Last Saturday, Crush, the boys and I had a really fun day. We played at the Children's Museum (if you haven't been since they've redone it, I highly reccommed it), went to 59 Diner for lunch, hung out at the book store, and snacked on cupcakes. I figured the boys would be exhausted after no naps and all that fun, but they stayed up to their usual Saturday night late hour. After they finally went to sleep, I think I followed suit the second my head hit the pillow.
The next thing I remember, Brother was at my door telling me that Boo was crying. I was in such deep sleep, I hadn't heard him.
What followed was a night I'm sure all mothers can identify with. Boo woke up screaming and crying every hour on the hour. He said his ear hurt, but I figured it was minor because this was the first he'd mentioned it. By my third trip to the boys' room and after a dose of Tylenol, I got smart and moved him into bed with me. He still cried on and off all night.
The next morning he woke up crying (Surprise!), and wouldn't drink juice or eat breakfast (VERY unusual behavior for my Boo). Then, Brother pointed out that Boo's ear was leaking!! Truly digusting. The shoulder of his shirt had drip stains all over it. As Boo continued to cry, I realized that it was Sunday morning, and I needed to get my kid some help.
After getting all of us dressed, I loaded the boys into the car and we headed to find some place open to help my son on a Sunday morning. After a stop at a really scary Urgent Care clinic (a whole different story), I took him to an Emergency Room at a local hospital.
Luckily, after scaring me to death (asking if he had a bad blow to the head that could have led to spinal fluid leaking from his ear? What?!), they took us right back to triage. They asked us several questions: has he had fever? yes; seizures? no; vomiting? no), checked his vital signs, and then took us right back to a room. Virtually no waiting! Yea! As we walked to the room, I saw a man reading a book in a small room, and I thought, they must not be busy here. I figured he was the lab guy or the X-ray guy.
We got to the room and Boo just sat in my lap and whimpered. It was obvious he was totally miserable! I just rocked him, and tried to keep Brother entertained. Minutes later, Book Guy came into the room. I saw from his name tag that he was the doctor. He asked which ear is "the good ear," and looked in that one first. He then looked in the "bad ear," and said "He definitely needs antibiotics." And then he walked out of the room. As I tried to figure out how he had determined my child's condition in less than a full minute in the room, Boo sat up and vomited all over himself and me (since he was in my lap). As I jumped up to get a nurse, he continued throwing up. Over. And over. Can I change my answer to that vomit question please?
Two nurses heard my cries in the hall and came to help. One of them yelled, "Room 3 is vomiting!" down the hall. They helped me clean up Boo the best we could, and the bed, and Boo's blanket, and my lap, somewhat. Then they left.
Minutes later, the nurse came back in, handed me a prescription, and said we were done. I was so relieved to finally have relief for Boo and so grossed out to be covered in puke, that I grabbed the boys, our stuff and just about ran out of there.
It wasn't until my hour long search for a pharmacy that carried the prescribed meds, that it all hit me. The doctor never looked in his throat. He never listened to his chest. I told them that Boo had been on antibiotics the week before for a cough, shouldn't he have made sure the medicine worked? Why didn't he look in his nose or mouth?
I felt so guilty. I was so worried about my own comfort (not wanting to be covered in last night's dinner), that I didn't get my son the proper care. I still feel bad a week later.
So Monday, all day at work it was eating at me. The boys' paternal grandmother, MIL, was watching Boo and kept calling me to let me know his ear was "STILL leaking." I had called the pediatrician's office that morning, but when I had not gotten a return call by noon, I was lucky enough to get him in with the ENT, who had put in his ear tubes when he was a baby, for an appointment that afternoon.
The ENT said that the ear drops that the ER prescribed should never have been given to a child(a sentiment my pediatrician seconded when she finally called me back that night)! They can cause some kind of "reactive dermatitis" that can swell the ear canal shut! I felt horrible. She also said he had "a rattle" in his upper right chest that she didn't like the sound of, and we should continue the oral antibiotics. I have to take him back in two weeks to have an ear pressure reading to see if there was any damage to his ear drum. She said his ear was "so inflammed and so gooey" that she can't even see the ear drum to see if there is any kind of hole.
So, long story short (I know, too late) I am glad Boo is on the road to recovery, but I still have major mother's guilt that I didn't do the best I could for my baby.
And let me tell you, Boo milked the ear drama for all it was worth. Everything that night was, "I can't my ear is leaking." "Boo, come take a bath." "I can't, I have a leaking ear." BFF started calling him Drippy, which has stuck.
So,what do you think? Should I write a letter to the hospital? Should I dispute the ER visit charges like my co-worker is encouraging me to do? How could I have handled this better? I'm mad at the ER doctor for the way it was handled, but I'm kind of mad at myself too.
