An experience I hope never to forget

This gal just got home from 5th grade camp today.  We missed her.  Last night at dinner, Jensen reminded me that 7 years ago when SHE was the one coming home from 5th grade science camp, our family was in the midst of a crisis.  I had forgotten that!  How fast time has flown.  So I decided to document that most incredible experience with hope that I will never forget it.  It truly was one of the best "Holy Ghost" experiences I will probably ever have.

Reagan was 4 and had been home sick for a few days with a bug.  She started feeling better on Thursday and asked if she could go outside to play in the back yard.  I was happy to oblige!  Poor kid was excited to get out of bed.  Things seemed fine.  

Then early Friday morning, she awoke with what appeared to be a relapse.  I didn't think too much of it.  I sent Tanner and McKinley off to school and Brent off to work ( remember, Jensen was away at 5th grade science camp) and resolved to spend another day with my poor little girl.  I was throwing a shower at my house the next day and had a lot to do.

I gave Reagan a bath and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.  She seemed really tired and drained but no fever.  

But within a couple of hours I had a strong impression that I should call and make an appointment and get her into the Dr. that very day.  I called and made the appointment and the only thing that they had was late afternoon when I was supposed to meet the bus and Jensen from her week long trip.  I half thought of just not scheduling the appointment so I could get Jen when I was reminded that I felt prompted to take Reagan to the DR ASAP.  My friend Victoria, who also had a 5th grade daughter was more than happy to pick Jensen up for me.

As a couple more hours passed, Reagan grew more and more weak.  She could hardly sit up straight.  The only way that I can describe it is to say that I felt like I was watching her fade right before my eyes.  I became really worried about her as the day progressed.  I called Brent and told him I was taking her in to the Dr. and that she seemed really sick.  

I picked McKinley up from morning  kindergarten and went to the Dr. appt.  As I sat in the waiting room, I looked at my little girl and a horrible feeling came over me that this was much more than just a relapse, she appeared to be dying.  I remember crying as I held her in my arms and waited to be called back to the exam room.  A voice said in my mind,
"HAVE HIM CHECK HER HEAD TO TOE" 
and then it echoed three times
 "HEAD TO TOE,  HEAD TO TOE, HEAD TO TOE." 
 I thought, "that was weird."

We were called back and as soon as we were in the room, I said to McKinley, "We need to pray for Reagan, she is very sick and we need to pray for help so that the Dr. can help her and she can get better".  We did.  

As soon as Dr. Hidalgo walked in to the room, I repeated to him exactly what the voice had said in my mind, "Dr. Hidalgo, you have been our pediatrician for 11 years now and you know I am not a mom who overreacts about every little thing but I feel impressed to tell you that Reagan is very sick and it might seem like just the flu to you but I think it is something much more serious and you should check her HEAD TO TOE.".
 He paused for a moment, looked at her, looked at me and then agreed.  

As I pulled off her pants we both saw a
  bright red stripe
going from an open sore on her ankle up to right above her knee on the back of her leg.  It looked like someone had colored a stripe with a red permanent marker on the back of her leg.  But they hadn't.
 It was a very serious infection.
 It had not been there a few hours before when I had given her a bath.  In that short time it had traveled several inches up her leg. 

Dr. Hidalgo looked me in the eye and said, "Reagan is very seriously sick.  She has a staph infection that is moving very quickly.  I want you to go straight to the hospital.  Do not go home and pack her a bag or get anything.  Go straight to the hospital.  I will call them as soon I walk out of this room and they will have a room waiting for you by the time you get there" -which was a 5 minute drive.  Tears of fear welled up in my eyes.  Then he said,
" I will never question a mother's intuition ever again, Ms. Argyle".  "I have seen so much flu this week that presents just like this.  I would never have asked to examine her without clothes on if you had not asked me to and we would never have caught this infection."
He hugged me and told me to get to the hospital asap.

As soon as we were there I remember (even before they had her admitted and we got the IV antibiotics for her)
I had an overwhelming feeling of reassurance that she was going to be fine.   I had done what I needed to do to save her life and she would be spared.  
Brent and the kids met us there and they all cried as soon as they saw her because of her bleak appearance.  They could tell she was so sick.  And what was weird is that I was just beaming!  I was so grateful for that affirmation that she would be fine.  (Little did I know that Dr. Hidalgo was VERY concerned that it would be a MRSA infection that would not respond to antibiotics and she would die.) I found that out later when she was discharged.

His theory is that because she had been sick, her immune system was already very compromised.  On the day before when she had asked to go outside, she had played in the sandbox.  She had an open sore on her ankle and he thinks that a staph infection got in there and traveled very quickly and aggressively.

I will forever be grateful for that experience because of the miracle that occurred for our family but also because I learned alot about how the Spirit speaks to me and how important it is to listen and heed.  I am so grateful for the comfort that I felt that day too.  I was able to calm every one else down and be a source of peace on a truly terrible day.