Nightmares

The nightmares are mine, not (I hope), little E's. I will long be haunted by the sound of my little boy screaming "NO THANK YOU! NO THANK YOU!" as the nurses at the doctor's office flushed the impacted wax from his ears. The kid was thrashing and kicking and crying but still polite.

We were at the doctor because E had a rash. Well, really the trouble all started on Sunday with the onset of a fever, followed by E's avoidance of most food and drink. It crossed our minds that a sore throat might be involved but about the only E would eat is potato chips. Who eats potato chips (and rejects popsicles) when they have a sore throat? Also, anytime I asked my obviously ailing little boy "what hurts?" or "how do you feel?", he replied "I fee-ing much bedder".

The rash tipped the scales from "watch and wait" to "get this kid to a doctor" and so we went. The throat swab came back positive for strep in 10 minutes. The ears, however, were infection free so that torture was for naught. E's very traumatic first trip to his new doctor's office was rounded out with a nice shot of antibiotics in the leg.

3.5 hours after we left home, we returned with 1 diagnosis, 1 shot, significantly less ear wax, two boxes of ice cream, and a new race car. E was feeling better enough(or at least hungry enough) to eat a bowl of noodles and then a bowl of ice cream. While watching Pete's Dragon. (Mommy guilt from the extent of the infection and the ear thing ... I would have bought him Disney World if he'd asked).

He's doing much better today; eating, drinking, playing. The rash is hanging around still but it's lighter and confined to his tummy now. Back to school tomorrow if I can manage to go without his hugs, kisses, and giggles for 8+ hours. I'll miss listening to Pete's Dragon too.