Yesterday, I stole 4 hours away from my children to have my nails done, do a little mall shopping and eat a meal that I didn't have to prepare. With my husband on shut-down at work, my children have become part of my anatomy, just extensions of my arms and legs. I had to clear my mind and recharge my weary body so that I could be my best for them. It was wonderful. But the recharge didn't last long.
Thirty or so minutes after getting home, I noticed my son's eyes were red. I kept watching them - without making an issue - and they started swelling. Then I noticed how much he was coughing. It was that horrid seal-bark cough that rocks the house. This is his "normal" cough, but it was so intense that within a few minutes, he was having a hard time catching his breath.
I called our doctor at home, but he wasn't there. So I called the hospital and the doctor told me he would get his clinic chart and call me back. Within a few minutes he did, and told me to bring him right in. It was decided that he needed two injections - a high powered steroid and an even higher powered antibiotic. But the volume would make him very achy at the injection sites and probably sick to his stomach, so I agreed to start an IV and administer it that way - knowing full well what it meant...
One hour, three nurses and one very good (and cute) doctor later, we still didn't have an IV started. My little man was the picture of strength and bravery as they searched his little arms for veins and poked with no success. Only a few tears streamed down his face during the whole thing. Finally, the doctor succeeded to start a butterfly, but we had to splint his arm to keep it immobile while the medicine went in. The doctor and two nurses sat in the room with us and watched Peter Pan and ate Teddy Grahms for the next hour.
The diagnosis: resistance to his daily antibiotic + worsening sinus infection = misery. The medicine will work for three days, and we see our doctor tomorrow to change meds and start over.
As we were leaving the hospital, the nurse asked our son if he wanted a teddy bear. He said "I'm ok. But my little sister would like one." There it is, my heart breaking again. Then on the way home, it was late, dark and raining. He said "I liked watching Peter Pan with you tonight" and then drifted off to sleep. It didn't even occur to him what he'd endured. It was just par for the course. What an amazing little boy.
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