The Most Expensive, Not-Fun Weekend Ever

Well, we are home from our some-expenses-paid trip to the hospital. I guess I should probably explain.

C came down with a nasty cough an raspy breathing while we were visiting Husband's parents over the weekend. We made it home Saturday afternoon, and C got worse.

And I did something I would only do for my son. I went to the Emergency Room.

I cannot tell you how much I loathe the emergency room. Not to offend anyone who works in one, but I really can't stand them. But when it comes to the need to inhale and exhale, that's a bit more imporant than my hatred for the ER.

So C and I headed to the ER about 5:30 on Saturday evening. Mimi met us there. Husband stayed home, for a few reasons. If you'd like to hear them, let me know. Let's just say we were all better off with that arrangement.

We were whisked back to a room almost immediately. Apparently a baby who is having trouble breathing gets some attention. Over the course of the next four hours, C received a breathing treatment (which he totally hated), a chest x-ray (which he also hated), oral steroids (which he tolerated well considering the nasty taste), several temperature checks "down there" (which was no fun for anyone), some grape flavored Tylenol (that he actually sort of enjoyed), countless breathing checks with a stethoscope (which wasn't painful, yet he really disliked), and an antibiotic shot (which he hated for good reason).

Mimi and I did our best to comfort him. Sometimes there was nothing we could do to keep him from crying. Puffs helped. But they can only do so much.

After a while, C began to cry every time he saw someone wearing scrubs walk in the room. I can't say that I blame him.

There was a male nurse that looked amazingly like HLB. C would look at him funny every time he walked in, I'm sure wondering what his Uncle HLB was doing here and why he wasn't playing with him.

C was diagnosed by the ER Doc with croup and pneumonia. So they wanted to admit him for the night and keep an eye on him to make sure his breathing continued to improve.

Once we got settled in a room Husband came up and Dr. B came to check on us. He wasn't sure about the pneumonia diagnosis, and wanted to look over the x-ray again. And he ordered another shot for C, steroids this time.

So by 10:30 pm, hours past his bedtime, C was still awake and wired, though he was extremely exhausted. I told Dr. B that if C was getting any more steroids, he was going to have to give me some too so I could keep up with him.

Husband stayed with C while I went home to shower and grab a few things, and I made it back just in time to have missed that shot and another breathing treatment. C had finally fallen asleep and was breathing so much better.

Over the course of the rest of the night, C and I slept in the hospital bed and Husband slept a few hours on the fold-out bed. The nurses came in frequently to check on him, and he would stir and fall back asleep.

C was up bright and early and napped off and on for the rest of the morning. After, that is, he ate an omlette with cheese and green peppers, half a biscuit with gravy, and the slice of cheese from my breakfast.

So, you know, a normal breakfast.

Dr. B came to check on us, and was very pleased with C's progress. He was still unsure of the whole pneumonia thing, so we are waiting for the radiologist's report on Monday to be sure before we start giving him more drugs just for kicks.

We were home by 10:00 this morning. C ate a snack and took a nap. And so did I. Then we had lunch, he played, and took another nap. He took a three-hour nap, something he's never done ever in his entire life. And I got another nap too, just not quite as long. But hey, I'll take it.

He's doing much better. Still a bit croupy, but breathing much better. And as I write this, he's asleep in his own bed for the first night since Wednesday. I think he's enjoying it. I know I am.

I'll post some pictures later.