Just to re-confirm my love for him...
My baby was hurt today, and I almost killed the on-call doctor. He has been sick a couple days... high fever, throwing up a bit, with a red ear. I had his beloved pediatrician paged, and she said she wasn't terribly worried, but that he could possibly have an ear infection, and to go ahead and take him to Urgent Care if it would make me feel better.
His fever of 102.6 had gone down to 99.4 thanks to Tylenol, but he was still rosy and refused to smile, totally abnormal for my happy-go-lucky boy. The Urgent Care doctor checked his ears and they were clear. She checked his nose and said it was only slightly congested. She listened to his lungs and they sounded great. She pricked his heel and took his blood, and before she read the results, she warned me that if the white cell count was high or even borderline, then she would "cath" him to check for a bladder infection. She said something about how she would be "negligent" if she didn't check for an infection with such a high fever.
Cath as in catheter. As in sticking a tiny tube up his penis while he is being held down. I convinced myself it was only a cold and the cell count would be low.
The results came back, and they were borderline. I knew that although it would hurt, it would be no big deal really... they do it all the time and we can be strong. Plus, it would only last two seconds, she said.
The two doctors held him down and I was instructed to talk to him to keep him calm. I did this and sang a little while they prepped him, let him look at me and hold my hair innocently, and then he burst into tears. It was the same kind of cry he has when he receives his shots, and I think that although it is heart breaking, it is tolerable. I have had shots before, and they hurt, but, you know.
Then two seconds passed, then ten, then what seemed like twenty or maybe even thirty. And suddently, his cries were frantic. I had never seen him like this. It was like he was out of his mind in agony.
Then she said they were done, and she walked away with the sample she came for. And I tried to comfort him but he was too hysterical to know that I was even holding him.
A minute later I went to breastfeed him in the chair. He finally calmed down for a moment, seemed at peace, went to suck, and then seemed to remember the terror and burst into tears again.
I cried the entire time. I tried to sing or talk to him, but the tears were going down my face.
Later she came in and said the urine looked clear, so he was probably OK, but she would give him meds anyway since we wouldn't really have the results back for 3 days. Ok, whatever.
A couple hours later his real doctor called to check on him. I told her about the catheter. She asked what his white blood cell count was, and I read her the scribbled writing off the sheet they gave me. She said it was hardly borderline, and that they could have gotten urine without a cath.
I know he doesn't have anything serious, and there are moms out there dealing with much more serious stuff. There is just something about seeing your loved one in pain that makes you realize the intensity of your love for them. I didn't really need to be reminded of this. I've been a wreck all night.
On a positive note, here is a cute shot...
My baby was hurt today, and I almost killed the on-call doctor. He has been sick a couple days... high fever, throwing up a bit, with a red ear. I had his beloved pediatrician paged, and she said she wasn't terribly worried, but that he could possibly have an ear infection, and to go ahead and take him to Urgent Care if it would make me feel better.
His fever of 102.6 had gone down to 99.4 thanks to Tylenol, but he was still rosy and refused to smile, totally abnormal for my happy-go-lucky boy. The Urgent Care doctor checked his ears and they were clear. She checked his nose and said it was only slightly congested. She listened to his lungs and they sounded great. She pricked his heel and took his blood, and before she read the results, she warned me that if the white cell count was high or even borderline, then she would "cath" him to check for a bladder infection. She said something about how she would be "negligent" if she didn't check for an infection with such a high fever.
Cath as in catheter. As in sticking a tiny tube up his penis while he is being held down. I convinced myself it was only a cold and the cell count would be low.
The results came back, and they were borderline. I knew that although it would hurt, it would be no big deal really... they do it all the time and we can be strong. Plus, it would only last two seconds, she said.
The two doctors held him down and I was instructed to talk to him to keep him calm. I did this and sang a little while they prepped him, let him look at me and hold my hair innocently, and then he burst into tears. It was the same kind of cry he has when he receives his shots, and I think that although it is heart breaking, it is tolerable. I have had shots before, and they hurt, but, you know.
Then two seconds passed, then ten, then what seemed like twenty or maybe even thirty. And suddently, his cries were frantic. I had never seen him like this. It was like he was out of his mind in agony.
Then she said they were done, and she walked away with the sample she came for. And I tried to comfort him but he was too hysterical to know that I was even holding him.
A minute later I went to breastfeed him in the chair. He finally calmed down for a moment, seemed at peace, went to suck, and then seemed to remember the terror and burst into tears again.
I cried the entire time. I tried to sing or talk to him, but the tears were going down my face.
Later she came in and said the urine looked clear, so he was probably OK, but she would give him meds anyway since we wouldn't really have the results back for 3 days. Ok, whatever.
A couple hours later his real doctor called to check on him. I told her about the catheter. She asked what his white blood cell count was, and I read her the scribbled writing off the sheet they gave me. She said it was hardly borderline, and that they could have gotten urine without a cath.
I know he doesn't have anything serious, and there are moms out there dealing with much more serious stuff. There is just something about seeing your loved one in pain that makes you realize the intensity of your love for them. I didn't really need to be reminded of this. I've been a wreck all night.
On a positive note, here is a cute shot...
posted by Andrea at 6:29 PM
4 Comments:
OMG, how horrible. I'm sorry you had to go through that. My mom was just telling me that when I was a couple years old I had a UTI and the doctor told my mom that I needed to have some really invasive treatments done and if I didn't have these treatments that I would have chronic UTIs for the rest of my life. My mom said she was really uncomfortable with having me undergo those treatments and said she didn't want to do it. Well, the doctor told her that she wouldn't let my mom out of it unless she brought a sample of my urine in once a month for six months to check it. So, she did this and it was fine. And I've NEVER ever had a UTI since. So, I guess there was no need for those nasty treatments that would have just traumatized me for no reason.
Doctors can really go overboard sometimes and I think they choose the easy route to CYA.
But just so you know, I would have done the same thing you did, and the good thing is that all's OK now.
I hate the holding down! Oh...it is so heartbreaking. I've had to collect urine from my dear KayTar...but they just sent us home with a sticky pee bag that we just attached to her outsides...much more pleasant than a cath...even if they made you stay in the office until he went pee-pee. Ugh! I hope you both are feeling better soon.
Kyla, I was so frustrated when I found out from his regular doctor that she would have just put a baggie on him and let him pee that way. Sometimes it is more convenient for the doctor to be invasive. It makes me mad.
The ER just tortures little babies. I've learned the hard way that it's better to just stay up with them all night long and bring them to the peds in the morning. Otherwise it's catheters, xrays and torture all night long. Poor baby, and I don't mean the kid.
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