Wednesday 14 September 2011

Lara and her tummy

Lara had a bad night's sleep last Friday, she was restless without really telling us what the problem was. I ended up spending the night with her, with us both sleeping on the floor in her room (she likes doing this, and would insist on us doing it when she's not poorly if I let her. It's quite good for my back, every once in a while!). She'd wake, shuddering with pain, and when I'd ask where it hurt, she'd point at her foot. I checked it over, and there was no bruising, and she didn't wince when I touched it, so I didn't think too much about it, and eventually we dropped off to sleep, although after a disturbed night, there was no way either of us was voluntarily going to get up at 6.30am on a Saturday to watch someone jump into the Thames, no matter how good the cause (sorry David Walliams!).
She had a good breakfast, but then went progressively downhill over the course of the day, still shuddering with pain from what we worked out to be stomach cramps. She barely ate anything all day, and when we tried calpol to see if that eased her pain, she just threw it back up. She's been very good at telling us when she's going to be sick, and so far *touch wood* we've always had a saucepan or her potty close at hand. (Over the course of the weekend, she displayed a definite preference for being sick into her potty rather than the pan, and she would insist that I hold her hair out of the way). I couldn't help but crack a little smile on one occasion on Sunday, she called for the potty.. "I'm going to be sick, Papa, potty!!!", and when I presented it (clean, I might add), she lifted her face from it after a few seconds and with a look of disdain that a teenager would have been proud of, stated "It's a bit smelly!".
Anyway, this upset tummy continued on Saturday evening and all day Sunday. She'd be OK at breakfast time, and eat quite well, but then the cramps would start, and all she wanted to do was lie on the sofa and watch TV, between bouts of loud (and upsetting for us to hear) moaning, and taking 20 minute naps. On Sunday night we decided it would be best if Lara slept in bed with me (and Buzz, it turned out) while Olga slept on the sofa, so that at least she might have a relatively undisturbed night.
Things weren't improving on Monday, and we were getting concerned about how little she was eating, so in the afternoon we took her to the GP, who reassured it appeared to be just a stomach bug, and to try and convince her to keep drinking as much as she could, and to try a little simple foods. Being told this by the doctor helped Lara understand that it would help her if she drank and ate something, and indeed by Tuesday she seemed to be over the worst of it. There was no calling for the potty, and she would even engage in conversation. By the afternoon she was happy to eat soup and bread, and it seemed like things were OK again. Last night though she still had some cramps and an attack of the screamy moans, so I took her downstairs to sleep on the sofa (we've already had me on her floor, her in our bed, this was the next place to try. After this I'd have her sleep on Mishka's bed.... (only kidding)). She slept well there, and we only woke at 8am, and she declared "I feel better now, can I go to nursery?". We felt it was still too soon, so she's been at home again today, and has been playing out in the garden for the first time since she started to feel ill. She seemed to have some cramps again after tea though, and got rather moany, but this might have been exhaustion, she went straight to sleep as soon as I put her in bed, without a book being read or a back being stroked (her latest thing she insists on).
So, I think she'll go back to nursery tomorrow, if she has a good night's sleep tonight, as she's been fine all day today and only went a little downhill after her tea.

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