The Emergency Room and My Other Favorite Places*, 12/16/2003

The BoyChild is sick.

He has Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura. It looks awful and the treatment is pretty bad too.

Where to start. About two weeks ago he started running a fever. We took him to the doctor who diagnosed a sinus infection. A week or so later the GirlChild came down with the flu. We all started on that expensive Thamiflu and the GirlChild got lots better (at least she didn't have the awful high fevers anymore) and none of the rest of us got it.

Sunday afternoon we bathed the BoyChild about 2:00 in anticipation of the GirlChild's Christmas Program at school. He had pimple like spots on his legs.

After the program I brought him home and put him to bed while the Husband and GirlChild went to the reception after the show.

I got him up about 6:00 and he had huge spots on his legs. They were between the size of a quarter and a half dollar. They were purple and raised up. He acted like his feet hurt; if we touched them, or if we set him on the floor, he would cry. And he wouldn't walk, he acted like it hurt him to walk.

I gave him some Motrin. We called the doctor's office. They have a number to call after hours. They took my information and we waited.

I cooked dinner (waffles at the GirlChild's request) and we ate. We watched Survivor. One of us held the BoyChild the whole time. He laid his head on our shoulders and whimpered.

Finally, about 9:00, the nurse called. She asked a few questions and then said "are they purple?" And when I said "yes" she said "I think you need to take him in to be evaluated tonight." Something about those words makes my stomach fall.

We got the GirlChild dressed. She wanted to go because she said she was worried about the BoyChild. I suspect she wanted to go because she wanted to make sure nothing good was going to happen to him and she miss it. She seemed particularly interested in whether they were going to X-ray him; go figure.


We headed off to the ER.

I thought, for a brief moment, about being brave. Taking the BoyChild myself while the Husband and the GirlChild stayed home. I weinied out in the end and we all went. The GirlChild only stayed for an hour or so before she got tired and sleepy and I talked her into letting the Baba and GranMa come and get her. I suspect. by then it was close to 10:30, she was sure nothing really neat was going to occur in her absence.

The ER seems like such a sad place. People are sick. People are unhappy. People are stressed.

The BoyChild had begun to feel better by the time we got there and was a little ray of sunshine compared to the others there. He was talking to anyone who would come near the door to our little cubical. His feet had stopped hurting and he would walk outside the door if I would let him/wasn't fast enough to catch him before he hit the door. And he was brave and didn't cry when they were trying to take blood until they started digging around looking for a vein.

I was not particularly impressed with the ERDoc. He didn't have a lot of personality and didn't exactly make me feel secure. He did, however, call and talk to the BoyChild's RealDoctor which made me feel a little better. The ERDoc's diagnosis was: "a rash."

They gave us a prescription for steroids and directions to a 24 hour pharmacy. We've been giving it to him since Sunday night.

The BoyChild fought us over the Thamiflu. He makes that look like child's play compared to taking the steroids. It's going to be a long ten days.

And the BoyChild has turned into the WildChild. He is running around, bouncing off the walls and furniture, not sleeping and eating non-stop. And yes, this is a different sort of behavior than the regular BoyChild.

Today we took the BoyChild to the RealDoctor for a follow up visit. The RealDoctor said he thought this was what he had when the ER called him except the ER said he had these ugly blotches all over his body; they were on his legs and buttocks. The RealDoctor gave us more steroids and made the scary sounding diagnosis. He also gave us a new antibiotic for ear infections which seems to be coming on.

Last night the BoyChild was awake until after 10:00 talking and singing and banging in his crib. Tonight it was a little better and he was asleep by 9:30.

I have a babysitter lined up for Saturday night. We have my office Christmas party. The GirlChild and BoyChild ran off the last babysitter we had last week. I wonder if The Teamster BoyChild will run this one off?

Be Safe,
M&Co.