SYDNI'S SCARY STUFF!

You've heard of "mother's intuition" right? Well, I'm a firm believer in the concept after this week's events with Syd-o. Donnie might call my "mother's intuition" as being "lenzi-freaks-out-about-everything", because I'm no stranger to being overly cautious....maybe too cautious. Either I've read too many books or watched too many Dateline specials, I don't know, but I do obsess over every possible horrific scenario that could befall my children. I've even been known to stand in the middle of the street and yell at "those darn teenagers" that drive by my house too fast. YES...I'm one of THOSE mothers!


My girls are priority numero uno, so when Sydni didn't bounce back from having the flu in November, I fretted, worried and obsessively Googled her symptoms much too often. (NEVER Google symptoms, by the way - not a great way to bring peace of mind, my friends!) Sydni's symptoms included things like constant fatigue, random fevers, paleness, and just not being the Sydni I know and love. I KNEW SHE WASN'T WELL, but we didn't have anything concrete to share with our pediatrician. On the days she would be tired and moody, the next day she would be buoyant and energetic. When I would notice her having a low-grade fever, the next day she would be fever-free...it was maddening! Finally, I told Donnie that I wanted to have her blood drawn and to take her to the doctor for a full examination. He was worried about Sydni's constant fatigue and over all puny-ness, too, so he actually agreed to the full examination and blood work without giving me the "you're being overprotective" speech.


After going to the pediatrician, initial tests discovered that Sydni has mononucleosis, or MONO, and has probably had it since November. Even after discovering her mono, our doctor wanted to run her blood through the gamut of tests to "be sure there isn't anything more serious going on". Of course this nondescript statement translated to my over protective ears as "we want to make sure your adorable baby girl doesn't have leukemia or another scary illness." The 24 hours we had to wait on the rest of the tests were the longest of my life. I had to shutdown my brain and instruct myself to not think the worst, but it is so hard to not even consider the worst possible outcomes. I kid you not when I say that I saw seven St. Jude's Network commercials during that span of time; which let me just say that I have the utmost respect for parents of children who are fighting illnesses. I donate to St. Jude's every time they send me a donation letter, and will continue doing so for the rest of my life. Thank the Lord, her tests came back perfectly healthy (excluding the Mono)! We will need to monitor her closely for the next couple of weeks to make sure she is resting and eating well and not becoming run-down. I will take Mono any day over the other diagnosis I was tossing around in my head! Thank you for your prayers and for lifting Sydni up during our horrific, 24 hour purgatory. We may have a tired 5 year old on our hands for a few more weeks, but at least we know that she is NOT CONTAGIOUS and will kick this illness. We will spend our Spring Break relaxing and building up our baby's strength for the rest of the school year.