Day 2, A Crazy Day!

It is about 8pm on Tuesday night and this is the first chance I have had to sit down and write. I am in Whitney's room right now and she is doing well but also having some challenges. She gets agitated each time the sedation wears off and she seems to be in pain and also bothered by the breathing tube. Luckily they have been giving her a good amount of pain medicine to keep her calm and feeling alright. Her blood pressure has been running low but they have given her calcium and blood to help and she seems to feel better after they do this. Overall, Whitney is strong and continues to amaze us!

OK - the real reason and now reasons why this is a crazy day. This morning around 6:30 a.m. I woke up and was very tired and wandered out to the kitchen. I started a 2 week round of Reglan last week to help increase my milk supply because Whitney cannot tolerate formula and I did not want to run the chance of not making enough milk to keep up with her. I have to take 3 pills spread out throughout the day and forgot to take these with me yesterday, so I did not want to forget today. I picked up a pill bottle off of the counter and took a pill then as soon as I swallowed I realized I forgot to look to see what I was taking. I picked up the bottle and soon realized I accidentally took Maddie's (our dog) Xanax. [Maddie is on Xanax for her "anxiety" or "issues". She really is the sweetest dog in the world but has an issue with licking her paws obsessively and also getting OVERLY EXCITED when people come over to visit, bring meals or help take care of Anne & Whitney. She is the best dog with our family but seems beside herself when it comes to other people. ] Anyway... about 20 minutes after I took the Xanax I became VERY tired and basically passed out. Mike said he was talking to me and it was like I was very drunk. I went into bed to sleep for a little bit and a couple of hours later Mike said he was going to go ahead to Riley without me. I do remember this conversation and saying that I wanted to go with him, but I was so out of it still that Mike said I had to stay here and my mom could come down from Lafayette to pick me up after picking up Anne and drive me down to Riley (since I should not be driving in my "drunken" Xanax state.) Around noon I was still feeling a little out of it and continued to feel out of it until about 3 or 4 this afternoon. Needless to say, I will be keeping Maddie's anti-anxiety medicine in a separate spot from the Reglan from now on. Luckily, I did not give Maddie the Reglan, so she is NOT lactating, I think we would be a little crazy at this point if I was on her drugs and she was all of the sudden trying to nurse anne's dolls.

More craziness... we are here at Riley and about 5 or 5:30p.m. Mike went to go find the Jeep in the parking garage to move it to a spot where I would be able to find it when I left later tonight after he was going to go home with my mom since he had been here all day. Mike had been gone for a long time and I was really starting to wonder where he had gone. Finally, he called and said he didn't know what had happened but that the car was missing.

OK, Mike now chiming in here:

After several laps walking around the parking garage by my lonesome, every floor, in the freezing cold, I thought I was going insane, I gave up and called security. After waiting for security for 20 more minutes 'John' from IUPUI Department of Parking showed up. John was very nice and drove me around to see if they could find our car and confirm that I was not crazy or losing my mind. After we found no car, we both gave up and John called in to his boss to see if the car had been towed. It was then confirmed that the car had indeed been towed!

At this time, I swear that I have 'no idea' why they towed the car. The story continues....I go back to The IUPUI Parking Department and I am told that the car was towed because "it was leaking gas." HUH? I was told the car was at Delaware and South parking garage next to Conseco Fieldouse (about 2 miles from Riley hospital). Not having a car, because it had been towed, I pleaded for a ride there from my new friend John. John drives me over to the Delaware and South tow yard and drops me off.

I go to open the door to the office to get my car. It is locked and no one is there. I call the number on the door and am told that "someone will be there in 20 minutes. Just hang out on the street." I hang out for 10 minutes in the freezing cold, and a guy appears at the door, lets me in and asks "where's your release from IUPUI to release the car?" Again, "HUH? Release, I don't know what you are talking about." I am then told "I can't release your car unless the university authorizes me to do so with a written release." I have no release. I have no car. I have no clue what is going on here at this point. I plead and beg the tow guy for a break..."hey man, my daughter is at Riley, I know nothing about any release, or IUPUI, etc., etc." Thankfully, the tow guy, Chirs, next says, "Look, my daughter was once at Riley, we'll cut you break....I've been in your shoes, I'll drive you over to get your release and we'll come back to get your car out."

"Thank you, oh god, thank you, please end this mass confusion, I'm freezing out here!"

Next, we head back to the IUPUI police department to get the release in Chris' tow truck. Guess what ? IUPUI PD is closed, lights off, doors locked. At this point my only thought is "Thank god I don't carry firearms or knives!" Chris, the tow guy, my new friend, says to me...."Hey, since you're at Riley, like I was (his daughter spent 8 months at Riley going through chemotherapy for her Leukemia when she was three years old), I'm going to cut you a break, we're going to get your car out without a release.....screw those IUPUI nazis (his words, not mine). Otherwise you would have to wait unitl tomorrow for the release to get your car out."

'Chris the tow guy' is my new hero/best friend.

Chris tells me how he has been shot at, been in fist fights, arguments, threatened, all while towing people's cars. Interesting guy... my new best friend Chris.

We end up back at the tow yard again. Chirs is nice enough to look over my car and says " I don't see gas, smell gas or see anything wrong with your car. That's b.s. those IUPUI guys towed your car for no reason." Did I forget to mention that Chris is my new best friend? So I grudgingly pay $50 to get my car out and come back to the hospital to get Laura and GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE 4 HOURS LATER! Long day, crazy day, all is good with Whitney....that's what really matters. Chris the tow guy for mayor!