At one point in the evening Troy touched his shirt and said, "Is that poop?!?!" I couldn't help but start cracking up laughing and then I said, "Yup, this deserves a blog post."
Welcome to my 2014.
Before 2014 I would be proud to say that I have been pretty lucky and blessed to keep our girls fairly healthy. Sure we have had some strep throat or maybe an ear infection here or there. But 2014 has brought on a new slew of disgusting childhood illnesses.
Here is a recap:
The Sunday before returning to work after Christmas break, Josi spikes a 105 fever and we proceed to discover the next day that she has a form of Hand, Foot, Mouth disease that is located primarily in her throat. The doctor goes on to say that there is no way to protect the other girls from getting this horribly painful virus and that we can just "treat the symptoms" and keep them comfortable. Well of course it runs its course through each child. A $30 Co-Pay, lots of baby ibuprofen/acetaminophen, saline drops, cough syrup and 15 days later we are Hand, Foot, Mouth free at the Hanson house.....
The next week week my mom calls and says, "Hey, I think Charli has impetigo." I am at work of course and I say, "What the heck is that?" Well, I googled it and went to pick up Charli from my mom's house only to self-diagnose a massive case of impetigo in Charli's nose!!!! Sick!!!! OF COURSE Josi and Libbi have it too! The doctor says we need to see them and I refuse at this request and cure the case of impetigo by keeping their noses clean and using antibiotic ointment twice a day.
The next week, I am leaving work and I call Troy to tell him I am on my way home:
Troy picks up: "You better come to Dr. Mercer's office."
Me: "Why"
Troy: "Charli, may have broken her collar bone."
Me: "WHAT!?, HOW?!"
Troy: "She was playing on a bench at my mom's house and fell."
Me: "Where is she? Is she okay?"
Troy:" We just had X-Rays, be careful and take your time, don't speed!"
Me: "Wait..."
Troy hangs up.
I make it to the Lake Worth bridge and call back furious:
Me "Wait a second, I need to know exactly what happened????"
Troy: "Can't talk doctor is in here."
Me: "Is it broken?!?!?!?!"
Troy: "yup" and hangs up....
Me: SCREAMING EXPLETIVES
I make it to Hulen St exit and get a call:
Troy: "I am putting Dr. Mercer on the phone." (In a soft, subtle please-don't-scream-or-yell-at-me-right-now voice)
Me: "Hi Dr. Mercer"
Dr Mercer: "Hello Mrs. Hanson, Charli has a slight fracture of her collar bone."
Me: "What do we need to do?"
Dr. Mercer: "We will keep her in a sling for 2-4 weeks, no heavy play for 6-8 weeks."
Me: "Is that it? Is there anything else we can do?"
Dr. Mercer: "You can give her ibuprofen for the pain and keep her comfortable."
Me: "How do we follow-up?"
Dr. Mercer: "If she is still in pain we will need her to come back in and get another x-ray."
Me: "Okay, thank you Dr. Mercer."
This time I hang up.
And that's when the text message from Troy comes through on my phone and it is a picture of Charli's broken bone. I almost lost it. To imagine her little bone broken in there. I couldn't believe it. The tiny fracture may have well been a compound BREAK! I felt so sad for my baby and mad that I wasn't with my sweet girl.
I pull up to the doctor's office and run up to Charli as she is coming out. I hug her and tell her how brave she is and how much I love her. I glare at Troy while embracing Charli. How could I have missed out on being there for her? To comfort her? To hold her? To tell her funny stories to pass the time? I should have been there too!!!!!!!!!!!
Later that night, there were no words needed. He said sorry for keeping it from me and I explained that when it comes to the kids I don't care if I am in the middle of the STAAR test you need to call me and tell me what's going on.
It's funny how even when you've been married for almost 11 years you still learn together about each other and being parents.
So another $30 copay, a teddy bear sling, and some more ibuprofen later....Charli has made a full recovery.
And here I am another Sunday...another day full of 104.2, 103.1, 102.2 fevers...vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, snot, and screaming children. I took Josi to the doctor on Wednesday to be told that it is just a virus. "Treat the symptoms"...."Keep her comfortable"
UGH!!!! I know things could be so much worse. But, anyone out there going through week after week of sick, screaming twins and overly-dramatic-when-ill 4 year olds probably has my back right now.
It's horrible.
To make matters worse I am a working momma! I don't get to stay in my pajamas, pass out Pedialyte popsicles, and watch movies all day. I have to go to work and worry. I text or get texts about where the fever is at now. I call the nurses at the doctor's office and ask at what point do I bring them back in? When should I go to the hospital if the fever doesn't go down?
I have spent so much time and money on co-pays, ibuprofen, Tylenol, Pedialyte, and "after doctor" ice-creams that I am pooped!
I changed so many diapers today Libbi learned to say the word diaper, I was thrown-up on so many times today I didn't even care anymore. I became a receptacle for baby throw up! I hate it when my girls throw up and I wish I could take all their pain away.
Troy and I have to juggle schedules because we have to figure out who can take off work to cover. Because no one wants to ask anyone to take care of 3 sick kids, and when they are sick I hate leaving them. I want to be home to nurse them back to health and comfort the crying.
I am praying 2014 turns itself around and brings us healthier days filled with less doctor visits and less gross contagious childhood illnesses.
To make matters worse:
...The voice in my head right now is saying, "No you're not feeling sick"...."it's all in your head"....
I sure do hope so...
Moms don't have time to be sick.
