Sickness. Long and boring but wanted to document.

We have had a horrible sickness the last several weeks.  It started with Will complaining of severe back pain consistently for an entire day and ENTIRE night.  I took him to the doctor and the conclusion was that he must have sprained his back somehow (trampoline?).  The next night I gave him medicine to try and help him sleep but it didn't do a thing.  He was up all night again - seriously like every 20 or 30 minutes.  The next day he threw up out of nowhere.  And just once.  We began wondering if he had the flu.  Marcus' birthday BBQ was the next day so we called family to cancel. 

The next morning, Saturday, Will is fine.  ???  Every now and then he will complain of his back hurting but  he was running around like normal.  So we call family back.  BBQ is back on. 

Sunday.  Marcus and I have to speak in church.  Our topic is service and it was pretty emotional for both of us.  We haven't had much chance to reflect on Minnesota and we had multiple examples of being served the last month we were there.  Some really amazing experiences actually.  My mom came to help with the kids while we spoke.  After sacrament meeting Will is exhausted (nights of no sleep maybe!), Reagan is complaining of a bad headache and her eyes don't look great and Ainsley didn't want to stay if everyone was leaving.  So Marcus heads home with the kids while I stay and teach Primary. 

When I get home, things are looking up.  Reagan is feeling better and Will and Ainsley have had naps.  Reagan and Marcus head to ward choir practice (Reagan REALLY wanted to be in the choir so Marcus is singing so they will allow her to).  By Sunday evening Reagan is sick. 

This sickness is bizarre.  After another 2 weeks of misery passes, blood tests, and multiple visits to the doctors office, the doctors conclude that it is an intestinal virus.  It causes intense cramping in the intestines and their is NOTHING you can do to help it.  No medicine will touch the pain unless we use narcotics that have awful side effects.  Reagan got hit the worst.  It was reminiscent of when she was screaming as a baby.  H.o.r.r.i.b.l.e.  The doctor said the pain is similar as colic in babies.  We were up all day and all night with her screaming and writhing in pain every time the cramps would come (anywhere from 15 to 45 minute intervals).  Sometimes it would make her throw up (the doctors said from the pain).  She was down from Sunday night to Wednesday.  She went to school on Friday.  Marcus and I were zombies at this point.

Saturday was General Conference.  We kept things pretty low key until 4:30 when we played with cousins during the Priesthood session.  That was all it took.  By Sunday afternoon she was completely down again.  We repeated the entire sickness again.  She made it to school Thursday.  At some point Ainsley joined her but Ainsley was only down for 2 days and 1 night.  Thursday Will became sick again.  Seriously?!

I can say that this was probably the worst sickness we have ever experienced.  (Our flu in January was bad but this probably surpassed).  Marcus and I were exhausted from over two weeks of really bad nights.  We had mattresses on the floor of the family room and kids on couches.  We rubbed bellies all night long trying to ease the pain.  In the end we used peppermint oil to rub into bellies and that seemed to help the very most.  The kids would ask for more "gum" smell to be rubbed on their bellies for pain. 

It turns out that young children confuse back and stomach pain.  So Will didn't have a sprained back after all.  Just bad cramping in his intestines. 

After all the sickness we were so ready for life to start up again.  Unfortunately, Spring Break was staring us in the face.  We had another full week off making three weeks that Reagan was off of school. 

The blessings this time were having grandparents close to help out, having Marcus here, and not getting this one myself.  We were very worried that it would be awful with the pregnancy.

It was horrible to watch Reagan in so much pain and not be able to do anything to help her.  She lost 5 lbs (a lot when you only weigh 50 lbs to begin with).  It was so similar to feelings we had when she was a baby.  Our doctor said that she probably has a weakness or tendency with her intestines since she had the same pain as a baby.