Brooklyn Grages

Brooklyn is one amazing girl and we are so blessed to have her as our daughter. On Friday, January 8, 2016, she woke up as usual, prepared to go to preschool. After having a small snack she told us her tummy hurt. We asked her what kind of hurt and she thought she had to go to the bathroom. She attempted to go and started to cry and scream saying that she hurt. We decided it would be best for her to stay home to talk with her doctor and determine our next steps. This was all at 6-6:30a.m. She wanted to lay down in her bed and I checked on her frequently. She was clearly uncomfortable as she was unable to go to sleep and was very restless. She eventually vomited at 8:30. At this point I spoke with the triage nurse and was able to get her scheduled with the pediatrician. At the pediatrician's office she was tired and very pale. She kept saying she was thirsty and she drank bits of water. Her blood work showed a glucose level of 230. The pediatrician was concerned about possible juvenile diabetes and dehydration, so we were transported to the Maple Grove ER. 
While at the Maple Grove ER, they determined that the high glucose level was the result of a stress response to infection in her body, though we were still unclear about what was happening. She was admitted to Maple Grove hospital that night and was monitored by the Pediatric Hospitalist. She had an X-Ray, and it showed some gas and was still unclear. Through ongoing monitoring and trying to keep fluids down they decided to do a CT of her abdomen. This occurred first thing on Saturday morning. We spent most of the early morning having her drink a solution so that they could get a good picture of what was going on. We had to do this slow as we didn't want her to throw it up and she had vomited three times while at the hospital. Her CT showed some possible twisting and we were immediately transported to the U of MN Masonic Children's Hospital. She was immediately prepped for surgery.
What they found during surgery was not expected. They found an internal, abdominal hernia and because of how things looked in her abdomen they had to remove a portion part of her bowel and part of her colon. She did well through surgery and was kept sedated through the night to get rest as she had been through a lot over the last two days. She is so strong and we are so proud of her. 
It is now Sunday, January 10, 2016, and she is back in surgery as of 8a.m. they are evaluating the best way to proceed to help her stay healthy and stable. I will continue to update this webpage so that all of our friends and family know how she is doing. We are looking for support, encouragement, positive thoughts and ongoing prayers for her and our family. Brooklyn is such a strong girl who is beautiful in every way; we are in amazement of her ability to go through all of this and love her more than anything.