Emergency Room

Yesterday Justin asked me with a beaming smile on his face, “Is this your best birthday ever?” He had drawn a picture for me and written a touching poem; he and Jeff bought a cake, gave me a present (from all three), and worked hard to make it a nice day. And though it wasn't the best birthday ever, I could not tell that to Justin. He just loves holidays, festivities, and celebrations. So I told him, "It's a good birthday." And it was, except for missing Sara and except for Zane’s illness.

By 8:00 PM, as Jeff readied Zane for bed, he noticed a rash on Zane's legs. Zane’s fussiness (actually yelling and wailing are more descriptive words) had increased. I finally called the pediatrician’s answering service. After listening to a description of his behavior and the rash, she decided it would be best to take Zane to the ER. Her thoughts: better at 8:00 than at 11:00 if things take a turn for the worse. I agreed.

I must say, the staff at the ER at Mercy were SO nice and SO great. Zane received the best care. After IV fluids, two blood draws, a strep test, and a catheterization, all tests came back normal. The ER doctor seemed baffled by what was ailing Zane. After 200 ccs of IV fluids, Zane seemed to settle down for a short time. But for the most part, he complained and cried almost the entire time during his four-hour stay.

We were sent home (and they asked if I felt comfortable to leave) with the assumption that Zane was dehydrated from his recent stomach virus. Since being home, he has settled down some. However, he still is not happy. He has been biting his hands (typically a sign of pain), grimacing, waking frequently—despite his 1:00 AM bedtime last night—and still yelling out and complaining. Though not as often as over the weekend.

The pediatrician wants to give him today to hydrate some more and recover. If he is not better by tomorrow, he will be seen in her office.

Thank you for the good thoughts and prayers for Zane.