Pre-Trip #39:
Doctors and Hospitals...
So, we’re down to
TWO WEEKS and it’s such a relief to have some actual trip-related stuff to do!
Begin packing... Check.
Reserve car service to and from the airports... Check.
Make shopping list for Garden Grocer... Check.
Go to the
Emergency Room... Check.
Whoa, back up! The Emergency Room? What has that got to do with our trip? Well, Aunt Rae thinks it’s got a lot to do with our trip since
she was the patient!
I was just finishing up a half-day at work when I received a text from Ed saying that he had taken Aunt Rae to the ER and to meet them there when I was done. “Uh Oh,” I thought. “Here we go again.” About a month ago we needed to take her to the ER when a varicose vein on her ankle burst and she couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Kind of scary, kind of messy, but not life-threatening. I just figured that the same thing had happened again and made a mental note to pack some extra gauze pads and tape in our first aid kit for Disney.
I went home and changed quickly (too confusing to be hanging around the ER in my scrubs). Not knowing how long I’d be there, I grabbed a quick sandwich and then shot over to the hospital so that I could relieve Ed, who was actually working at the time.
“What’s up?” I asked as I entered the treatment room.
Aunt Rae looked about as glum as she could be and said, “Kathy, I can’t walk on my left foot.” Her ankle was hot, red and swollen. “What happened?” I asked.
“I don’t know. My foot was a little puffy last night, but this morning it was so painful that I couldn’t walk!” She shook her head, “And only two weeks before we go to Disney!” She looked about ready to cry.
Ed did his best to make light of the situation. “Don’t worry, Aunt Rae, Kathy will get you one of those
scooter things and you can zoom around Disney and run everybody over!”
We laughed, but Aunt Rae looked anxious. “I don’t think I could drive one of those things,” she said doubtfully. “Well, then we’ll get you a wheelchair,” he said. “Don’t worry… you’re going!” And with that, he kissed us both and left to go back to work.
Well, long story short, we found out that it wasn’t a blood clot. Turns out Aunt Rae had fallen victim to an acute case of gout. Armed with an ace bandage and prescriptions for steroids and pain pills, we left the hospital and got her settled at home.
It’s three days later and she’s feeling better. Steroids are amazing drugs! (But I did some research just in case we do need the wheelchair.) Aunt Rae is just too nervous to try an
ECV. In fact, she tends to get nervous a lot.
“Look,” she told me after coming out of her doctor’s office. “I asked him for something for my nerves for the trip.” She showed me a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication. “You know how you can get on vacation…not being able to sleep and everything.” I nodded to be polite, but in truth, I can’t even imagine not being able to sleep when we go to WDW! I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow most nights.
“I told the doctor that I was going to Disney in two weeks and he said, ‘Good, you should go!’ so everything should be alright.” Aunt Rae is from that generation that still thinks of the doctor as a god… if the doctor says so than it
must be so. I’m hoping that that’s not always true.
We were able to get Billy in to see a pediatric neurologist Thursday for examination after his teachers observed what looked like a petit mal, or absence seizure. I had possibly observed a small one the night before that, as well. The doctor was pleasant and efficient, and ordered the tests I expected she would. She listened to our concerns about getting him evaluated before our Disney trip and promised to see him once more before we left.
Unlike what I expected, however, she did not seem to feel that the seizures were related to the OCD medication. “Many children who are autistic develop epilepsy,” she explained. “Sometimes the seizures are the “staring” kind, but sometimes they progress to the convulsive kind, so you need to be prepared.” She gave us a hand-out explaining first aid for seizures… nothing new to either Ed or myself. I left the office feeling that our questions were still basically unanswered, and would probably remain so until we received the results of his diagnostic tests.
And so, we took Billy to get his blood drawn yesterday for a battery of tests: metabolic, chromosomal, and hormonal (thyroid). He’s had them all before, but it’s been about five years, so it can’t hurt to repeat them. Hoo-boy, that was fun.
Ed had to wrap both his arms and his legs around him and I had to hold his arm out. He actually was quite good, all things considered. He seemed more upset about having to wear the band-aid afterwards. (Billy does not like band-aids, on himself or on anyone else.) So, we just left it on for about 5 min and then took it off.
“Hooray! Boo-boo all gone!”
However, the most important test, the
EEG (which measures brainwaves), was not able to be scheduled until our return from WDW. Oh well, what can you do. It is only two weeks away.
Two weeks?? As in 14 days?
Yikes! That's coming up soon!
Kathy
birthday booty
Now that we’re just 2 1/2 weeks away from our WDW vacation, I get extra-special enjoyment from listening to our Disney “mood music.” 
I'm not sure if they're available elsewhere:
reading your trip reports 
LtP always wanted a tire gauge but kept forgetting around the holidays. Anyway, she's got a lot of new "cooking" items (like the Chop Wizard & Fry Daddy) over the past few years.
that it will be the same for Aunt Rae.
. 
