Thursday was anything but normal at our house. You see this adorable face . . . he ended up at Primary Children's Hospital at 6:00 p.m. with a 2 cm diameter metal marble in his stomach. The following is the account I sent to Josh of the day's events. It's kind of long but I hope you enjoy reading about another day in paradise at the Wartena home.
Want to hear something funny?
Let me tell you about yesterday.
First day of school. Nate started seminary and had to be there for first period. We get up for scripture study at 5:55 a.m. with the 3 oldest. A 30 minute walk followed by getting everyone ready. We left at 8:45 a.m. to pick Nate up. We all went over to the seminary because after the pickup we were heading to Salt Lake City. A 15 minute stop at seminary to confirm pickup times for the year and meet the teacher soon ended. We need to document this SLC trip, so back to the house for the camera. You see we were headed to the Humanitarian Aid Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for a tour, followed by a meeting with Elder Thomsen to set up and confirm an Eagle Project for your brother Christopher. We are keeping track of all time and taking pictures.
Our drive to SLC was slowed quite considerably by a traffic jam in the construction zone lasting 20 minutes. Chris and I were concerned about being late, but repeated phone calls resulted in not contacting anyone at the center to notify we would be late. Google Maps got us right to our destination albeit a bit late. The tour was wonderful, tears and all. Did you know the church sends out humanitarian aid shipments on the average of every 3 days around the world? I could quote so many cool things to you, but I didn't write them down and I forgot. The missionary sisters who conducted the tour were all excited to hear we had a missionary at the MTC. They claim you are going to love it. Everyone we talk to says that. They also were interested in whether or not you will get to enter Argentina on time or get re-positioned in the world for service due to visa issues. Please let us know anything you find out. Chris settled on the Hygiene Kits for his project. He has to submit at least 100 for the project. All the other avenues he was pursuing just were going nowhere with no one interested in helping him and doors closing. When we looked into this project everything just started flowing. So we decided this must be the thing the Lord wants Chris to help with.
Off we go to home. We did try to find the Murray DI to donate items, but to no avail. We did find the Jordan River Temple and drove around it. Lunch at an Arctic Circle we spotted a block from the temple was a nice break. OH, yeah, there was a street by the temple called "YWorry". We thought it a cute name. At last, 12:30 p.m., we were back on I-15 and home by 1:15 p.m. Quiet time at last with the promise of resting till leaving at 3:30 p.m.
This is where the story starts to take off with excitement. At 4:55 p.m. Jo walks into where I've been sitting on my bed working on a project. He has been reading and quietly playing in the family room with Matt. He is crying quite sadly with a distressed look on his face, lots of tears.
"What's wrong, Jo?"
"I swallowed my marble down to my tummy. I want it out," replies Jo pointing into his mouth.
Wait a minute, you're saying. He swallowed a marble?!? Yes, yes, yes he did. A quick call to Doctor Preston informs us that we do need to get an x-ray because of his age and the marble size. The marble, turns out, was one of those metal marble belonging to the Magnetix kit. I call to cancel therapy. The lady laughs with deep concern for his well being and wishes us well. Ask Heidy if Matt and Ben can come play for a while, when she suggests Instacare because it will cost less than the Emergency room. Good Idea. I forget to tell Chris where I am going and why and where everyone is. Off to Instacare.
By 3:20 p.m. we had x-rays, which he thought were so cool with a bit camera and a moving table to lay on. Then he and I saw the picture. Jo thinks the picture is cool. It is a perfect shot of the entire torso cavity with a big solid circle in the center, left of the spine.
"Yep, he did it," says the doctor. "You see, that marble is just too bit to fit through the valve between the small and the large intestines. Currently it is at the bottom of the stomach. We need to get him in for an endoscopy (tube and camera down the throat into the gut) to grab the marble before it enters the small intestine. If we don't catch it now, we will have to open his tummy and surgically remove it before it hits the valve area. I'm calling Utah Valley to have them confirm what I'm seeing, but I don't think they do this procedure. You are probably heading to SLC."
I call your dad and Sister Jensen to set up care for brothers and to get Dad on alert to get where I am. Utah Valley finally calls, 15 minutes later, to say a definite on the marble needing to be removed, but they will not touch it. Ugh!! We are informed that we need to get to Primary Children's Medical Center fast as possible cause that marble can easily move to the small intestine within 2 hours of ingestion. In fact, they inquire as to whether or not I have a way to transport him in a horizontal position since that would help slow the digestion process. NO, I don't. By now it has been 1 hour and 40 minutes since ingestion. Time to move.
I ask Sister Jensen to notify Chris and make sure he is set for dinner and to get Matt and Ben back to him. He was completely shocked. He was at home wondering where we had all gone, and when were we coming back. When she told him where we were heading he just says, "WHAT!" But he was fine and handled dinner, showers, etc. with great ease.
Dad and I hit I-15 about the same time, but he is at the Provo Center Street entrance and I'm at the Lindon entrance. I realize it is 5:00 p.m. on a Friday in Utah County and begins to pray my guts out pleading with the Lord to clear the rush hour traffic so I we can get to the hospital, which by the way is just as far north on the east bench of SLC as you can get. I am crying. I remember Heidy's words, "Get in the HOV lane." "Yes, I will."
I call Grandma for a voice to help steady me as I drive. She is very helpful. I call Dad to give him the scanty directions I have. The freeway is clearing. I am fearing another drive delay in the construction zone like we had on the morning SLC trip. So far so clear. I am booking it at 70 - 73 miles per hour. No traffic problems in construction. I am zooming onto I-215 eastbound. Still clear. Leave freeway and enter Foothill Drive where it is still clear. Do you remember going to Weavers' home near the zoo? That is where I was. I cannot find the Wasatch Drive turn to the right. We are going left--wrong way--and there is a solid traffic jam. It is as if the Lord is blocking my way as I try to go the wrong direction. My Dad calls about now and is trying to talk me through SLC up to the hospital, but it isn't working so well and I am crying. I ask a construction worker for help, but he only knew the area to head to. Better than nothing so we turn right. One more wrong turn, so I stop to ask a guy at a bus stop. I am very upset and crying. He knows just where to go. In fact I've only missed it by two blocks and can see it when I look back north over my shoulder. Yeah!! It takes 5 to 10 more minutes to get headed back in the correct direction and we are finally there.
As I pull into the emergency I am starting to lose it because I figure I took too long to get here and the marble will have to be surgically removed now. They have FREE VALET PARKING. I jump out, look at the gentleman, and ask through sobs, "You'll park it for me?"
"Yes. Oh, Princess, it's gonna be alright. You just get the baby inside and I'll take care of the car." He rubs my back for comfort. I cry more, say thank you, walk away to the car to get Jo, and walk inside.
The automatic rotating door stops with us inside. We find emergency. They start to work to calm your mother down, assuring her that 95% of all swallowed objects just work themselves through these kids fine. They talk so soothingly. Jo, by the way, has been smiling ever since we left the house. He is fine. Thinks all the people are so nice. We are tagged and asked to wait until called to a room, and please don't let him eat or drink anything. They are completely unconcerned with how much time has passed since ingestion, so I just stop worrying. Can't get cell phone to work in hospital so I hope your dad finds us. Can't call anyone to tell them we have arrived and all is okay for now.
The nurse comes to take us to a room. I ask her to please bring your dad in when he shows up. Another nurse joins us in the room. Kandalee is her name and she is so calm and sweet and acts as though she has nothing at all to do in the hospital but sit quietly with us until we don't need her anymore. She just sits on the bed and has quiet talk time with us. I am calming down soooooooooo quickly. Dad arrives---YEAH!!!
Now Dr. Greenburg comes in. The first words he says are, "I understand you are nervous so I want to put you at ease first. I've looked at the x-ray. This is going to be just fine. That marble should go through your son with no problems whatsoever. I don't know why they told you what they did, but we deal with this everyday and he is fine. I'm 95% sure this will pass through without even being noticed."
OOOOOOOOOO, big breath, and let it go.
Now, he wants to talk with Joseph. "Young man, did you swallow a marble?"
"Yes," says Jo.
"I going to tell you what I tell my own kids. What do we put in our mouth?" ask Dr. Greenburg.
"Food,." says Jo.
"Yes. And what do we not put in our mouth?" ask Dr. Greenburg.
"Marbles?" says Jo.
"That's right. What else doesn't go in our mouth?"
No answer from Joseph.
"No toys. And no money, either. You don't ever put those in your mouth because they end up in your tummy where we don't want them. Okay?"
Joseph answers, "Okay. I won't."
"Well, then, if you promise to never put marbles or toys or money in your mouth again, you can have a popsicle," says Dr. Greenburg.
Joseph thinks that is a fine plan. The doctor gives him a quick once over with his doctor tools, gets him an orange popsicle and a monkey toy, and all is well. We are sent home with instructions of what to watch for --vomiting and stomach distention--and to let him lead a normal life. Watch for the marble if you want and go back to Dr. Preston for a follow up x-ray in a week.
Back out to Valet Parking to retrieve the car, say thank you, and head back to I-15.
The drive home is filled with Jo playing peek-a-boo with his monkey and the sun. He giggles and talks all the way home. Once at 800 North he plays the spelling game with me. In this exciting game he asks you how to spell one word after another as fast as he can while you spell as fast as you can. You know the game is just like Jo--Keeps you on your toes all the time.
Now, lest you think the excitement ends there, think again. As we are preparing a little supper for the little tyke, he comes running in from the back yard, only to slip and literally slam his head into the top back step. He hits right on his eyebrow just where the firecracker hit my eyebrow. Wow!! He is screaming and holding his breath. There is a dent in his head. It takes two cool cloths, two doses of arnica, two band-aids, and a blessing till he feels any comfort. Then for the icing on the cake, he announces after receiving his blessing, "It doesn't feel better yet." We all laugh. Oh, we love this kid.
Got to tell you, more excitement than Lagoon.
It's Saturday now and Jo is doing fine. We are keeping an eye open for the marble. If we find it he won't need to go in for another x-ray. Please keep him in your prayers. He needs all the help he can get.
Stacie
