Well, I had an interesting afternoon.
This morning at the donut shop, I happened to look at Elizabeth and notice a strange rash on her forehead. It wasn't really red, it wasn't raised, it was just a bunch of little purpley pinhead dots that went down her neck and onto her shoulders. My donut dudes suspected dermatitis and I figured, well, she did sleep on clean sheets last night, maybe I accidentally washed them in the fragranced detergent and went on to Little Gym as usual. After loads of fun at the LG, the kids and I took a stroll through the mall and while waiting on Santa again (I couldn't deny my middle child another crack at Ho Ho), I noticed the rash again. It seemed a little more purpley and there seemed to be more behind her ears. Hmmm, time to head home to Dr. Google. Dr. Google's diagnosis: It is urgent that your child be seen by a doctor since the purpley rash didn't blanch white when pressed so your child most certainly has meningitis and likely infected everyone she came in contact with, even poor, poor Santa. I almost passed out then and there.
So, I try to remain calm and dial the pediatrician's office and let them know I have just a teeny concern and they were all like, come in right now, can you be here in ten minutes? That made me vomit in my mouth just a little. I honestly do not remember driving to that office. I couldn't tell you which road I choose to get there. I just remember getting there and seeing our pediatrician, not a nurse, waiting for us outside the door. Surely she was just being friendly I kept telling myself. New policy or something. She didn't seem concerned or anything. I think she was smiling. Yeah, she's just happy to see us. Yeah, that's it. So she takes us to a room, takes Elizabeth and looks her over, pokes at her, asks a bunch of questions and tells me, yep, those are petechiae and she'll be drawing blood to check her platelet count and can two med students come look at her because we don't see those very often.
Damn, that can't be good.
It took all of seven minutes for her to prick my baby's finger and come back with the results and temporary diagnosis. Her platelet count is fine, good in fact, and she guesses the petechiae are from an extended crying fit she had as a result of having to spend one hour with my husband. In those seven minutes I imagined my baby being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and all that might come with that. Those seven minutes almost killed me. I couldn't even imagine what happens all the time to "somebody else". I thought of my sister and I probably felt only a fraction in seven minutes of what she felt for nine years, probably still feels. I cried with relief when that good doctor told me she thought my baby was fine. I cried in the car on the way home. I cried when I picked up my son. I cried when I looked in the rearview mirror at my three healthy children because I am so, so grateful that they are healthy and ornery and full of life and that, for now, I don't have to live those seven minutes, that I am not "somebody else" today.
If you happen to be "somebody else", just now that you are being prayed for today.
12 comments:
I figured if you were blogging about it, that it turned out to be ok, but still. You scared the crap out of me. I can't imagine what you went through. HUGS to you! I'm giving thanks to God that everything was fine and I'm sending up prayers for someone who wasn't so lucky.
Thank goodness she's ok. Sometimes it takes something like that to really help us understand or be thankful.
Damn. I wish I could give you a hug... SO glad she's ok. I'm cybersmacking your hubby right now for letting her cry and get all purply.
So glad she's ok...
I can totally relate to this. I even wrote a post about it a few days ago. My younger son is the king of "false alarms". In utero, Drs. were concerned about the possibility of Cystic Fibrosis. As a toddler, they suspected a hole in his heart. My heart leaps when I look at my 2 perfectly healthy kids, and it breaks for those parents whose kids are really sick.
And your post brought me to tears. I know that pain all too well. The 'hurry up and wait' of tests that your childs very future lies upon.
I'm so glad it turned out well for you.
Being somebody else sucks bigtime! I'm sohappy it's not you! Or Elizabeth. Praise God.
You nibble that baby chubbles neck for me please.
Thank God she's ok. ((Hugs to you)) That must have been so scary. Gosh, kids really do give us such highs and lows, don't they?
Wow. So very glad that she is ok. I read the Wiki on petechia and yowza! Scary, scary stuff.
I have had the "Thank God my kids are healthy" thought a lot and most recently after watching the beginning of "Unbreakable", where a woman gives birth in a department store and when the paramedics arrive, asks if it is normal for the baby to be crying this much. The answer? No, he's crying because his arms and legs are broken. I cannot even imagine going through something like that.
Sending hugs and prayers and all that good stuff...
Oh my goodness, thank God she's okay!!!
You scared me, woman! I'm glad she's okay, that must have been awful. I'm glad your doctor's office as at least efficient about it. Which in itself probably scared the crap out of you even more.
Seven minutes can last a lifetime. I had a scare like that with my middle child when she was around Elizabeth's age. I swear it aged me ten years in a blink. My heart has yet to recover fully and she's now 8 years old.
Stay away from Dr. Google. He's bad news. It sounds like he had you terrified. :How awful! :(
You've found the secret to bypassing the waiting room...just mention that your child has a rash. (You can also mention she's had a cough that's lasted a few weeks and comes in spasms.) Children with rashes of any type bypass the waiting room as a standard rule for most doctor's offices. Not necessarily because the child is critically ill but because of the concern over infectious disease outbreaks (measles, etc can spread by airborne transmission)
Have I ever done this? Nah....ok, I'm guilty. I had a really good reason for doing so and in all fairness, my son did have a rash. (Just not one that was infectious.)
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