I’ll start this post by saying that I am having the worst period OF MY LIFE. The only explanation to the amount of blood I’ve lost in the last two days is that I AM DYING.
I woke up Saturday, and about passed out. I normally am not bothered by the site of blood but I guess when it’s your own and THAT much it fucks with your head a little bit. I threw on the nearest clothes I could find and ran downstairs…
Ben: So I figured out how to..
Me: I have to go to Walgreens.
*grab keys, head for door*
Ben: Oookay.
Walgreens is only about two blocks away and I was there and back in about 2.75 minutes.
Purchased:
1 – Box Super Absorbent Tampons
1 – Box Regular Absorbent Tampons
1 – Package Super Absorbent Pads
1 – Box Midol
1 – Massive bar of Hershey’s Chocolate
The cashier was too scared to make eye contact. As she handed me my bag she said “Have a nice weekend?” In question form. Like, “Is it okay for me to say that or should I just shut up?”
The latter. But thanks!
The rest of the day was spent on the couch in labor. That’s the only way I can really explain the cramping. I did manage to catch up on all my DVR’s shows. Small victories.
This morning after breakfast with my mom is when the worst hour of my life took place. Cassidy was finishing up a chore (emptying the dishwasher) when Lydia, a neighbor girl, knocked on the door and asked if she could play so I told Cassidy as soon as she was done she could go.
Now, before I start keep in mind a few things. We live directly next to a cul-de-sac with houses on only one side. There are a TON of kids down there and it’s the only place Cassidy is allowed to go play. Up until today she has always been very good about staying in that cul-de-sac and ASKING BEFORE SHE GOES INTO A HOUSE. Just Friday she asked to go in Lydia’s house to watch a movie after they had already been playing for an hour or so.
So…
Cassidy finishes her dishes and asks to go out. I say GO! BURN ENERGY! GOODBYE!
10 minutes later: Lydia knocks on the door asking for her. I tell her she must have gotten sidetracked at Nathans. Check there.
2 minutes later: Lydia is back. She’s not there. Okay, I’ll go out and look she’s probably wandering and they are missing each other somehow.
5 minutes later: I’m back at the house. I can’t find her. Get Ben, help me look.
5 minutes later: Checked at all the houses I can think of EXCEPT Grace’s because Lydia said she had asked to play there and they were leaving so she’s not home.
2 minutes later: On phone with police giving them Cassidy’s description, address, cops on the way.
2 minutes later: Neighborhood parents and Ben have all headed out in different cars to search.
1 minute later: First two cops show up. Seriously, it was fast. Asking questions, searching neighborhood.
5 minutes later: Worst moment of my life “We are going to need about four recent pictures to identify her.” I almost vomit. I actually have to swallow back breakfast to hold it in. I’m about to lose it.
2 minutes later: Must stop pictures in head. Can’t think about that. Must stop them. Can’t concentrate. There is a picture of her on my desk but it’s over a year old and he said recent. Still can’t think because of the images.
1 minute later: Remember pictures I took this morning. Try to print. Printer won’t work. That’s it, I give up. I can’t do this. I just can’t do this. Brain starts to shut down. Sit in chair, put head between legs, going to vomit, can’t breathe.
Police officer outside: “We found her!!”
Me: “What?! Where?! Where is she?!”
Ben pulls back up at house.
Police officer: “She was in a house down the street.”
The one house I hadn’t checked. Grace’s fucking house. Grace who I thought wasn’t home because I wasn’t thinking with my HEAD and listened to an 8 year old.
The rest is a blur except I remember the officer telling me not to be too hard on her, the good news is we found her and she’s safe. I have a feeling he’s done this a few times.
Grab her, don’t want to let go. Feel like my heart is pumping for the first time in an hour. Still can’t breathe but food is going the correct direction in my esophagus. Ears start to ring. Blood rushing into my head. Adrenaline pumping. Can’t let go of her…
There really are no words to adequately describe the feeling. Those of you who are parents understand. Those who aren’t yet don’t and the words I could type would never be descriptive enough to tell what was going on when I sat in that computer chair. There just aren’t words.
She’s grounded. I’d like to say FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE but I’m trying to be realistic. She knows the rule about asking before going into houses and until today, she had always been very good about doing that. I’m also considering making her carry her cell phone with her from now on so there are no more days like this. I have pretty much every parent’s phone number EXCEPT Grace’s because they haven’t been living there that long.
And now I’m going to go help her build a fort in her room to sleep in tonight. And hug her. A lot. A week of being stuck in the house with me hugging her every 15 minutes so I can smell the top of her head and feel the warmth of her body ought to be enough to teach her a lesson since she turned 9 last month and suddenly hugging is SO NOT COOL.
OMG Anna I cant imagine what you were going thru, I hope I never have to go thru that, the closest my parents ever came to that was one day after school i had a migrane so i went to sleep in my bed. they looked everywhere for me for about 2 hours all my friends neighbors and were about to call the police, when my mom went into my room to get something and i was sound asleep with our dog. yah, she didnt notice the dog was missing too. the dog who usually greeted everyone when they got home, but when ever i had a migrane she stayed with me. after that she learned to look in my room first!
Btw how are Bens headaches?
Oh Anna. 🙁 Ugh. *hugs* I would have reacted the same way you did. I’m so glad that Cassidy is okay, and so sorry that she put you through that in the first place!
Oh, and the tampons/pads/midol/chocolate/cashier anecdote? Too funny, and oh so true.
Yeah, I’m serious when I say it was the worst hour of my entire freaking life. I never ever ever want to go through it EVER AGAIN.
However, she’s grounded and bored out of her mind and DRIVING ME CRAZY so I’m not even really sure who is being punished more. Her or me?
first of all, i hear ya on the “so much blood” thing. i hate that time of the month; all i want to do is sit on my ass, eat tons of chocolate and tell everyone to piss off.
about grace, that is so so so good that you found her but shitty that she did that! im sure she learned her lesson though!
I’M SO GLAD SHE’S SAFE. I’m so so so so so SO glad. I can’t even imagine– even getting my kids’ photos taken so the police had an “in case” identification made my stomach turn. Ever needing to have those photos brought up again would just– oh, you poor thing. I’m so worked up and sympathetic over here. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that it ended on a semi-happy note.
Big tight hugs to both of you!
Thanks, guys. It’s made me do that thing where you reassess every second you COULD have spent with your kids but DIDN’T thing. And I’ve brought up in every single conversation in the last 24 hours how IMPORTANT rules are. We have rules because we don’t want to cause mom to go any more insane than she already is!
I guess a plus is that she’s been making me cute crafts and bringing me Diet Pepsi on demand because she still feels bad. 😉
I’m glad you found Cassidy. It absolutely AMAZES me how far I’d play when I was 5+.. The idea of my BOYS doing that… I just can’t imagine I’d let them wander/play/explore as far as I did as a kid, it would drive me insane!
I’ve had two scares with Trey. One year at the fair about 2 years ago — he was 3 and Max was 1 (in a stroller) and my sister wanted to take the boys with her kids but I said I’d go… So we ate, walked around a little and Trey’s hanging out with his cousins and uncle while I’m chatting with my sister around a car display by the main gate. We get up to move on and my BIL, neice and nephew are hand and hand with him — NO TREY. I scanned around everywhere.. people everywhere.. EXIT TO THE CARS RIGHT THERE.. NO TREY. I was starting to panic looking between all the cars, faces.. gugh.. then I turned and there was Trey in front of the exhibit building looking for us, a mom and daughter were getting ready to approach him because he obviously looked lost.. what a relief… I’m so glad I was there >:<
The second time just happened at his school.. We were in line for the Halloween Festival to get tattoos and Max had to pee *real* bad. Trey was up for his turn so I told him I was taking Max to the potty and we’d be right back. When we went out I returned to the tattoo booth not very far from the bathrooms and no Trey. It was in the school courtyard and it was REALLY crowded.. I checked the entrance, I yelled in the two bathrooms.. I looked for a good 10 minutes and couldn’t find him. I ran into the new Daycare Lady and her mom so they started looking too.. her mom ended up finding him, crying with the principal in the library.
As for your flow — GAHHH… is that because of the medication you’re taking?
At the fair?! I know right where you are talking about and how crowded it always is right there. How scarry!
As for the bleeding, I think it is just a side effect of the PCOS in general. If it happens again next month then I’ll make an appointment to see somebody. It was INSANE the way I was going through “products”. Two packs in two days. TWO in TWO.
Oh girl!! I know what that immediate feeling is like. I lost my son at Disney once for like 20 minutes and I lost it.
I’m glad she is SAFE!!!