It was a quiet Sunday evening in the Wild Things home. Marei and I were talking, and the kids were playing quietly.
Suddenly, Jaya runs over to me with a panicked look on her face. It was that look - the guilty face...
"Mama, I did something bad! I swallowed the battery! We have to get it OUT or I will get a HEADACHE!!!!!!"
(Unbeknownst to us, she had been "fixing" a toy cell phone. She'd had the phone in one hand, battery cover in the other, and the small round button battery of the toy in her mouth - and then, well, you know).
We jumped in a taxi and went to the hospital emergency room to get her an X-ray. A button battery that gets lodged in a crevice in the esophagus can burn a hole and cause serious damage. I was pretty sure it was past her esophagus, because she was in no pain (save the self-inflicted agony of being naughty), but we needed to check it out just in case. (Information courtesy of the 24 hour battery ingestion hotline and a Skype phone).
The initial X-ray indicated it was already in her stomach, which was good news. Since we had no way of knowing for sure how intact the battery was, or how intact it would stay, the concern was that it could leak into her system and cause poisoning. We decided to go ahead and admit her so that we could monitor the battery's progress through the length of her digestive system. Daddy stayed with her, and I went home with Raja. She did so well! Her only complaint was having to wear diapers, since every bowel movement needed to be caught and inspected for said battery. She and daddy had a solid, if short, night of sleep.
I, on the other hand, tossed and turned all night. In the morning, I left Raja at home with Jam and went to the hospital. At this point the battery was in her lower right small intestine. After spending some time with her and Marei, I went home to find Raja in the throes of a vicious but short-lived stomach flu that had been going around. A few bouts of projectile vomiting later, I called Marei and we decided that if the evening X-ray showed that the battery was still moving along and she had no symptoms of poisoning, we'd bring her home, along with some diapers and a box of disposable gloves.
Throughout the day, I felt awful - my poor son was so miserable, and I clearly needed and wanted to be with him, as I knew breastmilk would keep him hydrated and get him back to health quickly, but Jaya and I had never been apart for so long. I knew she'd miss me, and while she did cry on the phone asking for me, reminding her that Raja was sick and asking her to pray for him calmed her down. She was well taken care of by her beloved Daddy, and she had six visitors and a bouquet of flowers delivered by friends, all in her one day at the hospital.
By late evening, Raja stopped vomiting and was sleeping peacefully. The phone rang, and I heard a delighted "Mama! I pooped the battery! I pooped it out Mama! Can you come see us now? Can we all go home?"
Jam had offered to stay and help, so I left my sweet little worn out boy at home and went to pick up Marei and my happy battery-free child. I walked into her room and was received with a big grin. After a gleeful recounting of how she pooped out the battery, she looked up at me with those big eyes and a certain look, and there it was - the now all-too familar shudder, shake, and torrential outpouring of yuck. The virus had apparently decided to wait for the exodus of the battery and the arrival of the mother before making its attack. For the next three hours, Marei and I dealt with an absolutely horrific check out process (it felt like we were convicted felons trying to convince the warden to let us out of prison!) and caring for an absolutely exhausted miserable Jaya, who just wanted to be home asleep. We finally left at midnight, and made it through a taxi ride vomit-free. Thankfully, Raja had stayed asleep, and his little radar went off when we arrived and he woke up, happy to see us all. After showers and a little more forceful regurgitation, we were once again a puke-free family. The vomit-fest was even shorter-lived for Jaya then for Raja - perhaps because my body had already made antibodies in response to Raja. All four of us were utterly exhausted and fell asleep. But it wasn't over yet. Phase two of the virus' attack was diarrhea. Really stinky diarrhea. I am dead serious when I say that Raja's 4 am diaper change was the stinkiest diaper in Wild Things history. Maybe even in history, period.
It's been a long two days, and I am so excited that 1) all four of us are under the same roof and 2) bodily functions are once again in the normal range. It is amazing how much help we received from friends in such a short span of time. Jaya had visitors, got fruit and flowers, Raja received a blessing even though Marei was at the hospital, Jam stayed, Lyn brought coloring books and fruit and a much-needed opportunity for Marei to go take care of money, and most of all, our children are safe, happy and healthy...we are so very very fortunate.
I will say one thing though, that was one expensive battery. Good thing Jaya made sure we brought it home - "Mama, let's go clean it off so I can put it back in my phone, alright?"
Sheesh.
