Sickness

Yes it's not nice to talk about sick and if you are eating then I would stop reading now or just man up. This part is just little stories that still make us chuckle now.

Ruaidhri like a lot of tube fed children was prone to sickness, just how sick he would be would become apparent as time goes on.

It didn't seem to matter how quick  or how slow you fed the boy it would come back up a lot faster and with some force. He could be in his cot on his side and be sick with such force it would go in between the bars and the only bits that would land on his pillow was the dribble bits that where left. He had perfected his aim and his timings. He wouldn't put his hands in the bath but didn't think twice about putting his hands in his sick.

Poppy had been fussing over him and I kept telling her that he had just had his milk and that he would be sick, but she carried on tickling him.  Next thing up came the milk all over poppy, and some did hit her face. She just sat still bless her she couldn't believe what had happened, once she had gotten over the shock she cried, I couldn't move for laughing, which made her worse.

We went shopping in Livingston one day and I had taken three changes of clothes well sleep suits with me, I was ready and prepared for him.  I wasn't however prepared for him to go through those changes as quick, thankful his last vomit was out side next so in I went to get some baby grows, the women said would you like a bag, No thanks I would like you to take them out the packet though as I need them now. She looked a tad confused until she saw the little gem sitting in his buggy with his nappy on legs in the air smiling away like he was having a grand old time.  

It was always fun if you were holding him and he was about to blow.  The good thing was you knew by the change of colour in his face that it was coming.  There had been one afternoon when I was holding him (his back on my side him facing forward) and I felt a warm dribble on my hand, that was it time to move into action, bend him over ever so slightly so that when it lands it would be clear of my feet, winner it had worked SPLASH.  It was like he would try and see how far he could get it to land each time.  I cleaned his mouth and he was have a smile, my mother in law was cleaning the floor and as I went to take him into the front room, an unexpected vomit had happened but this time it had landed on the mother in laws hair.  I could do anything for laughing and just as I was about to move him more came. I should tell you that she has long hair that is always in a pony tail, so she was unable to stand up as the pony tail and sick would end up down her back.  I could not move for laughing, and there was no way you could be cross as his smile just melted your heart.

His first Christmas we went to London, this was something me and my mum had started when Poppy was little, we would take her to see Santa.  I was unsure however weather to take Ruaidhri due having to make sure I had enough milk, bottles, feeding sets and of course his sickness was an issue, what if he was sick on the train??? Well the good news he only had small sicks great I thought this is going well, then it started we arrived at the hotel and woooosssshhhh up it all came, it was like someone had turnt the tap on in his stomach, I think the whole day's feeds had come up. So by the end of the first night he had gone through almost 8 changes of clothes, thank Christ there was a laundrette round the corner.  The next day was time to see Santa, after we had taken his clothes to be washed.  I hoped with all my worth that we would not throw up all over Santa at Harrods(the heat was another factor to add to him being sick).  It was roasting in Harrods and we had to wait to see Santa, anyway we came we went and all with out his fed coming up to say hello to Santa, great I thought maybe it was just the journey that had made him a bit yuk.  Oooh how I was wrong, so wrong. After Santa we made our way back to the hotel, every year we would stop by and see my old boss so this trip was no exception. We got to the George pub and I took Ruaidhri out being the proud mum I was ready to show Pat what a little tubby he was.  Pat was out but his partner Amanda was (she does not like children in any shape or form, even Pat's) she asked why he had a tube in and I told her about his heart and that's when it happened.  Chucky exploded. I had been cradling him because he was tied, and just when I thought he was nodding off I saw a warm white fountain appear and a very disgruntled Amanda just looked on.  I calmly explained it was part of his condition and that was him done now, (my coat that day had started as black) as she handed me some blue roll to wipe my coat there was more, it was all down my jeans, all over the seats and floor in the pub,  it was like he was going for a new record, with that I put him back in his buggie and took myself to the loo to try and wipe some of the milk away.  It was gross, the  more I wiped the worse it got and because he was on a high calorie milk with an added calorie powder it stank. I would have to try and leave here like it had just been a normal visit and not show how uncomfortable I was with cold stinking milk vomit all over me.  We said our good byes and walked back to the hotel,being sure to walk up the back streets as to not be seen.  It was a cold afternoon as well and I could feel the sick setting like concrete on my jeans, my mum couldn't stop laughing and Poppy kept saying he cant help it mum. The boy had done good he had exceeded anything like he had done before.  Off to primark it was for me that afternoon to buy a cheap coat.  The nights that we had left he made sure he would leave his mark on the hotel room, if you want to know how clean a hotel carpet is get your child to be sick on it.  You could see the clean patches where I had been cleaning the sick away, and god knows how many clumps of hair, just thinking about it makes me itch. But it was all worth it he got to see Santa and was as good as gold on the way home, the only sick he had was a small one and landed on a little dogs head.

When he had started to walk and would be sick, he had mastered the art of throwing up standing up, if we were in the high street people would always ask if it was a stomach bug so i explained that he had a heart condition.  People would stare at him because it did look painful and uncomfortable as his tube would poke out of his nose and his face would go bright red. It was the opposite, he would feel so much better after a good chuck up, the smile on his face would tell the world that.

It would take us up to a year to find out what was causing him to be so sick, but the real truth came when we got his pm report.