Jenica

We have had an eventful 24 hours here in Urbandale. As you know, Jenica has been sick on and off for the past month (all of our kids have been). I took her to her pediatrician yesterday to bascially just reassure me that she was fine. She has no fever, cough, runny nose or anything. She has been waking up in the middle of the night and vomiting, and as a total over-reacter that I am, I took her to get checked out.

Long story short- there is a possibility that Jenica has a brain tumor that is causing pressure in her brain and causing her to vomit- only at night.

I cant even begin to tell you how I am feeling- because I honestly dont know. I feel on one hand like they are just over-reacting. Medicine is so complex....how can they just examine her quickly and say something like that?

On the other hand, I am devestated. I dont think their is a worse more out of control feeling than to have a sick child. I go back and forth in between believeing that everything is fine, and this is all a fluke, and having a mini panic attack at the thought of her being sick.

As a mother, I know that this has forever changed me. I am different. Even if all is well, and we live to have 3 healthy, amazing, grown children I will never forget this feeling. I understand a tiny sliver of what it would be to have a sick child, and will make a commitment to myself to help families that are affected by illness of a child more. There are plenty of organizations that head up efforts, and i will help whenever i am able.

We have a MRI scheduled on Monday the 27th- Joey and I have been calling multiple hospitals to have this date moved up. It looks as if we will head to the University of Iowa Hospital to have the MRI done. They are some of the leaders in the country with neurological diagnosis and treatment. They have also gone way out of their way to accomidate Jenica, and do as much leg work as possible to have her seen ASAP and get us answers to our questions. I will post more as soon as I know more. Right now we are just focusing on a healthy Jenica, with no more troubling episodes.