With some hesitation....

I hesitate to write this on my blog since people may occasionally look at it, but it is like a journal to me and I do want to document this night.

We had over 30 scorpions that I found in our house while living in Vegas. The day we drove away from Vegas, I was happy to think that we had survived living there with no one getting stung and happy to not have to worry about scorpions in Houston. We headed to my parents house in AZ for a week and one day, it happened.

Marlee and I had been playing outside on the trampoline when she wanted to go ride the four-wheeler. Even though we always wear shoes while riding quads, I was to lazy to put our shoes on and we headed out to the garage. As I was getting the quad out Marlee said "I go get my shoes." She knew she should. But I said it was fine, we would just go really quick, so she stood there while I pulled out the quad. All the sudden she started screaming as I moved it and then I see a big scorpion run out from under the tire. In my mind I thought her toe must have been stubbed by the tire when I pulled it out, but knew there was a possibility she had been stung.

I to my parents inside the house and Dad came and killed the scorpion. They instantly thought she must have been stung because of her crying, but I really thought she was just throwing a fit over the tired stubbing her toe. We looked at her toe and could find stung marks, yet she kept saying "My toe hurt."  Mom looked up on the computer info on scorpion stings. The Bark Scorpion is only found in AZ and Clark County NV (Las Vegas), and is the deadliest scorpion in the U.S.  It says to seek medical attention immediately if a child or elderly person is stung. I still hesitated, but after 15 minutes and no slowing in the crying, we decided we better take her in.

Dad drove (Ryan was 2 hours away in Tucson with his friend Paul), I sat in the back with Marlee and we headed to an urgent care about 3 miles away. Before we got there Marlee's crying got much worse and her legs started tightening up, all the sudden panic set in and I knew she really had been stung. I felt horrible and like it was all my fault, and guilty for not taking her right away. Guilty that I didn't have her go put her shoes on when she wanted to... something I had always taught her to do. Reminded me of the talk from an old conference of the little boy in the desert with his parents that got stung by a scorpion when he chose not to put on his shoes. But this time, it was my choice.

We rushed into the urgent care and I asked in the had the anti-venom, they said no but that the doctor could look at her... were they crazy!? We didn't have time to just have them look at her! We hurried back to the car and to the nearest ER just 1 mile away, seemed like it too forever. I was panicking. Marlee's whole body was tightening up now and she was screaming. By the time I ran into the ER, I just rushed right up to the people and said that I needed help NOW. I had Marlee in my arm, holding her straight out, with her body convulsing and her eyes shaking. They took me back immediately and as soon as the nurse saw her she rushed her to a room and started taking vitals.

It was then that Marlee started foaming at the mouth and gasping for air. I kept saying "She is dying! Help her! Please do something!" But nobody seemed as worried at I was. I tried to hold her convulsing body as the sucked the foam out of her mouth, hooked her up to an IV, gave her motrin and muscle relaxers, and put her on oxygen. The doctors said that it would take about 30 minutes to preparethe anti-venom and another 45-60 minutes for it to take effect. I really didn't know if we could survive that long.

They told me to try and hold her, and suck out the foam from her mouth with a tube and then everyone left. I was left there with my sweet baby who's life I saw flashing before my eyes. It was one of the most heart wrenching things I has ever been through to see her suffering so much. The convulsing, eye shaking, foaming from her mouth, tightening up, and screaming all lasted for more than an hour.  Everyonce in a while her eyes would catch mine and I could just see them pleading with me, saying - help me mom! Why aren't you helping me??  It. Was. The. Worst.

I am so grateful my Dad was there, trying to comfort me. He was able to give Marlee a priesthood blessing and I am so grateful for the power of God she was blessed with. I was able to be comforted and relax a little, I felt peace that she would be ok. Her condition finally started to improve about 30 minutes later, quicker than the doctors expected.  Finally the storm stopped. She was relaxed and fell asleep in my arms.

Shortly after Ryan made it there. He sped the whole way home. I feel so bad he wasn't there, I am sure he was so worried trying to hurry and make it to us. But I also feel like he is so lucky that he didn't have to witness what she went through.

Four hours later, we walked out with one exhausted little girl in our arms. I am so incredibly grateful we did walk out - WITH her. That night I was so grateful she was ok, but it has only been more recently that I have come to realize just how blessed we were. How there are people who walk into the ER thinking they will leave with their little ones in just a few short hours, and never do. How blessed we are that they came out with this anti-venom just 3 years ago and that we were able to get her the medical help she needed. How blessed we were that we knew what the problem was so that the doctors could treat her immediately, even though there was no visible sting on her foot or toe. So blessed that her lungs held out until the venom kicked in. We were so blessed and I am so grateful.

I just wanted to stare at her that night. Such a precious girl. She is my "happy girl." I am so grateful to be her mom. The next day she was totally herself again. Running around and acting like nothing had ever happened. Even though the doctors said she would be grouchy and achy, she was my typical happy little girl. No one would have any idea anything ever happened, but it was a night I will never forget.