crazy day

First of all let me tell you this might be completely boring to most of you but so I'm not repeating my story a thousand times here is how my day went down yesterday ....

I ran 7 miles with my friend Becca and it was awesome. So good to run with someone and I'm sure I talked her ear off. I'm not sure why I was so talkative, but I got home and was telling Aaron about our run and began realizing how much I talked while we were running! Sorry Becca!! :)

Big Boy has had redness around his eyes basically all this week and we've been thinking allergies and not doing much about it. Our doc has been out of town all week, so we planned on visiting him on Monday to see if there was anything we could give a 3 year old for allergies. Well, they have continuously gotten worse and one eye looked as if he has been in the latest Rocky movie (thanks for that great analogy Kent!) and not been victorious. He would wake up and his eye would almost be swollen shut. Poor guy. We bought children's claritin and dimetap and were treating it that way but nothing was working.

So, yesterday while I was at Wal Mart looking for a small Hanes grey t-shirt for Aaron I stopped by the Pharmacy to ask him what he thought. I know he is not a doc but he knows more than me! He said it looked like an infection and I should see a doc. I thought of course it is Sat and my doc is out of town and even if he wasn't their office isn't open. I call the doc on duty and tell him all about it and he says to be safe in case it is an infection I should go in to a clinic or ER. Great I am now praying that a clinic is my choice and not an ER with both my boys! Remember I hadn't planned on going anywhere but Wal mart for a grey t-shirt so I head back to the baby aisle and buy sippy cups, juice and some snacks since you never know how long a trip to the ER will last! The funny thing is that I didn't even leave with the t-shirt for Aaron!

I found out where a clinic was and headed that way. I arrived just in time since the sign said "Saturday 9-4:30". Yeah I made it this won't last long in there. I get both kids out and head up to the door and it is locked. I knocked and the lady from behind the counter mouthed they are closed. I then mouthed it is not 4:30. She shrugged and looked at another man to come help me. Now, you moms know this feeling I'm about to describe. I am doing whatever it takes to help my baby - he says his eye hurts it looks horrific and now you are telling me you are closed but your sign says you still have about 12 more minutes to help me. The man comes and says that they see their last patient at 4:15. I said, "Oh as in 3 minutes ago, 4:15" He shakes his head and trys his best to look as though he is sorry for my mistake. I then say politely with a harsh tone and tears streaming down my face .... I don't mean to be rude but if you close at 4:15 your sign should say that and not 4:30 because I busted my tail to get here for a doctor to look at my son and your sign says 4:30 and my watch says 4:18, so you should change your sign or stay open until 4:30. He shook his head as if he had nothing left to say, and he probably didn't because he doesn't make the rules and was just the one that was sent out to deal with the crazy mom who apparently didn't know that walk-in-clinics all close before their sign actually says they close. I still don't get it.

Anyhow, now I'm driving to the ER which is the last place I want to be with two children who have not had a nap that afternoon and will begin to get hungry in about an hour. We check in and there are only 2 people in front of us! Yeah! BUT then two chest pain patients come in and we are bumped back and back. Oh well, they are much more serious than my son's hurting eye.



Okay finally we're back there the doc comes and looks and is kinda perplexed and says another doc will be in. The next doc comes in and is perplexed b/c he now has a rash on his forehead and the eye is gross and swollen and not in both eyes which is weird. She says this to me .... I'm a little concerned about this and would like to have another doc come and look. I'm concerned it could be shingles and I'm going to give Vanderbilt a call. WHAT THE HECK???? She should NOT have said that to me. I began to freak out on the inside and pictured them wheeling my son away in a bubble and taking him to some research room for the rest of his life!

I then quickly called my friend Laura to come and get Little Boy who was about to go beyond the point of return and have a break down from being in a stroller for so long and not able to roam! When Little Boy was gone life got easier. I laid in bed with Big Boy and told him stories and laughed and played together.


So, then another doc comes in and is not as concerned, thank goodness. The final diagnosis ..... After three doctors checking him out, blood work to the lab, an IV, a cat scan, and 3 hours in the ER ..... he "probably" has an infection in his eye so we'll treat that and really BAD allergies in that eye as well. I was so thankful for the diagnosis and that it was not shingles as the second doc had mentioned. One random thing is that the ER doc told me that they had found something on the cat scan dealing with his sinus cavity. She gave me a copy of the cat scan and told me to discuss it with my doctor. I'm a little concerned b/c on the bottom of the report it says, "moderate right maxillary sinus disease". Anyone know what the heck that means? I guess we'll be asking our doc about that one too.

Big Boy was a champ. He NEVER cried. Not when they took blood, not when they put the IV line in for the Cat Scan and not during the Cat Scan. He was so good that I promised him a toy and he requested "James" the train. As we were leaving the ER at 8:15 and neither one of us had eaten dinner he said he could not wait until tomorrow for James. So, we headed to Target right then to get it and I didn't mind one bit doing that for him!

The sad thing is that he didn't even get to eat dinner last night or play with James because he fell asleep in the car. He was so sleepy and so drained from the ER. As I laid him to bed I told him how proud I was of him and how much I loved him.

I can NOT imagine family's that spend days, months and years in the hospital with their sick kids. We were in there for a red, swollen eye that hurt and I was still so saddened by what he had to go through. I would have laid on that bed in an instant and done it all for him if I could have.

So, there is our crazy day. We're supposed to go to a big picnic today but the Doc advised we not go because his eye could have an infection and because he needs to say indoors and get these allergies under control. Oh well, as much as I'll miss the picnic my boys come first.