Copays and on why Lola will not be getting her operation on Monday

So I had to cancel Lola's operation.
And finally, after $300 in copays and a prescription I have a likely diagnosis.

I spent yesterday from 10 am til 1:30 pm with Beau at the doctor's ($30 copay) and then from 2-7:30 pm in the ER at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta ($150).

They think he has bacterial pneumonia.

There is a spot on his chest x-ray that is suspect.
Pnuemonia seems the most likely culprit.


Nonetheless there are cultures that are growing and IV antibiotics that have made a world of difference.


This weekend and yesterday I had tons of stuff going on: Friday at 8 am I was teaching an art lesson on Gustav Klimt to Carmella's class, then Beau and I were to have lunch with her class at 11 and then have cupcakes to celebrate her birthday.
Then I needed to get my house and preparty prep together. Saturday was my 10K race and then in the afternoon Carmella's gymnastic party with 20 of her friends and then at 7:30 a family party at my house to celebrate Carmella's 6th and my sister's 30th birthdays. Max and Livi were going to spend the night as a special treat for Carmella and Beau and as a favor for Dee Dee and Steph. Sunday, blissfully, nothing. Still holding out hope for Sunday coming through for me--everything else, but that art lesson, had to be canceled--Lala did bring Carmella the cupcakes and have lunch with her class in my place. Carmella seemed okay about that but I feel guilty.

Kudos to Carmella for being so understanding. How awesome is she?

I had to cancel everything. I totally feel terrible about it for Carmella. We did have a little party--cake, pizza and movies here at home for her tonight. We are going to have her big 6 shebang next weekend--assuming everyone stays healthy.

Yesterday morning we had to get up extra early to leave the house by 7am. Beau was fine--his usual, crazy self: Ate all his breakfast, fought with Lola, tied her leash in knots around the kitchen table and then threaded another leash between her crate and his pirate ship in the playroom. He refused to a wear coat because he was wearing his very cool batman shirt. I am done having the coat fight with my kids and if their dumb asses want to be cold then fine.

But from walking from my car to my mom's front door in his t-shirt he got really chilled. His little teeth were even chattering. It really wasn't that cold--34 degrees or so.Cold but not enough to be chilled from a short run inside. But nonetheless we bundled him up and Lala made him a fire. I left. Went and did the art lesson and came back to get him right before 10 am.

Lala answered the door cradling Beau in her arms. She said she thought he had fever but he wouldn't let her take his temperature (my kids are weird about this. They are rarely sick and even though we do it under the arm they lose their marbles over it. So dumb--if they only knew the other way I could do it.) He let me take his temperature and it was 103. He and Carmella have both had higher temperatures than that but Beau was not acting how he has acted in the past when he has been sick. I mean this is a kid who had the flu at 15 months old and was running around the house and body slamming me or Carmella. I was shocked when his test came back positive for type A flu. And then there was the times he had rotavirus or a stomach bug and would eat, then vomit, then eat and then vomit but otherwise was totally fine. Little vomiting, watery diarrhea ain't gonna slow my crazy man down.

Yesterday though he was pale and was just laying there moaning. I have never seen him do that. But even as I put him in the car he kept arguing that he felt better and that he was fine. I bribed him with a promise of McDonald's french fries and he readily agreed to go to the doctor (not that he a choice--it is just that a willing participant makes these visits slightly easier) I called them on the way and let them know we were coming. They said they would work us in. Beau by then was somewhat lethargic and I have to say I was pretty freaked out. What usually takes 25 minutes to drive took me about 15. We rode with the windows down (heat on though.) My hope was to bring his temperature down. It helped a little.

When we got there I asked them to take his temperature right away. It was 102.3. He wouldn't let me put him down. Anyone who knows Beau knows that since he was about 7 months old he doesn't like to be held.

I bought some Motrin--which he compliantly took. We waited for about an hour to be seen. By that point he was moaning, his breathing was rapid and he was very weak. I still got him to drink 2 small cups of water. He really is a very good patient.

We finally got in to see the dr who then sent us for a chest x-ray and blood work--I didn't even have to ask. I think having waited to give him the Motrin was a wise decision on my part since the dr got to see for himself how ill Beau looked. While we were doing the x-rays I think the Motrin finally kicked in as he became perkier and would actually walk on his own.

Beau really is the best patient ever. He was so cooperative about getting the x-rays and was quite the trooper about getting his blood drawn--well at least the first time.

After the labs and x-rays we had to wait to be seen again. Finally we were called back and the dr looked at Beau again and sent us straight on over to Children's. Beau's white count was over 27,000. It is considered high at 16,000.

So on to the Er where we waited and waited. Beau was doing better but where he is usually an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10, as far as activity goes, he was about a 4. He still had a fever of 101--even with the Motrin. It was weird but kinda cool to see what a laid back chill Beau was like. As difficult as he is sometimes I definitely prefer the healthy hyper one. He scared some bejesus out of me yesterday.

After what seemed to me hours and hey, it was, we got a room. And the ER dr looked at the x rays and the lab work and decided, eventually, on an IV antibiotic drip. I have to say I was relieved. I think I have mentioned before about when Carmella was a baby and ended up having septicemia. I spent a week of dr visits and 3 ER visits until I was taken seriously. And, of course, after what happened with Evan I just wasn't willing to go through that or what I had with Carmella. So even though it is absolutely horrible to pin your 3 yr old down and watch while they dig through his veins as he screams bloody murder-- I am telling you now: don't let it faze you. It is nothing. Nothing. Compared to what might happen if you don't.

So I kept that in my mind as Beau was traumatized by 2 ER nurses. And I have to say that compared to Carmella he pales in his antics but is still a champion screamer. 3 other nurses popped in to ask if they needed help. Between Beau's screams of "GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!"--and yes, he really said that-- I tried to distract him. I asked him to tell us a secret. He managed to get out"Parker eats turkey." I am so pleased that he can maintain his humor in the face of such torture. He is going to make it through middle and high school just fine. No worries.

The torture was worth it. After the course of antibiotics his fever was gone and his color better. Even Beau himself commented that his bones were feeling better. He had gotten it in his head--I guess because of the x-rays --that his bones were sick.

He hasn't had any fever since but we still had to spend 4 hours today in the After hours care for a follow-up visit ($60 copay) to get a prescription for antibiotics ($60 dollars because we haven't met the deductible. We never meet the deductible)

I am beat. The 10k and kid's party would have been less exhausting.

And last week was a total waste as far as my ING training goes. Only 3 days of running and 31 miles--no long run. But I have to admit that my legs feel great. Today I woke up for the first time in forever and wasn't sore. I could even walk down the stairs on the very first time the regular way--not side ways on that first time down like I usually have to do.