Ironic Humor, at least it was.

                    

Irony, it’s one of those things that can make us laugh, and usually does.  I make a point to find humor in irony.  Actually, I try to find humor in everything and Friday this entire ideology was tested.  I was able to crack jokes, and laugh at the irony despite my baby girl’s very serious illness.

Barbara Ann is in the hospital, recovering from an appendectomy that turned out to be much more involved than originally expected.  Her appendix had apparently gone behind her colon, broken to pieces as it had adhered to her abdominal wall.  In hearing the doctor talking, it seems as though the appendix being adhered to the abdominal wall is what kept the pain down.  We are now praying that the surgeon had been able to get everything out and that his first time to operate will be his only time.  Yes, it was that bad.

How did I find humor in this? Irony.  It really was funny, before we started having to get an eight year old little girl to walk when she is in excruciating pain, or see the agony in her face when a wave of pain hits.  It was funny before the reality of just how sick my baby girl is set in.

I had taken Miss Barbara to the pediatrician Friday, the same pediatrician that had sent Georgia to the ER multiple times to rule out the appendicitis she never had.  Barbara’s fever had broken and her pain was down quite a bit when we got to the doctor.  Since Georgia had recently had a stomach bug, it was a reasonable explanation that Barbara’s pain was a stomach virus overreacting.  That sounded good to me and we went home with instructions to keep fluids going and wait until after BA’s bowels had started moving before introducing food.  If her pain got worse instead of better, and was continuous, then we should look at taking her into the hospital on the weekend.

As Georgia and I were taking Barbara to the Emergency Room in Boerne, I was feeling bad for the pediatrician.  All those times he sent Georgia to the ER to rule out appendicitis, and watch this be the time he didn't send someone and should have.  “He’ll send kids to the ER for a splinter after this,” we laughed.  We played with the irony and kept our spirits buoyed.  Even after BA had been officially diagnosed as having appendicitis, and the diagnosis included evidence that her appendix was perforated, we still found the humor. We told the ambulance attendant our ironic “joke” on the way to the Children’s hospital during the transfer.  We even got a laugh out of Barbara’s dad.  We were able to enjoy the joke until sometime yesterday.  I think it was losing its charm as the reality of BA’s condition started to settle in.

After yet another sleepless night, and watching my brave little trooper struggling to walk, I’m wondering how I had found the humor.  I do know me, my sense of humor, and the resiliency of us all, so I’m sure in time it will be even funnier.  Right now though, I’m just grateful that God has allowed the creation of modern medicine so that we can have miracles every day.  Through this miracle, my baby girl will live, the same miracle that saved Georgia when her flu had gotten so bad it took IV fluids to bring her fever down and allow her to recover.  Thank you God!  THANK YOU!!!!