Motherhood Emergencies

Stomach pain can be a serious thing for kids. Not the run of the mill tummy aches where they clutch their bellies moaning "No mommmm, my stomach hurts, I can't take the trash out right now" when they step into the house from rolling in the grass with their friends. The real kind that's sharp and stabbing and terrifies every mother into envisioning their angel being rolled down a hospital corridor, rushed into emergency surgery to save their life.

This is how I spent my evening today. I picked up my Ashley from school to find her crying and moaning and unable to stand up straight and walk. This is a child who can be running 103 fever and vomiting and still find the energy to argue with her brothers. Crying? Yeah, this is the big time.

Unfortunately, I had one other experience with this type of situation a few years ago that I quickly flashed back to. One where I picked my 5 year old up from school one afternoon, with him also crying and moaning and unable to stand up straight and walk. He scared the crap out of me that day, and I gave him about an hour at home before I called the doctor. The nurse on the phone said, "Is that him I hear crying? Get that child to the Emergency Room!" WHOA!!

Wanna know what was wrong with him? He was constipated. Yep. I always get that laugh you're holding back right now when I tell people that. I once took my child to the ER in hysterical pain, and paid $500 to be told he's full of crap.

But that was a 5 year old. My almost 11 year old is a different story. Still, I waited all afternoon at home with her, knowing from experience what must be wrong with her.

She cried all afternoon. And moaned. It got worse. And worse. And she begged me to call the doctor. Who told me to get her to the ER.

We even got pushed ahead of a kid with a broken rib who had been waiting for 3 hours.

Not one to be outdone, she puked during the x-ray, and underwent a CT Scan. Just to rule out a freaky case of appendicitis.

But no. No appendicitis. I apparently didn't learn to follow my motherly instincts the first time. Because this blog now belongs to the proud mother whose children are officially full of crap.