Elle's canker

This has been one of the longest weeks ever! I know kids are resilient and all, but there's not much more stressful than watching your own kid suffer. We discovered a sore in Elle's mouth on Monday (which we figured out was a canker sore), and by Wednesday she wasn't eating AT ALL! I was trying everything, but she'd pierce her lips shut, hold her hands over her mouth, and not let anything in.  

Wednesday afternoon I took her to the doctor (even though I was pretty sure they couldn't do anything for her). Calvin screamed the entire time, making it hard for me to even have a conversation with the doctor (which actually wasn't even our doctor- just the one on call). Elle was in lots of pain and would barely open her mouth to even let the doctor take a look. He prescribed amoxicillin which I don't think she should be on, but I was desperate and willing to try anything. He also told me to get cepacol which I hadn't heard of before, but was informed it would numb the area and allow her to eat. 

So we headed to CVS to fill the prescription (I gave Cal a lecture all the way there about how this is not about him and how he needs to chill and let me get some medicine to help Elle feel better). Cal calmed down and sat quietly in the stroller allowing me to drop off the prescription and start looking for the cepacol. Elle was crying with her hands clutching her mouth as we walked up and down the aisles looking for something that wasn't even what we needed. Long story short, Elle went to bed that night with her mouth still in pain and only a drink of water in her tummy.

This picture was taken the only time Elle ate food on Wednesday- at preschool when she had 3 fruit snacks!

Thursday morning, in attempts to get her to eat using the left side of her mouth (like she'd done earlier), I noticed another sore on that side of her tongue! So now she had canker sores on both sides of her tongue! I started salt water. Since Elle wouldn't let anything in her mouth, I'd use a syringe. While holding her hands, I'd sit her on the kitchen counter and squirt salt water through her teeth, telling her to spit it out. She'd cry, allowing me to squirt it directing onto the canker. It was terrible. But then at least she'd drink water afterwards. She ate no food at all on Thursday. I did buy some almond chocolate milk at Trader Joes that afternoon that with lots of bribing, she drank a tiny bit of. Elle didn't talk all day. Any use of the mouth hurt way too much.

Spencer gave Elle a priesthood blessing Thursday night before bed.

Friday Elle woke up and seemed better. I was shocked and immediately offered some chocolate milk to drink. She drank almost a half cup (while holding the cup herself)! I was so happy I grabbed my phone to snap a picture!

Unfortunately, that small glass of milk was the only thing Elle ate or drank the rest of the day. She even refused water. It was killing me to see her so hungry but knowing that whatever she ate and/or drank would hurt her mouth. The shocking thing about all this was that Elle didn't lay around, lethargic and lazy all day. She'd do puzzles, color, play with Calvin. She even went out and picked me a little bouquet of flowers. She's been the sweetest little girl though all this. She didn't talk the entire day again, but would make little noises with her mouth and motion for things she wanted.

Friday night was our ward trunk-or-treat. Elle was excited to get all dressed up and head out to the party. I was shocked that she had any energy left in that little body of hers. I could tell she desperately wanted a piece of pizza at the party, but she continued to refuse. Before bed I again held her down to squirt in salt water, give some Amoxicillin, and offer water (all which she tried refusing). She again went to bed on an empty stomach.

By now Spencer and I were by beside ourselves. I sent Spence out to "find something" that we could use to numb Elle's mouth and get her eating again. By the time he got home Elle was fast asleep, but at least we had something I was hopeful would work the next morning.

I've never been more anxious for Elle to wake up.

This morning, after 3 days of no food and little amounts of water, Elle woke up still refusing to eat or drink. Spencer was threatening to take her to the hospital if the "mouth sore medicine" he'd bought didn't work. The only way to get Elle to open her mouth was squirting salt water through her teeth. Sure enough she started crying and I got my finger into her mouth, wiping the gel onto the side of her tongue. She immediately demanded water which we were thrilled about! Then we gave Amoxicillin and continued to offer chocolate milk. The medicine finally kicked in because she then went to the fridge and pointed to the applesauce. She couldn't open her mouth to eat it though, so Spence came up with the genius idea of feeding her applesauce through the syringe. It worked!! I held her upright while he'd squeeze it in. I was elated!!

She ended up eating an entire bowl of applesauce, then rubbed her belly and said "Mmmm". She went onto eat some yogurt (even opened her mouth to take a bite), a muffin, bites of a banana, and some cheese!

She's continued to make improvements throughout the day and I'm just loving listening to her non-stop talking!!!