Dear Olive,
You had your first visit to the emergency room last night. Let it be known that I am not an over protective crazy mom, but at the same time, when you act this weird even I question what is going on.
You are a solid sleeper. You sleep 12 hours every night, even when you're sick. The only time you have not slept good was when you had an ear infection. However you were able to sleep soundly as long as you were propped up on our chests during the night.
We are staying in Fallbrook this week and last night you would not sleep. Around three in the morning I could not even calm you down, and after a couple hours I grew tired. Grandmakin suggested I take you down to the ER so you could get some meds for your ear infection, because we assumed that's what was going on. You had been walking really funny and off balanced all day, which is what you did last time too.
When I got there, they did some tests to see if it was indeed an ear infection. The Dr. seemed very awkward around you and didn't do a good job examining you in my opinion. After determining you did not have an ear infection, nor the same cough/cold that I have, the nurse came back in wheeling a cart of tools with her. She explained that you might have some sort of infection but they needed to do a blood and urine test to find out what. They said your heart rate was 200 which is really, really high, even for a crying baby. The Dr. said since you were not pulling on your ears, it must not be an ear infection. He even checked your ears and said nothing looked bad. They just stood there staring at you puzzled, it was so awkward.
They were going to put a catheter in you and also draw blood, plus hook up an IV because she said if your white blood cell count came back high you would have to go Children's hospital down in San Diego.
WOAH WOAH WOAH. Let's slow down here. Put a little baby through all that trauma because you want to get to the bottom of her crankiness? He said, "She's obviously upset, and we have to find out why."
Of course you were upset! You had not slept and you were being poked at by total strangers in the middle of the night! My mother intuition kicked in right away and I told them to just hold on and let me think. We live in San Diego, so if they are going to do a bunch of uncomfortable testing, I'd rather do it down there and once, not twice. I'd rather Luke be with me, and I'd rather not rush something so extreme.
They gave me a huge guilt trip for denying their care and made me sign a release, which I did as I bolted out of there. They don't know you at all, and they stared at you like they had never seen a baby before. I know, I know, they are emergency room doctors, not pediatricians, but even more reason I didn't trust them.
They seemed sure you had something very wrong with you, and it really scared me. But I know you best, and I had a feeling they were mistaken. Of course I'm not going to take a risk and not investigate further, so I just drove back down to San Diego and we took you to your regular Dr. What does he find out? Lo and behold, you have a double ear infection after all.
The exam was quick and easy, plus the Dr. removed some ear wax that was blocking his ability to tell if you had an ear infection or not. We got you some medicine and you are on your way to good health I hope. He informed us if there was not an ear infection he'd probably have proceeded with some urine tests too, but all we'd have to do was put a baggy diaper thing on you to collect it, not jam a catheter up your poor little baby bladder.
They agreed 200 is not a good heart rate, and that yes, it's high. But a really dangerous one is more like 240 and I feel like the ER had really been trying to scare me into submission.
It just maddens and sickens me how rash some health "professionals" are. I am so grateful they are here for when we need them, but this was an instance when I am glad I used some good common sense and intuition.
Nobody wants to hear that their baby has a double ear infection. But I can't tell you in this case how relieving it was to find out that's all you had.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Shoe Girl
Dear Olive,
I think you have a shoe fetish. Already. Your dad and I are both sick right now, so we have been taking turns taking you into the other room while one of us sleeps. While we were stuck in the little room together I decided to dig out a bin of stuff I had been storing for you. It was stuff that was too big for you and I was keeping aside for "one day". Well, one day came quick and some of the stuff is already too small! I found an array of shoes, and I needed to try them on you to see which would fit you and which needed to be stored.
You were having a ball! You were obsessed with these brown moccasins that are just a hair too big. You wanted them on your feet so badly! Then there were the little shiny patent leather mary janes you insisted on putting on for the rest of the day. While you were having a blast trying on shoes I thought to myself, "Uh Oh. . . this could be bad down the road."
In other news, I keep calling you baby Olive but you are so NOT a baby anymore. You play all kinds of games and you want to use the utensils by yourself and you don't use a bottle. It's actually really enjoyable but I still see you as a tiny little baby girl.
We just got home from visiting your God parents in Hawaii. The plane flight was AWFUL. We thought we'd be clever by taking overnight flights so you would sleep the whole time. That was a mistake, you just fidgeted and cried and were grumpy most the time. On the way home I told your dad it was his turn to take you and he went on ahead of me so you wouldn't see me. He even sat in a different row, and all was well. I started watching the movie and getting settled when all of the sudden I feel a tap on my shoulder. You dad wanted me to open something for him, but what was worse, you poked your little head over and saw me. That was that, it was all over for me. I had to take you the way home too. No offense little Olive, but don't take a toddler on an overnight flight, just opt for the day time one when they will be bright eyed and bushy tailed. We are unsure if we want to fly again anytime soon with you, but it was worth it to see such good friends and family.
You learned how to say Kitty Cat because the Hollingsworths have so many cats, and everyone else on the island has a ridiculous amount of dogs. Of course that made you very happy though. You loved Hawaiian sand even more than San Diego sand! You literally would roll around in it, even get it all over your face and in your eyes. Silly sand monster. I have some great pictures of you running around naked in the water but those will definitely not be put on this blog! Maybe to embarrass you I will blow them up big and put them in your room someday. :)
I think you have a shoe fetish. Already. Your dad and I are both sick right now, so we have been taking turns taking you into the other room while one of us sleeps. While we were stuck in the little room together I decided to dig out a bin of stuff I had been storing for you. It was stuff that was too big for you and I was keeping aside for "one day". Well, one day came quick and some of the stuff is already too small! I found an array of shoes, and I needed to try them on you to see which would fit you and which needed to be stored.
You were having a ball! You were obsessed with these brown moccasins that are just a hair too big. You wanted them on your feet so badly! Then there were the little shiny patent leather mary janes you insisted on putting on for the rest of the day. While you were having a blast trying on shoes I thought to myself, "Uh Oh. . . this could be bad down the road."
In other news, I keep calling you baby Olive but you are so NOT a baby anymore. You play all kinds of games and you want to use the utensils by yourself and you don't use a bottle. It's actually really enjoyable but I still see you as a tiny little baby girl.
We just got home from visiting your God parents in Hawaii. The plane flight was AWFUL. We thought we'd be clever by taking overnight flights so you would sleep the whole time. That was a mistake, you just fidgeted and cried and were grumpy most the time. On the way home I told your dad it was his turn to take you and he went on ahead of me so you wouldn't see me. He even sat in a different row, and all was well. I started watching the movie and getting settled when all of the sudden I feel a tap on my shoulder. You dad wanted me to open something for him, but what was worse, you poked your little head over and saw me. That was that, it was all over for me. I had to take you the way home too. No offense little Olive, but don't take a toddler on an overnight flight, just opt for the day time one when they will be bright eyed and bushy tailed. We are unsure if we want to fly again anytime soon with you, but it was worth it to see such good friends and family.
You learned how to say Kitty Cat because the Hollingsworths have so many cats, and everyone else on the island has a ridiculous amount of dogs. Of course that made you very happy though. You loved Hawaiian sand even more than San Diego sand! You literally would roll around in it, even get it all over your face and in your eyes. Silly sand monster. I have some great pictures of you running around naked in the water but those will definitely not be put on this blog! Maybe to embarrass you I will blow them up big and put them in your room someday. :)
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