Post two: She needs ICU or - IGNORANCE IS BLISS!

Ignorance is bliss. I’ve heard that expression all my life. I never agreed with it. I hate being the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on. HOWEVER, that Wednesday, Ignorance was bliss!
Within minutes of transferring Lauren to the larger E.R. room, filled with much equipment; it seemed to me the room was full of drs., nurses, people plugging in monitoring devices. I was hearing conversations, commands, frustrations all around us, but there seemed to be no time to digest all the things that were happening. As two people began to place oxygen on Lauren, I heard words like seizure (which I reassured them Lauren never had)…I saw them exchange glances to one another…I saw trouble with the IV; words like veins collapsing, can’t find a vein (I offered up somewhere in the conversation that Lauren was so small she once needed a pediatric blood pressure cuff and iv equipment. Someone rushed to get those items. Still can’t get a blood pressure; blood pressure way to low; need to move quickly. I heard words like…central line..They were starting to cut her leg. I quickly asked if she couldn’t have something so she wouldn’t feel the line going in and heard the words …no..blood pressure too low…need her to stay with us!. Somewhere in the pandemonium, Lauren smiled and said she felt like this was an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” People chuckled.
I thought Lauren needed me to make sure they were doing everything right, but cutting I wasn’t quite ready for, I felt a little queasy, and someone handed me a coke. The E.R. Director asked me where her husband was. Could I find him. Was I from this area. How far away was family. Lauren herself, between her small yelps of pain (never tears) told me that she heard the dr. say she needed to go to ICU. I briefly told her I thought they were talking about another patient (I really did think that!) …I told you ignorance is bliss. I asked someone, and was told that she was being taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital. They did an x-ray somewhere during that time, and told me Lauren had pneumonia and had sepsis. I had to ask the er doctor what that was. After all, I just thought she needed an iv of fluids (a kind of drive-through fluid service and although painful, we’d be on our way.) What is sepsis??Are you kidding me; body shutting down…It is true that when you hear something so frightening, the mind cannot process!
I stepped outside to call my husband, who was on his way to Dallas for a conference. He and I were going to make a weekend getaway of it, and then visit my daughter and her husband for church on Sunday. As I told him they were putting a central line in Lauren’s leg to give her fluids and whatever…he heard her scream, and said I’m on my way. He said he’d call Jessica, Lauren’s older sister. I called Justin, her new husband, and left a message. I knew he works on the oil wells and wouldn’t get the message til lunch, but I’d leave it for him. I called my sister-in-law and she calmed me. I could almost hear her praying for Lauren. Actually, she told me she’d pray with me, but the attendant came to take her to ICU and I had to hang up. Joan was also on her way, with Elissa, Lauren’s cousin.
A nurse that I just loved how she took care of Lauren suddenly came out of the er room crying! That upset me, although I loved her more for it. There was an emt trainee who was telling his story to a friend of how he couldn’t find a vein, or get any blood out for the blood cultures that were needed. I remember feeling people were staring at me. I wanted to say, “Why are you talking like I’m not here!” I began to feel the panic of the unknown well up inside of me. I went back to the room in time to see the dr. stitch Lauren’s central line in place. I thought to myself, “Why is there not a ton of blood with that?” I remember things out of order, I’m sure, but I spent a lot of time praying and talking to Lauren, and getting out of people’s way. No one ever asked me to leave. They were all working so feverishly, it was as if I wasn’t really there, or at least an uninvolved bystander. There was a need for a catheter, which I questioned. Again, no meds to help with the pain, and to make matters worse, her kidneys were starting to not work. Suddenly there was an ultrasound machine to verify this, and more pandemonium. I wanted to scream, but I thought Lauren needs you to be strong. Help me stay with her Lord. Another dr. said to me, “We’re taking her to ICU. She’s severely dehydrated, has pneumonia, and sepsis. You got her here just in time.” We’ll get her settled there, and we’ll come and get you in 15-20 minutes to see her there and meet the critical care team. Did you find her husband?”
What? My ignorance was no longer blissful! Off they went with her, me telling her I’d see her shortly. The nurse gingerly took me to an empty icu waiting area; and I began to weep, first a little, then a lot. I remember there was no bible in that room. There needed to be one! I thought that 15-20 minute wait was so long in the icu waiting room. I didn’t know what was ahead of us, or how long the next few days would be. When you have no strength, you lean of others. This I know, and I wanted Lauren to have a strong support group, and she would have...