Natalie Gets High

For reasons I won't go into too much detail over, Natalie's pediatrician had some concerns about Natalie's kidney function. She wanted to rule this out so Natalie had to undergo a test that involved a catheter. Not fun. It was a procedure that required Natalie to be conscious, but parents could opt for the medication that would make her not understand what was going on and most importantly, not remember the trauma of it all. We definitely wanted that option and don't regret it. Ned* took some time off so we could both be there to help Natalie feel as comfortable as possible. We are so lucky to have a Primary Children's very close and were so well taken care of. They even called a few days prior twice to explain everything to me, give me some tips on helping prepare Natalie and then to give instructions regarding drinking, eating, etc. prior to the appointment. Nat was pretty nervous. I knew she would be - she gets worked up over things pretty easily, so I didn't even mention it to her until a couple days before. A promise of a new toy when it was all over motivated her to be brave. The nurses were very sweet and gave Natalie this cute doll to decorate while she waited in her room. Leave it to Natalie to add some realistic detail to her dolly. (o: I'm glad she was in good enough spirits to be silly! Once Nat got her meds, the fun really began. Within about 15 minutes Natalie was as high as a kite and making us laugh until we cried. Don't get me wrong - it is a little disturbing to hear your child to act like someone on hallucinogens - but in a hospital setting under a nurse's care, it is great comic relief. She would reach up in the air and swat her hands and say in slurred speech, "Why is the ceiling moving?" Then, slowly turn her head and say, "Mom, you have two heads." The look in her eyes was so funny - you could tell she was seeing some pretty darn funky stuff. "The walls have colors." "Where am I?" "The lights are floating." During the procedure was pretty traumatic. I think the drugs actually made getting the catheter even worse because Natalie was in no state to understand reason or anything we had talked about at home. It was so heartbreaking for Ned* and I. (Maybe we should have taken some drugs too!) But the wonderful benefit of the meds was that the only thing Natalie remembers is that daddy was wearing an apron with flowers. The nurse handed us aprons (because the test involved an x-ray) and the nurse was being funny giving him the flowery one to make Nat laugh. Look at my poor little baby. Trying to smile for the picture. (I didn't ask her to.) She was pretty loopy for a little while after and the nurses kept a close eye on her to make sure she recovered from the meds before we left. The great news is that the doctor found no problems with her kidney function. I am proud of my brave little girl and I'm so glad that is over with.