Virtual School Mama

 Here we are! Week 6 of Virtual Learning!

Here is a little glimpse of how our day looks like :)

I wake up around 7am and get my mama self ready for the day. 

I'll usually plan one of my Instagram posts around that time too :)

I set my coffee timer for the night before so it's ready for meeee OR i'll run out for a quick Tim's run. 

Around 8am I wake up the kids and head downstairs to make breakfast. We have super simple breakfasts during the week. Cereal/Milk, Waffles or Granola bars. Fast and Easy. The kids usually like to watch some cartoons as they get ready for their day. 

Google Home is our assistant. Ha! Yup! We set all the timers on it so we can easily stick to schedule. 

As soon as the timer goes off around 8:50am the kids go and sit at their Chromebooks. We have our set up in the kitchen.  We did start off in the office, but we noticed that the sun coming into the kitchen and having more space was just better :) So Monday -Friday my kitchen table is School! We have all our supplies and books set up in easy to move baskets. (Friday after school I move everything to the office to have a clean kitchen table for the weekend) 

The kids have a set schedule that consists of online meetings with the teacher, break times and independent learning. Just like a regular school day. 

They adapted really well to their schedules. I am more of their hall monitor haha! ensuring they are listening and controlling their volume haha. 

I usually make their lunch during their first break. That way their second break in the afternoon they get a good 40 min to play with eachother.  They usually go into the backyard for "recess" or up to their playroom. This is also my mama break too and I catch up on my reading or any online work I have. 

We have SK and Grade 4 here and their schedules are bit different. SK has the last hour of school online and my Grade 4 has the last hour offline for homework.

During their independent learning I help with homework. It's also great for me to really see the kids strengths and areas they need a little more help in. I can also regulate their day, say for example if they had a "big" learning day with "big" milestones, I'll make sure their Homework time is shorter so they don't over stress themselves.   Or if they had a light day, then I know spending that extra time on a topic they need more help in is the day to do it. 

Afternoon donut breaks happen sometimes too.

The kids are usually done around 3-3:20 , They close their laptops and run around  ha! I tidy up and go straight to dinner prep! 

It's definitely different here, but I must say, we are fully embracing this different way of learning. It feels more like 1-1 learning and with mom and dad around to help ha! (oh yes DH is also home, working from home). Our routine is super simple and it's working best around here for these crazy times. The kids really enjoy it and love learning from home so it makes it easier. 

Today is Friday so we will get takeout and have a movie night with lots of popcorn, oh and definitely hit the swimspa to relax for the weekend!

For more about my day in the life go over to my Instagram page! @aka_mama_t

Pretty little things

 Did I ever tell you that I'm a Maskcara Beauty Artist!  

Definitly sounds like a cool title.  Also sounds like you need to be a professional to have this title. Well let me tell you, any one of you can be a Maskcara Beauty Artist! You know why? Because this is the easiest makeup application you'll ever do, but with the look of being a makeup Artist! 

First, you'll need a Color match! Just send me 2 photos, one with makeup and one without makeup. That way I can pick the perfect colors for your skin tones. 

Follow these steps!

Send me your photos on IG @aka_mama_t

Once I get your picture, I'll work on your color match!

It will look sorta like this. 

Know what you put on your skin! Check out the ingredients list below! And some comparisons of other brands.

Maskcara makeup comes with easy to follow application instructions to get your perfect look! Trust me, it's easy!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=RDQMg6KIRLsgy6k&feature=share&playnext=1

Follow me over on IG too, and check out my daily stories for my easy to follow makeup application. 

I love the Cheetah HAC! You’ll see, ha!

Here are some of my very own makeup color pics! 

How long does each tin last? Well, a little goes a long way! I apply my makeup everyday and my foundation lasts just over 6 months! 

Here’s an idea 

Go ahead! Send me your photos! 

Oh!! And if you want to join my team of awesome women DM me over on Insta!

Photo cred: @emily.johnston.photography