not to us

Did you know that you can get in and out of the E.R. in less than an hour, if you visit at 3:00 a.m.?  It's totally true.

Last night, about three hours after Roo went to bed, she started waking up every half hour complaining of pain.  Even after I gave her a dose of Ibuprofen, she still couldn't be comforted.  Finally, around 2:30 (after four hours of crying, singing, comforting, yelling, and obvious discomfort), I decided to take her to the doctor.  I remember one specific ear infection when I was little, and it was *torture*.  I was fairly certain that was Ruby's ailment, as well.

I got dressed (sorta), packed her up, grabbed Blankie and Duckie, and we drove to the E.R.  Seriously, if you had seen us at the E.R., you would have never guessed, in a million years, that she had been up for four hours complaining that her cheek hurt.  She was charming the nurses, coloring pictures, telling them very matter of factly about her night hour by hour:

"Well, I woke up, and everything just hurt, so I said, "Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!" but she didn't come, so I started to cry.  Then, she came and sang "Hold me in your arms" and said a prayer for me.  She shutted the door, and I could. not. sleep.  I tried, but then I called out, "Mommy!  My cheek hurts!"  I asked her for a cold thing to put on my cheek <<true story>>, but that didn't help, so I cried again.  So she gave me some medicine, and I got to lay in her big bed with Daddy and Mommy.  But I couldn't sleep, so she made me go back to my crib.  And it still just hurted, hurted, hurted, so I started crying again.  But she wouldn't come.  And then I had to go potty, and I called for her and called for her but she didn't come <<I'm guessing this is when I was trying to let her work her way back to sleep, so I could sleep.>>  Then I pee pee'd in my nappy, and I don't like that at all, so I screamed for Mommy to come get me.  When she came in, I told her that my nappy was wet, and I didn't like it, and my cheek still hurted.  And when she tried to put me back to sleep, I said, "No! No! No!  It will hurt!"  So we came to the hospital.

I don't want a shot, please."

(Seriously, will I never live down threatening her with a shot when she dislocated her elbow??)

Anyway, the nurses muffled laughter through her entire soliloquy.  And she had no less than eight nurses during our hour stay...I'm pretty sure it's because one nurse would take her pulse ox and then go out and say, "You have *got* to see this kid in 5."  Then another nurse would come in and take her temperatute and then go out and say, "Seriously, she's a trip."  Then the other nurse came in to finish up the background questions, and, before she was even finished (possibly because she was delayed by Little Miss Storyteller), the doctor came in.  I told him that I was pretty sure she had an ear infection.  He took a look in her right ear, no comment.  Took a look in her left ear, and "Oh, buddy!  Yeah, she's got an ear infection.  I'll give you some amoxocillain to clear up the infection and some Loritab to relieve the pain and help her sleep tonight." Then they all walked out.

Loritab?  Hydrocodone?  A narcotic?  For a three year old?  I didn't even know they allowed that.

So Ruby got dressed, threw a little fit because she wasn't finished coloring, and begged me to let her stay longer.

We stopped by the 24-hour CVS pharmacy where the pharmacist said, "I triple checked the dosage on this Loritab, and it's correct, but I really think half of this dose would be just fine."

I told her not to worry, we wouldn't be using the narcotics unless Ruby was in complete and utter torture.  Thankfully, when we got home, I gave her the first dose of the antibiotic and some regular children's tylenol.  Then, we built a little "wedge" or "ramp" or something out of blankets and stuffed animals, so she didn't have to lay down (which makes her ear hurt.)

All in all, we were both back in bed at 5:30 a.m., just a little worse for the wear.  Burke's got a neuro appointment today, so I'm going to try to pull myself into the land of living before that.

I hope you're all doing well!  Don't forget to check in on the Compassion Bloggers in Kenya today.