An evening at the ER

Riley has been fighting a bug. Yesterday he had stuffy ears and a slight soar throat. He spiked a fever in the evening of 99.1. Tom gave me a look and told me to call the on call number and find out how to treat the fever. We are not supposed to mask fevers with ibuprofen in case it masks a more serious problem. With a compromised immune system a minor illness can escalate to something serious quickly.

The nurse said to only give ibuprofen judiciously. Once a day. Benodril is what I like for ear aches and stuffy noses as I feel it keeps those sinuses open and draining. Benodril is a good choice according to the doctor as it doesn't mask the fever. It will also help Riley sleep.

He awakes with no fever. I encourage him to attend school despite the stuffy ears. He has missed enough school and who knows how much he will miss in the future. He begrudgingly agrees to go after I point out that he is up against a four day weekend. He can relax the rest of the week.

I go off to visit a friend and on the way back home later in the day, stop in at work for a couple of hours. The new employee has not worked out so we are back to our old schedules, but trying to accommodate already made plans, when we thought we had the time off.

Once home I check on Riley. He says his throat is still mildly soar and his ears are still plugged. During the coarse of the evening his temperature rises. Tom make us take it regularly. It reaches 100.4. In the old days back in the spring that was a trigger point for a visit to the ER. Riley is not as compromised now, but it warrants another call to the on call Doctor to find out what we are supposed to do.

Do we treat the fever or what? Now the trigger for the drive to the ER is 101. We hit that mark while talking on the phone to the Doctor. Better to error on the side of caution. It has been over a month since our last blood tests. Who knows where Riley's numbers are. With the drugs he takes his immune system is compromised. We are told to go ahead and bring him into the ER. They will be expecting him.

Riley and I get our stuff together. I grab a blanket for him for the car ride. We both grab books to read. Tom gets a packet of sample meds together for the visit. We are supposed to bring his meds just in case whenever we go visiting the hospital. It helps keep everyone on the same page so to speak. I send Tom back into the house for a yogurt. I will bring yogurt just in case this turns into an all nighter. Riley wont have a problem taking his pills in the morning if we have the yogurt. He had to take his pills with apple sauce before, when they didn't have yogurt in the ER.

I did forget the computer, but I had a good book. Riley and I chat as we drive. He really doesn't act sick. I can tell he isn't feeling that horrible. We just can't take the chance, not without knowing his numbers. The ANC below 500 will mean he will stay in the hospital. An ANC at where it was in September means he gets to come home and we can treat the illness with ibuprofen. That is what the doctor told me on the phone.

The fog is thick. I have to use the white line on the side of the road to guide my car to the freeway. It is only eight at night so traffic is still fairly heavy leaving town. Going into town isn't bad though. We know the route well and make good time.

I skip valet and just park nearby. Riley and I head into the ER and check in. The clerk tells us to take a seat. I mention Riley is immune compromised and usually we go to the children's room. There is a TV and games in the children's waiting room. A nurse comes out and hands Riley a mask and uses her card to open the security door to the playroom. Riley says he could have sat out in the lobby, but I point out the TV. It is the Disney channel showing one of those obnoxious shows the boys like and I can't stand. Riley sits without anymore complaint, his eyes on the TV screen.

Time passes and they call his name. He gets a room and they check his vitals. He is running a temperature of 99. They give him the topical lydicane to kill the pain for the needle injections. The nurse says she will do the shot in his arm. Riley is happy not to have them do it in his hand. He had been stressing that it would be another painful experience. This time it all goes smoothly. We just have to wait now for our results to get back.

We can hear an infant screaming in another room. I turn on the TV to drown out the sound. Indian Jones is on, a good distraction for Riley. A volunteer stops by to say hello and see if we need anything. I ask if she has games or chess. She says she is on her way out but another volunteer will be stopping by, she will send him in our direction with a chess board.

He arrives a short while later. I ask Riley if he wants me to turn off the movie. Yes, Riley would rather play chess with this young man. Riley proceeds to beat him several times in short games. Quite pleased with the experience. Our results come back. Riley's numbers are good enough to go home. They are better than a month ago for red and white. Platelets are pretty much the same, not much improvement, which is disappointing, but not unexpected. We know the odds. We get to treat the fever with ibuprofen and get to sleep in our own beds tonight.

Riley falls asleep in the seat beside me on the drive home. The fog is still thick. Car lights float in a thick white halo. I drive cautiously. We are home just before midnight. Everyone is already asleep having heard that there was nothing to worry about this particular evening. Riley has all weekend, four days, to rest up and be ready for school. Get over this hump in the road to recovery. We got a peak at the numbers which pleased Tom. He was having a hard time not knowing for so long. Now I am winding down and going to bed myself.