Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions or expressed concern when I posted about Mona’s mysterious medical malady.
The internet can seem like a crude and ignorant place sometimes, but my
own little corner of the blogosphere is a pretty friendly neighborhood
that magically stretches around the world. I appreciate all of my
readers more than you know.
So, to recap Mona’s odd illness, she was throwing up between three
and four in the morning, but was otherwise healthy and happy and fine.
The vomiting was not particularly violent, but anything that involves
barf is unpleasant, and of course we were worried since it went on a few
nights in a row. There was no fever, no fatigue, nor anything else to
provide a clue about what was causing it.
When it happened four times in one week we were advised to take her
in to the doctor, who ran all manner of tests. (Blood, urine, stool,
x-ray….) So what was it?
No one has any idea. All we know is now it’s gone, all of her tests
came back negative, and now Mona is gun shy about ever going to see the
doctor again after feeling traumatized by the blood draw. It’s one of
those health issues where I wish I’d just left it alone to disappear
without ever involving the doctor, but you just never know. I guess
wrong so often about these things because all of my kids’ ailments look
so much alike to me, but when it comes to their health I’d rather be
safe than sorry. (Although I’m still going back and forth in my head
every night about Quinn’s tonsils.
Most of the time he sleeps peacefully, but anytime he starts to snore I
wonder if I did the right thing when I canceled his surgery. I just
don’t know.)
But the interesting part? Whatever this was that affected Mona is
like some hidden epidemic. I lost count of how many people have asked
me to let them know what it turned out to be because “My son,” “My
cousin’s kid,” “My neighbor’s little girl” are suffering the same thing.
More extreme versions of this malady have been diagnosed as Abdominal
Migraines or Asthma, so if this sounds like your kid, those are things
to explore with a doctor.
But most people I’ve talked to it wasn’t extreme enough to take to a
physician, which is more like Mona. She just threw up in the middle of
the night and went back to being Mona. We live in an age of so much
information it’s hard to believe it when we stumble across a mystery,
but our doctor was as stumped as anyone.
So whatever that was seems to be over. To other parents out there
experiencing barf in the night, you have my sympathy. Keep them
hydrated with something that has electrolytes, pick up some Febreeze,
and try to get some sleep if you can.
In the meantime, here is a new mystery to contemplate (but this one should have an answer):
What the heck is this?
It’s growing next to our sidewalk, and at first it looked like it was
going to be some kind of melon, but it just keeps getting taller. (And
we’ve had a lot of rain so it’s getting taller very fast.) I’m no
botanist, but I do like old horror movies, so I think it’s a triffid.
Should I be glad to have this thing? Is it delicious? Dangerous?
Should I cut it down? Or should I spray it with salt water before it
tries to eat me or my children?
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