Friday, February 26, 2016

A trip to the doctor

There are noises that are really creepy during the night. And then there are noises that just scare you half to death. Such as when you're sound asleep and you hear a loud, "thump! thump! thump!" on the ceiling of your room.

Biscuit's room is directly above mine and Jeff's room. If he called for us in the night, we wouldn't be able to hear him. So we came up with the plan for him to stomp on his floor if he needs us during the night. And it's usually for a nightmare.

It's kind of funny, actually, because I just said to Jeff that it had been a long time since we heard that thump in the middle of the night.

Jeff had to cover a basketball game that started at 9 p.m. last night. He didn't get home until around 2 a.m. So at 4:15 this morning, when the thump on the ceiling came, Jeff didn't even budge. Meanwhile, I sat straight up in bed, already out of breath.

I know that it's usually just a nightmare, but it's still scary because you're not expecting it when it happens.

Anyway, this morning, it wasn't a nightmare. I got up there, and Biscuit said he couldn't sleep and wondered if I would stay with him for a little while. I sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to rub his head. And I realized his head was really hot.

I came downstairs and grabbed the thermometer, the Tylenol and a sports bottle of water.

His temperature was 102.9, so I gave him some Tylenol. Then he said he had a headache and a scratchy, sore throat.

Once the doctor's office opened, I called and got an appointment. We were lucky enough to get Biscuit's regular doctor. Biscuit loves him, and his doctor seems to think a lot of Biscuit, too.

Turns out it's strep throat. Biscuit has never had it before, but he got an antibiotic, and he should be fine. Although he will have to stay out of school tomorrow. which means he can't do the monthly movie night. He was actually just as disappointed about missing school as he was the movie night. I don't know if that will continue to be the case as he gets older, but right now, at least, he really loves school.

At the doctor's office, it was kind of funny because I didn't say a whole lot. They know how talkative Biscuit is, so they usually ask him all the questions.

"So what's going on?" the nurse asked.

"Well," Biscuit said, "I've had a fever since 4 a.m. I have a bad headache. And my throat is sore and scratchy."

She took his temperature and said, "It's not high right now."

"Mom gave me more Tylenol just before we left home, so it's probably kicking in and making my fever lower," Biscuit said.

The nurse then said, "Okay, let's check your muscles."

But she wasn't fooling Biscuit. "Doesn't that check for blood pressure? And it squeezes really tight?"

She smiled. "Yes it does. And yours looks good."

The nurse asked, "Are you allergic to anything?"

"Well," Biscuit said, "I have seasonal allergies, but I'm not allergic to anything."

She did the strep test which made him gag. Then she did a flu test by sticking a swab up his nose.

The doctor walked in and spoke to Biscuit. Then he opened his laptop.

"Well that was quick," he said. "The strep test was positive. So that means you have strep throat, buddy."

"I've heard of that," Biscuit said, "but what is it?"

The doctor explained what strep is and checked to make sure he didn't have a rash of any kind. Then he asked Biscuit more questions.

He asked when the fever started, and Biscuit told him. 

"And then you called out for Mom and Dad?" the doctor asked.

"Actually," Biscuit said, "they can't hear me if I call out." And then he explained how his room is right above ours and told him about stomping.

"So you just jumped out of bed and stomped on the floor?" the doctor asked.

"Well, I was feeling pretty bad," Biscuit said, "so I didn't JUMP out of bed. I got up pretty slowly."

During the whole visit, I said very little. I confirmed our pharmacy and a few other details, but I swear, Biscuit could've handled the appointment as I sat in the waiting room!

As the doctor was leaving, he said to Biscuit, "I hope you start to feel better really soon, okay?"

"Me, too," Biscuit said.

Then the doctor looked at me and said, "Compared to most 7-year-olds, he is a delight."

I smiled and thanked him. I mean, I think he's a delight, too, but I think I might be biased!

Jeff and I will have to finagle our work schedules again, but I sure hope Biscuit feels better soon.

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