A Different Kind of Bug…

It was here.  The Sunday I had been looking forward to from the moment we made the decision to move to Haiti.  I went to bed Saturday night looking forward to our first visit as a family to an RMI sister church.  Even better, we were going out to visit with a team visiting from the US.  I couldn't wait to worship; couldn’t wait for the kids to see what it was like in a village for a few hours.

(Warning: what is to follow is not for the faint at heart)

Braden woke up that morning smeared in poop.  Just cleaning him and his crib up took 15 minutes.  We threw away the pajamas and a pacifier.

Drew woke up complaining that his belly hurt.  This is where my heart hurts.  We decided to go anyway.  Often, he says his belly hurts or he’s tired when he doesn’t want to obey or do something we want him to do.  This morning, he didn’t want to get dressed.  Sometimes he gets carsick and knew we were going to be driving on rough roads for an hour (although he hadn’t yet gotten carsick in Haiti).  We should have listened to him.

About 15 minutes from the church, Drew threw up on me.  Then a few more times on the side of the road.   Then about 5 or 6 more times outside the church within the first 10 minutes of being there.  I knew this was more than carsickness.

The team stayed, but someone drove our family home.  Drew threw up again a few miles from our house.  This time into a bag.

He laid on the couch when we got home and I put on a video for him. I soon realized he had a fever.  All he wanted to do was go to bed.  So Tylenol, a throw-up bowl and bed it was for him.

Tessa decided to continue watching the movie (Cars) and not long after that I saw she was asleep.  That was VERY unusual.  I pick her up to take her to bed and she’s got a fever.  Tylenol for her and bed.

This is where it the next 24 to 36 hours gets blurry.  Soon, Rob is shivering (in Haiti) and asking for a blanket.  Yup, 102.9.  Ibuprofen for him and a nap on the couch.

Meanwhile, Braden keeps having diarrhea, but is as happy as a clam.

I turn the A/C on in our room and Rob goes to sleep in there once the fever breaks an the chills stop.  Drew wakes up a little and I send him into bed with Daddy in the A/C.  Ibuprofen for him cause his fever is still high.

Between checking on Drew and Tessa and changing Braden’s nasty diapers, I check on Rob.  Only to find out he’s been vomiting… and having diarrhea. 

I have no idea when Tessa started vomiting or when Drew and Tessa started in with the diarrhea, but they did.  I literally was going from one person to the next, cleaning up after them or caring for them.

Sometimes I get cranky when members of the family get sick.  Like they ruined my plans.  Halfway thru that day, I had to laugh at the situation and thank God for giving me a heart of love and patience that day.  I prayed in that moment that I’d really be able to love my family with everything that I did that day.  And He sustained me.

I got a little more seriously concerned for Drew around 11 PM and Gary McLaughlin and Amy Long drove us over to the clinic.  We were home within an hour with antibiotics for him and assured he wasn’t dehydrated—yet.

Tessa ended up sleeping in my room with Rob and the A/C all night and I slept with Drew in Tessa’s room and we turned the A/C on for the first time in there.  It was a long night.  I was up with either Drew or Tessa every hour to hour and a half—diarrhea.  On each pass thru, I made Rob drink something and see if he needed anything.  I think he got the short end of the stick.

Monday was long as well.  Kids getting better, but pretty weak.  Lots of video watching.  It took Rob a lot longer to emerge.  Eventually Cipro, Immodium, Pepto and ibuprofen all did the trick in one way or another for him.

Wednesday night I went to bed and within a half hour, had a fever of 102.9.  The fruit of my labor.  The rest followed.

This time Rob let me sleep, made me drink and fed me ibuprofen and Cipro.   He took great care of the kids even though he was still weak.

This week a different kind of bug wreaked havoc on our home.  I’m sure it won’t be the last time!  This time God’s love and grace sustained us.  I know it will again.

~Becky