Scorpions

On Saturday Hannah got stung by a scorpion. She disturbed some scorpions when she picked up a towel from off of the ground. At first she was just crying, her foot swelled a little bit, but it didn't seem too serious. Michelle called the pediatrician and he said we needed to go to the ER. I am so glad that we did. 

The drive over to the hospital was the longest and scariest drive of my life. Hannah began to foam at the mouth, throw up mucousy stuff, her eyes began to roll around in opposite directions really fast, she had jerky movements with her legs, her breathing became louder and she was doing a weird raspberry thing with her mouth. I could see her getting progressively worse as we drove, and I kept yelling to Jon Mark to drive faster. He turned on his hazard lights and sped at about 85 MPH. My poor baby was in so much pain. By the time we got there, the receptionists were going to make us wait in line to register. Jon Mark said with urgency that she had been stung by a scorpion and needed to be seen now. We were rushed back by some doctors who heard him, and soon the entire ER staff (or so it seemed) was in our little room working on our sweet girl.

They hooked Hannah up to oxygen and started suctioning her airway. They gave her some pain medicine that knocked her out while they continued to work on her. Someone asked Jon Mark to go with them so that he could give them some information, and that's when I kind of lost it. I asked the nurses if she was going to be okay. I had tears flowing,standing there still wearing my swimsuit from earlier, I am sure I looked a little frightful. The nurse was reassuring to me. She said, "just wait til we give her the Anascorp, you will witness a miracle. She is going to be fine." I did witness a miracle. She has been my miracle child twice already and she is just 2.

I am grateful. So, so grateful. I am grateful for a husband who gave her two blessings. I am thankful for parents and in-laws who pray for us and who are willing to drop everything to come to our rescue. I am thankful for sisters and brothers who care so much about our children, who will watch our children at a moment's notice. I am thankful for the support of family. I am grateful for little Mercedes and her sweet, very tearful prayers. I am grateful that Michelle thought to sing our kids some primary songs to help ease their fears. My heart is just so full of gratitude. I know that Heavenly Father was looking out for my family.

Hannah is doing fine now. She had a follow up appointment with her pediatrician and he said that we were very lucky that it didn't happen a few years ago. Before the anti-venom, there wasn't much that doctor's and nurses could do for young children and babies. Patients would spend days in the ICU and some would die. Before Anascorp, they used an antibody from sheep's blood and the majority of patients would get what is called "serum sickness" and almost die from the medicine that was supposed to help them. So, I am grateful. I am thankful for advances in medicine and for medical professionals.