A few of my favorite things

6. Kidney Stones

5. Little boy's ties in dirty #2 toilet water

4. Urgent care at 8 pm on a Sunday in the winter

3. Tonsillitis and other contagious ailments

2. Doctor co-pays

1. Pharmacy co-pays

 

This last weekend was tough. Peter discovered his dreaded kidney stones have returned. Since the lithotripsy (ultrasonic breaking up of the stones) 4-5 years ago, he has gone on to reproduce more. :( Bad times!

And, Sunday night I ended up in the urgent care with Ethan. He has tonsillitis. 

To start this long story off, it all began Wednesday, when Peter, Bekkah and Ethan went to the same urgent I took Ethan to last night. At that time, Peter and Bekkah were diagnosed with tonsillitis. Ethan was deemed "healthy." 

This last week was a difficult one for Ethan. Thursday, Peter stayed home from school a second day recovering from feeling yucky. Well, around 1:50 PM the dispatcher for First Student Transportation called me saying we needed to go up and rescue bus driver Dana. Ethan had removed his seat belt and did his usual shlump to the floor, where he remained for 30 minutes while screaming, yelling, and crying. Oh what fun! When we arrived, he had dirt and snot and tears all over his face, shirt and hands.

Because of his poor behavior on the bus, I have been in frequent contact with Transportation. When they changed his morning bus driver a few weeks ago, he's been exhibiting increasingly poor behavior. One day, it took him 15 minutes to get him on the bus. Last Friday, Tracy his newest morning bus driver, kicked him off the bus because he wouldn't sit up on the bus and wouldn't settle down. 

I am very frustrated with Ethan's behavior. I am an unwillingly reinforcing his behavior by removing him from the bus. When he raises a ruckus, I HAVE to come remove him from the bus. Now, he knows that when he acts up, I will come get him. The problem is that I can't just leave him on the bus both for the safety of the other children and because the bus driver has other stops.

Friday I went so far as to follow the bus from the school on the route. He made it from Etiwanda Ave. & Banyan St. and Haven Ave. & Banyan St. He made it a total of 3.3 miles!  I hid behind cars in the parking lot and followed from about 1/2 mile distance. Unfortunately, farther up the road I found the bus with its hazards on right off of Haven Ave. Ethan's new afternoon bus driver Angelica was having problems with him. It was Angelica's first day on the route! Trying to work with Ethan's desires to be independent and still keep him restrained, they are using a buckle guard. A buckle guard is a square-like device that you attach around the sear belt and the guard is then secured with a medicine cap that screws down and is "child-proof." So instead of trying to unbuckle the seatbelt, Ethan decided to slither out of the belt and on the floor. 

Where there is a will there is a way! And boy, does that child have a will!

I keep reminding myself that Heavenly Father placed him here with our family for a purpose. He came to this earth for a purpose. It is our job to love and guide him and help him discover that purpose. Ethan is amazing. Ethan is so strong, both physically and mentally. Once he has decided upon a course of action or something he wants- that is generally the way it turns out. He is now the size almost the size of a 6 year old. He is so strong! And, boy does he have a sense of humor.

One of the funniest things occurred last night. When the male triage nurse brought him back to get his stats. He took Ethan's blood pressure. The cup squeezed his arm. Ethan didn't like it. So, he looked at the nurse, and Ethan told him that squeezing his arm isn't nice! I tried to explain To Ethan that the nurse didn't do it, the machine did it. I told Ethan that he should tell the machine that it's not nice to squeeze his arm, so he did. It was so funny the way he says it. He says, "It's not nite." That's how he says nice. He has problems with his speech, most especially his front loading syllables. So, in the triage room, he says it with all seriousness to the nurse and to me. The nurse was amused at his behavior. And, for a change, Ethan wasn't out of control by the time we got into the triage; he was rather charming. 

With all the winter illnesses this time of year, the waiting time was about 1 1/2 hours in the lobby. I amused Ethan by helping him play games on my iPhone. We played bubble wrap, bubbles, and Scoops. We played Scoops for what seemed like forever until my eyes hurt. I kept trying to encourage Ethan to play the game on his own, but he was much more happy with me playing it. The point of the game is to stack as many scoops of ice cream on top of each other as you can while avoiding the evil veggies- red tomatoes, red onions, and white onions. So in the waiting room, Ethan keep exclaiming in a rather loud voice, "Oh no, not the tomatoes!" Then he would cheer me on as I avoided the shower of veggies. It was cute. I was very grateful that it was just him and I instead of more kids in the mix. Whew!

Earlier yesterday at church, Peter had to remove Ethan from his Primary class. He just couldn't behave. He only made it about a little over an hour. I had just returned from picking Bekkah up from her weekend stay at Karen Blackmer's house in Lake Elsinore. I med her mom at the Travel America truck stop parking lot off the 10 freeway and Milliken. By the time I made it back up to the church, I picked up Peter and Ethan and brought them home. On the way home, Ethan fell asleep, something that he NEVER does unless he is medicated. That's when I first knew something was up. Earlier, Peter took Ethan to the bathroom, and Ethan had a bowel movement. Peter had a rough time trying to get him cleaned up so he had Ethan lean way over. That's when Ethan church tie took a dip in dirty water. Can you say GROSS? When I picked up Peter and drove him home from church, Peter had had quite enough of the trials and travails of Ethan and church! But, at least, I got to attend the last hour of church- Relief Society. It was really nice. I enjoyed it.

So, that's how my Sunday went. I finally returned home from Urgent Care at close to 10 PM. I fixed Ethan some Bagel Bites from our freezer. He was intent upon eating little pizzas. And, we had them in our freezer. I finally sought relief in my pillow and bed around 11:00 PM. 

Here's a picture a what I'd rather be doing. I finally had to resort to giving him Ethan a nap in a bottle. He decided to fall asleep in the chair.

Just Stumbling Through

How often do you have the thought, "If I can just get through _____, everything will be better."? And, how often has this premise proved true? Duh... never. Yet, I still delude myself with this false thought.

Moreover, I have been having that thought frequently as of late. This week I came down with the flu. It's the type of flu that makes you wish you would have paid that stupid co-pay and got that wretched flu shot. It's the type of flu that has every joint and muscle ACHING in your body. It's the type of flu that makes you spike a fever of 103.2. It's the type of flu that SUCKS!

Monday I knew something was up when my legs hurt just climbing the stairs to put laundry away, my back hurt... it hurt everywhere. I called and made an appointment with our doctor who will remain nameless.

Tuesday when I saw the doctor, he said that I indeed had the flu. The night before my fever reached 101.7 and then 102.1. I figured I would get better soon. And, usually it does. During my doctor's visit, I asked the doctor if he had received the results of my hip x-ray. He said he hadn't, but they would call me when they did. I had the x-rays taken almost a month earlier.

Later that day, an office staffer called and said they had located the x-rays and they wanted to refer me out to an orthopedic (bone) doctor. They gave me a name and a number and said the doctor would call me with results later. The next 2 days I spent waiting by the phone. That type of response had me worried. Did something abnormal come up in my x-ray? That's the last thing my family needs. When I called on Wednesday, his office staff said he had tried unsuccessfully on Tuesday to get a hold of me, even though someone was home all day long. Thursday I called again twice, and the second time I asked his staffer if there was any chance that when the doctor called, he would call in a prescription for cough medicine with codeine because I had a cough that wouldn't quit and I was wheezing. The incompetent nurse or receptionist took my pharmacy number and made a very inadequate notation.

After waiting all day AGAIN, I finally had enough and called his after hours phone. He apologized and assumed that I was calling about my x-ray results. No, I wouldn't waste his valuable time to call after hours for JUST x-ray results. By this time, I felt beyond terrible. I felt like walking death.

Have you ever had a slight fever? You know the kind that makes you feel clammy and sweaty and all the thermometer reveals is that your temperature is elevated by one degree. Well, for me, when I have a serious temperature of 101 or higher, I stop feeling hot and just feel terrible. My face feels like is on fire! The thought had occurred to me on Monday that maybe I had a fever, and when I checked, I had a fever of 102.1.

By Thursday afternoon, my fever was 102.7 and I couldn't stop coughing. So, when I talked to the doctor and asked him for some cough syrup with codeine, you can imagine my shock when he told me he didn't feel comfortable calling that in. I guess when I am calling with a request, I need to be much more forceful. Instead of being polite, I should be demanding and rude and surly. Even when in the midst of an all natural childbirth with Ethan (no pain meds because he came too fast- they literally yanked a Dr. from the hallway to deliver him!) I was nice to the staff and didn't scream when they made me wait for 20 minutes to get checked to make sure I was in labor. I am a nice person, what can I say?

I am not a person who enjoys repeatedly making calls - I am NOT a nag! I like manners, they make life a little more bearable and pleasant. I do not like to go on and on about how terrible I feel and how sick I am (like I am doing right now- now that's irony for you). I am precise with my words. I don't have a lot of time to spend on the phone and I do NOT like to wait - on the phone or in a patient room. I have too many people to care for during the daylight hours and too much to do. Furthermore, I know what works and what doesn't. I have been on the earth long enough to know that when I am that sick and other over the counter medications haven't worked, something stronger is generally called for.

I apologize for that rant. I rarely get that worked up. But, I am angry at the care or lack of care that I received. So, after the doctor told me he didn't feel comfortable calling in a prescription for cough syrup with codeine to my pharmacy, he asked me why I hadn't come in earlier in the day, if I was truly that sick? Oh my gosh!! I couldn't believe my ears. One other time I tried going into his office with my children in tow for his "walk-in" hours. That time, his receptionist informed me that he didn't have any space that day and that I should just go on over to urgent care. I have called other times and found out that he didn't have any openings for a week. So, I have gone over to urgent care. So, I was in a state of utter disbelief when he asked me that. I was saintly. I held my tongue. I was too sick to argue.

The doctor went on to add that if I was truly that sick, I should go over to urgent care or wait until the next day and get an appointment with his brother, who is also a physician in his practice. He wouldn't be in the office the next day.

He intimated that I could be asking for codeine to treat my hip pain. My hip x-ray ended up coming out normal, thank goodness. He felt that maybe an ortho doctor might be able to perform another diagnostic type test that might reveal what is going on and the reason why I have been daily feeling pain in that area. I appreciate his diligence in that area.

What I do not appreciate and what absolutely enrages me is the idea that I would abuse a drug. Everyday, I handle my children's medications. Medications that require triplicate forms because the DEA monitors them so closely. There is no way that I could be the mother that I need to be if I was a drug abuser. There are times that Ethan's behavior is enough to drive me to drink - but I abstain. Somehow, with Heavenly help, I get through those rough patches.

I completely understand that physicians have to be careful. They need to screen their patients to make sure they do not abuse drugs. I get it! However, I thought I had developed a relationship of trust with him, sufficient for him to realize I would never ask for anything I didn't absolutely need.

Maybe, it is a pride thing on the doctor's part. I didn't go to medical school. But, I can't help it if I know a little about medicine. I am intelligent. In addition, my mother was a nurse and during college I worked as a CNA (certified nurse's aid). Moreover, I view the patient-doctor relationship as one of equals. Not as one of master and subservient (it should be servant - I am saying it wrong on purpose). Hopefully I have conveyed my meaning here.

So, I angrily drove myself over to the urgent care. You see, I was hoping to avoid paying ANOTHER co-pay by speaking directly with the doctor since he already knew I had the flu and had seen me just 2 days before! I then paid a second co-pay and they saw me. While I was waiting, I was so angry and felt so terrible that I burst into tears in the lobby. I am sure the other waiting patients and the office staff thought I was a loon as I sat there with silent tears streaming down my face.

After waiting 40 minutes, I finally saw a doctor. I told him all the details. He looked and listened and then pronounced that I needed a breathing treatment. He also prescribed cough syrup with codeine and zithromax. After receiving the breathing treatment, I felt much better than I had all day. I then drove to the pharmacy and filled the prescription.

I was so wiped out by all of this that I asked Peter to take Friday off, even though Friday was the last day of school before our spring break. He very lovingly agreed to take it off. I can't tell you what that means. It was so nice of him. He was worried that I would make it home safe from the doctor and pharmacy. What a guy!

Up until this afternoon (Sunday, March 22), I have spent the majority of my time in bed... sleeping. If any of you know me, you know that is something I DO NOT usually do. Even after giving birth, I am usually up and running. You could say I have ants in my pants, I am restless, I am driven, I am crazy! I don't like being sick and don't have time for it, nor do I have the patience for it. I have things to do and people to care for!

This flu knocked me down for the count. Everything else ceased to exist... kids, school, commitments, responsibilites. I would get up and do something innocuous, feel tired and go back to bed. Sleep has never been so therapeutic. Next time, I think I will get that flu shot!

I have stayed in bed most of this weekend until this afternoon when our family travelled down to Lake Elsinore to Dallin Blackmer's baptism. I wanted our family to attend this event. It was nice. It made me feel old. I remember when that kid was born and now he's 8!

During the baptism, I went out to find Peter leaning against the wall in the hallway. He didn't look good. I asked him what was up and he replied that after we were done with the baptism, we needed to go home so he could go to the hospital. He was having another attack of kidney stones. Could this really be happening?I told the people that needed to know that we had to leave and the reason and we left. On the way home, I found a babysitter for the kids.

So, here we sit in the ER waiting for them to call Peter back for pain management. Hopefully they will perform a CT scan and locate the stupid kidney stone. Curse those awful kidney stones!

So, far we've been waiting for 2 hours. San Antonio Community Hospital ER looks like they are hosting a sporting event. Every chair is packed, it is filled with people waiting to be seen. How long will he have to wait? I'm not sure. Oops, scratch that, I just found out... 2 hours and 10 minutes. On the bright side, at least for the most part I have recovered from the flu and can take over the watch while he is down.

That is one of the beauties of marriage. We look out for each other. We take care of each other. He is my champion and I am his. Through all of this, I am grateful for timing. At least, his attack didn't happen while I was so sick. What would we have done had both of us been down?

Thank Heaven for the grace of God. He looks out for us, even when we feel like we are alone in the midst of our trials. Now I feel bad for poor Peter. I was hoping after his last battle with kidney stones we wouldn't see them again. But, I'll have to cover that info in my next entry, this one is long enough. Thanks for reading if you have had the patience to get this far... you're a trooper!