Chapter 19 — [January 14-19]
When Sally tried to call the camp over the subsequent week, the only thing she was able to hear back an answering machine requesting a detailed message and promising a prompt return call. She wasn’t about to leave medical details about her daughter out in the open on a device such as that so after leaving just her name and number the first time and hearing nothing back, she simply continued to call and continued to receive the same response. Nothing.
In the end, Sally promised Jordan they’d get it figured out in the spring once the departure date for camp was closer. The application form did have a box to check in the medical section indicating ‘bedwetting’, which seemed promising to Sally that at least they had dealt with the issue before. She filled out the rest of the paperwork and had submitted it, leaving the questions rest for the time being.
Approximately a week after the White Pines Camp enrollment blitz at BCS, Jordan woke up to a January Seattle morning not feeling normal at all. A relatively rare winter sun shone through the weathered wood-framed window, indicating the late hour in the day. She tried to roll out of bed, but couldn’t – a terribly hostile sickness had grabbed hold of her teenage body. Mindi’s bed on the other side of the blue and white striped rug in the center of the room appeared long vacated.
As the purple diaper-clad girl flopped the comforter to her waist, her strength failed her and only her left hand made it to a patch of rug on the floor where the suns warmth had done its work. Her balance had been thrown off however and so she continued to gradually, essentially helplessly, slide out of bed onto the floor into the puddle of light. Wearing only a t-shirt and diaper (which had been the norm at that point more or less), Jordan immediately felt extreme dizziness and nausea hit her. In addition, her stomach ached fiercely. Although she had only met ‘Aunt Flo’ three times in her short life, she could tell the difference between menstrual cramps and this new pain which was up more and toward her sides. Too weak and too unwilling to try to crawl back into bed, the girl lay in the sun, curled up like a cat. She moaned softly under the weight of her discomfort as she breathed.
Three days earlier on Friday evening, Sally had noticed Jordan’s panties were unusually damp when she was getting her ready for bed. On Saturday evening, they were even damper and the urine had a distinct odor that was ‘off’ from the usual smell. In a matter-of-fact, mom-like way, Sally had asked her daughter if it had been hurting at all when she peed during the day, if she had been feeling like she had to pee more often than usual, or if she had been having problems getting to the bathroom in time.
“…Mooom!…why would you ask me something like that?…”, the teenager had responded defensively, suddenly snapping out of her customary nightly baby-like state. This reaction was enough for Sally to judge that she likely had indeed been experiencing the symptoms she asked about – those most women know as linked to a UTI.
“Jordie dear, you’ve been wearing diapers to bed now every night for essentially two months. It’s not surprising that you’d get a urinary tract infection once in a while. Girls get them all the time just by virtue of being girls. I’m just asking you about some of your symptoms so I can know. Your panties have been pretty wet the last couple nights and tonight…well…your pee smells a little funny dear…”
Feeling her embarrassment more clearly at that point but also thankful that she wasn’t (a) alone or (b) that her mom wasn’t just being nosy, Jordan responded, “…oh…well…yeah I guess it started hurting a little last week…and yesterday I felt like I had to go like every 20 minutes or I was gonna wet my pants…”
“…um, yeah…that sounds like a UTI—” Sally said.
“A WHAT?!”
Sally looked slightly annoyed with her daughter’s seeming juvenility – particularly given her clear ability with words and giant vocabulary. “A UTI honey. A urinary tract infection – that’s what people call them – UTIs.”
“OH.” She paused to think. “So how do I get rid of it?”
“Well usually it takes a few days to run their course and sometimes women can clear them up by drinking a lot of water and cranberry juice…but other times we have to go to the doctor and get on antibio—”
“NOT THE DOCTOR AGAIN!” Jordan protested wild eyed.
The suggestion earned the young girl’s attention. Her previous appointment with Dr. Yepp was more than traumatizing and she wasn’t at all interested in a repeat visit.
“Well I doubt you’ll have to – but it’s not for a pelvic exam like you had last time anyways. It’d be for a urine sample and then a prescription for antibiotics…” Sally thought for a second before adding, “…that you would swallow orally.”
Slightly relieved Jordan replied, “Oh – well I guess that might not be quite as bad but I still don’t wanna go.” She paused for a moment and then said, “So do we have any cranberry juice or whatever?”
Sally had picked up all kinds of supplies and home remedies that Saturday and over the rest of the weekend hoping to find a way to avoid another visit to the doctor. But no matter how many interventions they tried, her status seemed to slowly decline hour by hour.
Jordan’s pain while peeing increased gradually over the subsequent hours as did her frequency. The need to pee slowly shifted into ‘urgency’ where at the drop of a hat, she would dash from any corner of the house or her bedroom to bathroom, pushing out of the way anyone blocking her path. For the first few hours after she was awake on Saturday, impulses came upon her every 15 or 20 minutes. Yet at the same time once she got to the toilet, she complained of not being able to actually “go”, that she had to go “SOOOO BAAAD!!” but couldn’t push out a much more than a drop. Fairly rapidly, both she, her sisters, and her mother became irritable and landlocked in the house as Jordan refused to go anywhere in her state.
As Saturday wore on, Jordan’s urgency began betraying her to partial accidents – leaking urine in her panties as she bolted to the toilet only before being unable to pee once she arrived. After several clothing changes by the late afternoon, Jordan asked for her night diaper and some Nyquil, which her mom happily provided.
Sunday proved to be more of the same, despite copious amounts of home remedy treatment: cranberry juice, water, and rest. Sally thought the poor girl must’ve been almost waterlogged with all the fluid they were pushing through her system – but she still didn’t seem to be getting better. In fact, by Sunday morning, she seemed to be acting a little lethargic. Sally dismissed it as a hangover from the Nyquil.
This is normal. She told herself, It’ll pass with time and rest.
Jordan’s frequency picked up Sunday morning and small accidents had started happening almost on the hour. Essentially indistinguishable from ordinary incontinence, Sally suggested putting a diaper back on her during the day as she lounged in bed feeling more and more weak by the minute. Jordan agreed and as Sally changed her, She had noticed that all the wetness on her diaper area over the past couple days from the wetting and additional diaper usage had contributed to fairly bad diaper rash. She added a thick layer of Desitin to the mix as well.
“This is gonna pass in just a few more hours honey, you’re almost out of the woods. Trust me. These are tough but you’re almost done.” Sally was confident late Sunday morning that the worst was over and that calling the doctor was overkill.
Had Jordan been more coherent and less focused on the increasing pain on her tummy just below her belly button, it would’ve struck her on that Sunday that it had been the first time in over 10 years that she had worn a diaper during the daytime. But because her UTI symptoms were so miserable, all she could focus on was lying still in bed, drinking liquids, and keeping a heating pad in place. Sally changed her a couple times during Sunday afternoon before announcing that the baby-like teen was “going down for the night” at 6pm.
When Sally found her daughter curled up on the floor in a splash of sunlight at 10:30am Monday morning, it had only been an hour and a half since she had last stuck her head in the door. At 7, she had changed Jordan’s diaper and the odor of her urine had been even stronger than it had been all weekend.
Genuinely worried, Sally had thought, Hmmm, maybe we’ll have to take you in today honey. I’m sorry. But for now, let’s let you get some more sleep – the clinic isn’t even open yet. Rest will probably be the thing that helps her anyways.
She had applied a thick new layer of diaper rash cream, taped her big girl back up in a fresh purple diaper, and covered her up for more sleep. Jordan had hardly stirred. The same had been true when Sally changed her at 2am.
But at 10:30, Jordan was pale, sweaty, and lethargic. As she lay motionless curled up on the floor, the foul odor of her bacteria ridden urine filled the room.
“Jordie! Are you ok? You’ve fallen off the bed!” Sally rushed into the room and attempted to help her listless daughter to her feet.
Jordan had enough strength to crawl back onto the mattress with her mom’s help.
Having rapidly declined over the previous several hours, she didn’t look good at all. “Let me go get a thermometer dear.”
A minute later, Sally was back after having rifled through both bathrooms and then finally Jen’s room. “Sorry Jordie but all I could find was Jen’s rectal thermometer – you don’t want to put this kind in your mouth.”
Jordan responded with incoherent mumbles
Quickly Sally untapped Jordan’s diaper and pulled it down. It was at this point that she noticed the darkness of her urine – as well as a few streaks of reddish brown.
Sounding slightly more frantic Sally said, “You just had your period two weeks ago. I think this blood is from your urine sweetie. Oh dear, you’re really sick,” Sally immediately felt ashamed of herself for not taking her daughter’s illness more seriously.
“We need to get you to the hospital. I’m really sorry honey. I should’ve taken you in sooner… MINDI!! Come in here and help me!”
After lubricating the thermometer in petroleum jelly, Sally inserted it (which caused the most lifelike response from her the fearful mom had seen since the previous afternoon). Well at least that’s encouraging, she thought.
The old-fashioned mercury gauge read 104.9 degrees. That’s NOT encouraging however!
Just then, Mindi entered the room and froze. It had been Sally and Jordan’s habit to keep her diapering routine private and although she had known it was taking place, it was still a shock to see her older sister naked except a wet diaper opened up underneath her.
“Find me some sweats for Jordan, Mindi. Now Please. We’re going to the hospital.” The tone of her mom’s voice led the five year old to realize that she meant business.
Sally pulled out the wet diaper a little more forcefully than normal and had a little more difficult time getting a new one under her daughter as she was much less able to follow instructions in her infant-like state. Just as Sally was taping her up, Mindi found what appeared to her to be the only clean pair of pants in the room – thin cotton school issue gym warm-ups from BCS.
“Thanks. Now Shoes and socks!” She said as she grabbed them and simultaneously sat Jordan up on the edge of the bed. After Mindi had found brought them, Sally instructed her to bring the house phone.
In a way only a mom could do, Sally magically was able to finish dressing Jordan, carry/shuffle her through the house, out the back door, and into the front seat of the car; recline that front seat, and belt her in – all while calling Jo Miller begging her to come over to watch the younger girls during the trip to the Emergency Room – and at the same time giving said younger girls strict instructions as to how to respect and obey their guest babysitter while she and their sister were gone.
By the time Sally had her own clothes changed, purse packed, and Jordan comfortable, Jo was at the house and ready to serve the fledgling family with a heart of kindness.
A loving hug and thank-you between old friends was and mother and daughter were off to the races. They headed to one of the last places in the world a thirteen year old wearing a thick purple would want to go: the small community hospital in their own neighborhood of Ballard. But she was so incoherent – she couldn’t even manage to be embarrassed.
Jordan was delirious when they arrived at the Emergency Room and after Sally checked Jordan in with a familiar looking female Medical Assistant at the triage counter, the medical staff at the hospital acted swiftly. Evaluated in the lobby, her blood pressure and pulse were not normal and she was visibly shivering in addition to the elevated body temperature.
“Why didn’t you bring her in sooner!?” Barked the nurse at Sally accusingly.
Taken aback and already feeling embarrassed, all Sally could get out was a defensive sounding, “…I…well…um…I thought it was clearing up…and…well…she got bad like this really rapidly this morning…”
The nurse shook her head condescendingly and motioned for Sally to help Jordan into a wheelchair.
“Has she been incontinent all her life?” the nurse asked.
Confused by the question Sally responded “…w…ww…what?”
“The diapers! Has. She. PEED. HER. PANTS. Her. Whole. LIFE?” People in the lobby looked. Jordan’s puffy purple diaper poked out of the top of her sweatpants and was clearly outlined in the thin blue fabric. She almost resembled a mentally disabled person in her present state.
“No! Of course not! She’s…she’s…she just wets the bed,” sally tried to whisper in the public place. Feeling the eyes of strangers (or did she know some of them?) upon she and Jordan. “…and since this UTI had been getting worse yesterday, she’d been having more accidents so I just left her diaper on this morning…”
Looking disgusted, the nurse sized up Sally and her explanation and then responded with another grunt.
Once Jordan was back in a small ER room with a glass wall, things happened fast – then slow – then fast again – all day and into the evening. Jordan was given an IV in her arm for fluids right away, pain medication for her abdomen, and antibiotics for the infection. Her clothing was traded for a gown. Her diaper was traded for a thin disposable pad on the bed, and her perineal region was unceremoniously cleaned. After 4 or 5 hours of treatment, she began to slowly perk up and come to her senses once again.
“Mom, was I in a diaper when you brought me here?” she asked finally, leaning her head in her mom’s direction.
“…Well, yeah honey…I mean you were peeing yourself like every 10 minutes…and I’d guess you might still need something today for protection…”
“…Um yeah…I’m kinda like all soaking wet…” replied Jordan.
Sally pulled up the blanket and felt like the clock had been turned back 3 months to the days before her teenager was in diapers. Jordan, her gown, and all her bedding were soaked in dark yellowish-brown urine. Without consult, Sally pressed the nurse call button and a familiar voice at the other end answered.
“How can I help you?”
“Oh, my daughter just needs some help in here with new bedding.”
“…Oh…ok…I though she was in a diaper?” Said the voice.
What the hell? Sally thought, How about a little privacy lady?
“Um…well not now…would you please just send someone in here to help?” Sally said with a little more edge to her voice.
“Eye Eye!! Yes Ma’am!!”
It’s that girl at the front desk, how do I know her? Her voice is so familiar…and I knew I recognized her face when we came in. Sally thought to herself.
Once a nurse made it to Jordan’s room, the teenage girl sitting on what looked like a glorified puppy pad was beginning to feel itchy and uncomfortable. As it turned out, the nurse who came to assist was the one from the lobby who had previously been so rude with Sally about Jordan’s condition.
“What d’you need?” she barked as if disturbed from a nap.
“Well Jordan here needs some help with new bedding.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t incontinent!” The nurse wasn’t getting any nicer.
“Well from what I’ve been told, apparently she’s got a bladder infection which, as the DOCTOR said, sometimes can lead to acute incontinence – clearly she’s improving but all the pain pills you gave her knocked her out and the first thing you did was take off her diaper – so yeah, I guess the bed’s wet now and you’ve made a little additional work for yourself.” Sally glared at the woman in smug victory.
The nurse went to work roughly pulling off the sheets and commanding Jordan to sit up. Sally helped her and just about the time Jordan was standing barefoot on the cold tile floor, wet gown clinging to her otherwise bare body, driblets of urine still leaking down her leg, an overly cheery woman cracked the sliding glass door and popped her head inside.
“Oh great! You’re getting taken care of Jordan. Glad to see it!” It was the woman from the front desk again, happy as can be.
Jordan awkwardly looked at her mom confused as to why this intrusion.
I do know her!! That’s Anne from church. What the hell is wrong with her? Sally thought.
“Yep.” Sally said curtly.
“Well let me know if you need anything else!!” She said as if she were a hotel concierge.
A quick nod from each of them and she was gone.
In the meantime, the nurse had already stripped the bed and laid new sheets down along with a new blue pad pad. “Alright Jordan take that gown off.” She said holding up a clean one.
Embarrassed, Jordan complied and didn’t like the feeling of being stark naked in front of such a crotchety and prickly person. But there was no choice.
“Can’t she clean up or anything before putting new clothes on? I mean look at her?” Sally interjected before the clothing exchange had fully taken place.
The nurse glanced down and saw the wetness on Jordan’s legs.
“For God’s sake! Yeah I’ll get you some wipes.” The nurse exclaimed with annoyance.
“What if you just get us a couple diapers? It’ll make your job and our lives a little easier until we go home.” Sally suggested.
The nurse thought for a second. “…we don’t normally do that lady…” but then she thought about how she didn’t like helping with this kind of perineal care and added, “…but I’ll see what I can do.”
A couple minutes later the nurse had returned with a small stack of blue plastic diapers. Jordan hadn’t seen ones like these before. They didn’t appear nearly as thick as her purple ones from home and the plastic sounded much louder as it crinkled.
Hmmm, Sally thought noticing the same things about them. Those don’t look nearly as nice as the ones from the University Medical Center. Go-Figure.
“Alright Jordan can your roll to your left side?” The nurse said holding a diaper in her hands.
Confused, Jordan obeyed and the nurse proceeded to pull her gown up and stuff the diaper under her, hospital style. “Ok roll over again.”
Jordan obeyed and the nurse followed suit, pulling the other side of the diaper through and under Jordan. Flopping her gown up on her tummy and leaving her diaper region exposed, the nurse pulled the thin diaper up between her legs and taped the single tape on each side. She hurriedly bustled away and left the room leaving Jordan lying on the bed with her diaper exposed and no covers.
It was thin. She could tell that. And very loose. It felt like she was wearing a plastic bag in fact – not at all like her diapers from home. Because of these realities, as well as because of her sickness, the diaper wasn’t nearly as comfort-inducing either. As Sally covered her up tenderly and patted her on the head, she drifted off to sleep under the weight of pain medication. It was still only one in the afternoon.
By early evening, the hospital was ready to release the diapered teenager. She had dampened two hospital diapers by then and her mom had changed her each time. Furthermore, Sally had put her in a dry one for the trip home. After signing all the consent papers and insurance forms and pocketing the proper prescriptions for antibiotics and pain pills, the two sauntered out of their room toward the lobby. The instructions from the doctor had been to get plenty of rest, to drink copious amounts of water, and to take the antibiotics until they were finished.
Much more coherent now, Jordan could feel and hear the crinkly blue hospital diaper under her sweatpants. She wasn’t wearing panties over it so it sounded even louder than it might have otherwise and she wasn’t at all accustomed to being in a public place wearing a diaper.
On their way out towards the lobby, the two walked by the desk station of the Medical Assistant who had checked them in and had awkwardly visited Jordan’s room while she was getting cleaned up earlier in the day. The desk was empty. As Jordan passively eyed it over however, she slowed her gait.
Setting on the lady’s desk, the tall hazel-eyed brunette saw trinkets, paperweights, and pictures. And to her horror, a familiar face leapt out of one particular frame. It was a picture of this woman, the Medical Assistant, along with her arm around a girl she knew all too well from school! They were standing there smiling into the camera as if they were friends.
As if they were family!
Fully stopped now, and garnering her mom’s attention, Jordan looked a little more frantically across the woman’s desk. She saw a nameplate by the computer keyboard. “Anne Rodgers” it read.
Noticing the same details on the desk, Sally had put together the identical equation as her daughter.
That’s Nicole’s last name! A lighting bolt of fear jolted through the young girl (as well as her mother).
No, no, no, no, please, no, this can’t have happened!