One of the worst things a parent can hear is that your child needs to go to the hospital. This has happened to me twice in Aidan's 3.89 years. The first time he was 16 months old and had the flu (the first diagnosed case in Santa Fe, NM in 2005) and croup. That was terrible. The second time was last month.
Aidan had been experiencing classic flu like symptoms, fever, vomiting and zero energy. We cared for him at home and he was getting better until...One evening he started screaming in pain. He was throwing up continually and writhing in pain. It was horrible. We couldn't figure out what was ailing him so we took him to urgent care. While we waited an hour and a half to see a doctor, Aidan got weaker and weaker. He wasn't in pain anymore, but he was still vomiting and listless. I was worried that he was dehydrated. Once the doctor saw him, she was concerned. She said that a nasty stomach flu virus was going around and that Aidan was the worst case she had seen (great). His belly was also distended, which concerned her. She wouldn't tell us why, but she said we had to take him to the ER immediately. Yikes! She even wrote a prescription to get us to a doctor faster. The worst part is that she wouldn't tell us what she was so concerned about. I'm thinking it could be appendicitis or an obstruction. I really wish she would've said something to ease a worried mother's imagination, but she didn't.
The drive to the hospital was the worst of my life. Kevin sat in the back with Aidan and tried to keep him responsive. I tried not to break every traffic law known to man. I really tried to keep it together and for the most part I did, but your imagination can be a terrible thing.
We got through the triage fairly quickly. The nurses were so sweet that it made it impossible not to cry. Once nurse sang "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to him while she did some tests. That did me in. At that point I was just trying to breathe. He was so listless he couldn't keep his head up. He had a high fever, high blood pressure and a less than desirable pulse ox level. When they put him on the scale to weigh him (33lbs) he laid down and tried to sleep. The nurses seemed to be concerned and sent us to the ER treatment room right away. Luckily there was a bed in there. Once I put Aidan down he fell asleep. I was relieved that he was no longer in pain, but worried that he had zero energy.
So there we sat for TWO HOURS waiting to see a doctor. As the time ticked by I got more and more angry. So far no one had told us what was going on with Aidan. Nobody had checked his belly. We were still thinking possible appendicitis or something. Thankfully Aidan slept the whole time. After two hours of no action, I went to talk to a nurse. I simply asked how long we were expected to wait to see a doctor. She seemed surprised that we hadn't been seen yet. I was pretty cool. I told her I didn't mind waiting for TWO HOURS if I knew what was going on with my son, but I would like him to be assessed in case there was something that needed immediate medical attention. It was here that Kevin's calm bubble burst. He went into his bad cop routine. He wasn't yelling but it was close. He was basically saying everything I felt, but in an aggressive manner. The thing that was so frustrating was that we weren't asking for immediate treatment. We understood that there could be more immediate concerns in the ER. All we were asking for was a doctor assessment. Look at his stomach, tell us what's going on and then put us in the queue. Here's another frustrating thing, 15 seconds after we raised a ruckus we were told that a doctor was on his way. What? How terrible that we had to be pissed before we got any attention. Kevin was so mad that he left the hospital to calm down.
Finally the doctor arrives, SIX hours since we left for urgent care and 30 seconds after our outburst. He was very attentive and Aidan woke up while he was being examined. His Pulse Ox was still low and his heart rate was high. He determined that he was dehydrated (duh!) and would need an IV of saline solution. As Aidan slept his protruded belly receded. The doctor determined that it was probably a build up of gas that he passed as he waited in the ER. Thank god it was just gas, but wouldn't it have been nice to be told that?
So now Aidan's awake and it's IV time. The nurse was really great, but she still had to stick him with a needle. I had the job of holding him down and whispering in his ear. After preparing Aidan for the pain he was about to feel, the nurse began. My poor sweet Aidan looked at the nurse and her assistant and said, "wait wait, that's too sharp!" and then he cried. It was awful. He looked at me and said, "mommy, the doctor is bothering me! She's bothering me!" It broke my heart. Once they got the catheter in his arm, they took blood for tests. They taped it up and it was done. Aidan wasn't screaming anymore, but he didn't like having a tube sticking out of his arm. The nurse then taped his arm to a board so he couldn't bend it, but Aidan seemed to be comforted by this. He was wide awake now, but still listless. I was much calmer myself as action was finally being taken.
Next came the saline solution. This was a breeze. They simply connected the saline tube to the catheter in his arm and that was that. By this time Kevin had returned and Aidan was growing in energy. They gave him a chewable anti-nausea pill and Aidan was so hungry that he asked for another one. It was a good sign that he was hungry. The nurse promised him some juice once the saline bag emptied. He blood tests came back and his sugar level was really low, thus dehydration. The doctor upped his saline intake from 300mm to 500mm. He also brought Aidan some orange juice and a popsicle which he devoured. He was getting color back and he was talkative again. His heart rate was back to normal and his Pulse Ox was at 100. It was amazing to see the transformation.
We were finally able to take him home at 3:00 AM. Our adventure began at 6:00 PM the night before. I had never been so happy to be home. We all fell asleep immediately, all in the same bed. I think I held onto Aidan all night. I was hoping that all would be smooth sailing, but he woke up at 6:00 AM and said, "mommy, I think I need to see the doctor again." I rushed him to the bathroom and he threw up. Fortunately he felt OK and was able to go back to sleep. When he woke up he said, "mommy, those doctor were working so hard on me." He was still sick and couldn't eat for a couple of days afterward. In fact, it took a good 7 days before he could eat regular food and beverages. He survived on popsicles, watered down apple juice and bananas. But he eventually prevailed.
The whole experience took a toll on me, but with all the other crappy things going on, it helped put things into perspective. It also caused an odd domino effect. My parents were supposed to visit us from California the week he got sick. We decided to postpone the trip until Aidan was better. That meant that they were in Santa Fe several weeks later than they had planned. Making them present for my next Tale of Woe...Unemployment.
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I took a little blog break. Nothing good was happening and I couldn't bring myself to share. Things were going downhill pretty fast there for awhile, but now they're getting better. All the bad started when my dear friend Robert died. Since then it's been bad luck city. I'll try to get a few of the worst events off my chest to make room for more lighthearted Aidan related posts. You can look forward to the posts: Hospital, Rattlesnake, Unemployment, Crazy Neighbor, Scary Uncle and many more tales of woe.
When we were in California visiting family, my adorable nephew Simon drooled on me. Aidan thought this was hilarious. He reenacts this event and it never fails to crack him up. He even imitates my sister's (Simon's mommy) response, "Slime, you got slimed." He was reminiscing about it yesterday,
Aidan: Mommy, remember when Simon slimed you?
Mommy: Yes, that was so silly.
Uncle: Who slimed you?
Aidan: My baby slimmed mommy.
Uncle: Your baby?
Aidan: Yeah, my baby named Simon. (He turns to mommy)Mommy, I love Simon.
Mommy: I know honey. He loves you too.
Aidan: Yeah.
Aidan somehow skipped the caveman stage, "me hungry. Me mad," and went straight to complete sentences:
When Daddy was pestering Aidan to do something,
"Could you please just leave me alone."
When he received a new toy:
"I'm so happy to have this new Mack truck toy."
On the imminent arrival of his beloved Nonna and Papa,
"I'll be so excited to see them."
On our cat's flatulence,
"Hey Sniz, did air come out of your butt?"
On his baby cousin,
"He's growing up, but he's still just a baby."
Aidan's coughing like Snizzles,
Aidan: Mommy, I'm coughing up a hairball.
Mommy: You don't cough up hairballs silly.
Aidan: Well, then I'm coughing up a skinball.
Aidan: Mommy will you get me some juice.
Mommy: Sure.
I bring Aidan his juice,
Aidan: Thank you mommy. I waited so patiently.
Making Cinnamon Rolls,
Mommy: I think they're ready. Let's open the oven.
Aidan: Hey, where's my big hand. (Aidan looks around and finds his oven mitt). There.
Snizzles is meowing like crazy,
Mommy: Snizzles, shut it.
Aidan: No mommy, say zip it. It's nicer. Shut it isn't nice.
Mommy: OK Aidan, I'm going to run to the store. I'll be right back.
Aidan: Can I come?
Mommy: I'll be right back. Stay with daddy.
Aidan: Please can I come?
Mommy: No honey.
Aidan: But I asked really nicely.
Mommy: You sure did, let's go.
Aidan: Snizzles, I will take all of your powers.
Mommy: What are Snizzles' powers?
Aidan: Biting and scratching.
I just finished reading three books by T. Jefferson Parker who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors.
California Girl
Pacific Beat
The Fallen
These books are all mysteries that take place in Southern California. My favorite thing about his writing is also my least favorite. He creates these really interesting characters that come to life, but most of his books are stand alones. I'm a greedy reader. I get attached to the characters and I hate the thought of not revisiting them in another book. That's why I love to read series. I highly recommend his books. I give them Aidan's highest praise, two thumbs up (which he calls "double thumbs.")
I also just read Promised Land by Robert B. Parker which was just OK. No great recommendation here, but if you're trapped under something heavy and this book is within reach, it will pleasantly pass the time while you're waiting for the ambulance to come.
I love to bake. We recently got our oven fixed (it was broken for over a year) so I've been baking something everyday. Lasagna, cookies, muffins, casseroles. I've been baking up a storm. I do have a peculiarity about baking though. I typically will only bake with the ingredients I already have in my house. I wont make a special run to the store. This makes baking a challenge, but I'm usually able to find a recipe which can accommodate my pantry (thank you Internet). I come up with some pretty good recipes. Sugar cookies without eggs. Muffins without milk or butter.
Aidan is a super helper, "Mommy, can I mix the ingredients?" I usually put the measured ingredients in tea cups and let him pour them in one at a time. Typically as he pours in a new ingredient he says, "Bam!" Of course this is from Elzar (Futurama) and not Emeril. Speaking of Futurama...
This morning Aidan found a pirate tattoo and asked me to put it on him,
Aidan: Mommy, will you put this tattoo on?
Mommy: Sure. Where do you want it?
Aidan: On my butt. (naturally)
So on the tattoo went. He was happy with the results. He looked in the mirror and said, "Hey I've got a tattoo of pirate Bender on my ass!" That's my boy.