Doctors, Emergency Rooms and Cast Covers

These past few weeks, I've been to and from more doctor appointments than I can even remember.  Between lingering gastrointestinal issues from a severe Rotovirus 9 weeks ago for my toddler, to a broken wrist for my younger son, to well checks for my oldest two, to new Orthopedic doctors for my daughter's scoliosis and two cases of swimmers ear, I'm feeling very thankful for health insurance.

Oh, I left out two trips to the Emergency Room.  In one week.

Last night, while playing a board game with the kids, I looked at my son's casted arm.  Above the cast I saw red "lines" running all over, and I was alarmed.  A magazine article popped into my head, one about red lines and infections and someone being very very sick.

It was probably from an issue of Seventeen magazine fifteen years ago.

I wasted no time and I called one of my nurse friends.  She asked if the area was warm to the touch.

It was.

Now my heart was racing because it was 9pm, Hubby wasn't home, and I was imagining a terrible debilitating infection under the cast ripping through my son's upper extremities.

I immediately told my little guy we were going to the ER.  All of my kids were confused, and I didn't want to explain too much because I was certain time was a luxury I didn't have.

Yes, I have a flair for the dramatic. 

In the ER, I sat nervously texting friends and Hubby.  I wondered if they would cut the cast off, run an IV, prescribe antibiotics or even make him stay overnight.  I have a terrible habit of getting ahead of the situation, but I was a wreck.  I was probably still experiencing some mommy guilt from waiting a day to take this same child to the doctor for wrist that turned out to be broken.

While we sat, my little guy was cool as a cucumber, checking out the other emergencies around us.  Most exciting was a teenager who came in after us, face all bandaged together.  He was hit in the face with a pole vaulting stick.

I'm pretty sure the sight of him turned my younger son off from pole vaulting forever.

We were eventually called back, and I braced myself for the news.  How long are we going to be here?  How bad is this terrible infection?

The doctor examined his arm, checked his lymph nodes, and asked a few questions.

And then he pretty much sent us home.

No infection, just some marked up skin from what my friend thinks was a swimming cast cover suctioned too tight.  I'm fairly certain she's right too, because now he has some bruising as well. 

To wrap up I ran my son to the ER for a life threatening infection and it turns out I over-suctioned a cast cover to his arm.  I feel kind of like a crazy person, and I'm pretty sure I looked like one last night too. 

It's all good.  Four kids will do that to ya.  I just hope by the time they are older and I can go places with adults again my brain still functions.

One can hope.

Happy Thursday, stay sane!