Re: Re: GALE HARRISNew to the list

[Guest guest]

Yes, it was confusing for them and my husband, too. My family waited to

celebrate Christmas until mid January when finally got to come home from

the hospital. When was born the pediatrician noted something was wrong

when she didn't pass that first stool. She was sent on to Memphis by

ambulance the day after she was born and I was dismissed from the hospital to go

with

her. I don't know if it was the pain killers I was taking or just the

confusion but a lot that happened during those three weeks is hard to remember.

It

was hard for all of us, especially since it was Christmas. I will never

forget my husband and I left the hospital one day and went Christmas shopping

for

our kids Santa stuff. We could only see for a few minutes at a time,

different times of the day, since she was in the Special Care Unit which is

like an intensive care ward. That and the day they finally figured out that she

had cf are the clearest memories of the hospital that I have of that time. I

do remember my mother and sister came to stay with while my husband

and I made the 2 hour drive home to play Santa for our other two children. You

know what, that year we bought our oldest daughter one of those huge Barbie

houses with a million pieces that you had to put together. As soon as the kids

went to bed we started putting it together and didn't finish until dawn. That

was so crazy. We should have known better than to buy that house, but it was

the one thing she asked Santa for and we tried to please her, especially

since we weren't having much time to spend at home with them.

Oh, I'm rambling again. The more I talk (write) about that time, the more

stuff I remember. I know you said you cried for 24 hours, but do you know I

don't even remember crying. I think I was too exhausted to cry. Maybe it was

the confusion. The hospital was without a CF specialist at the time and there

was a lot going on. We actually had two hospitals campaining for us to use

them. LOL. Now if they could see all the hospital bills, no one would ask us

to

use their hospital.

Anyway, thanks for your kind words. It was very sweet of you to take the

time to respond.

Thank you.

Sue Pettit

mom to (17 wocf) driving and being the most responsible 17 yo I have

ever seen, (13 wocf) playing football, band, and whatever else he can

get into, and (11 wcf) into all sports, running full speed doing all

she can and still doing great---diagnosed at 8 days of age at LeBonheur

Childrens Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee, now seeing Doctor Lyrene (and

other

wonderful folks of course) at UAB Children's Hospital