Tales From the Sick Side

Remember way back on Tuesday morning when I posted about Nathan’s recovery and what a madwoman I was for thinking it was something more serious?

Good times, good times.

That lesson about how mommas should take care of themselves? Totally valid. But there’s another lesson to be learned, as well.

Just because you’re crazy, doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

Nathan rallied on Monday night, and was still going strong on Tuesday morning. But nap time came early, and with it quick, shallow breathing. I called the doctor. Diagnosis: pneumonia. So today you’re not getting a thoughtful post on important issues, an inspirational story, a carefully crafted comic tale, or even a dull recap of Sunday’s marathon. Instead, I give you random thoughts from the addled mind of the sleep deprived.

Tuesday

We couldn’t get in to see our regular doctor, so we got…the one I don’t like. Maybe “don’t like” is too strong a statement. I’m sure she’s a fine physician and she seems perfectly nice. But she talks like Snow White and dresses rather bohemian-like, and a Bohemian Snow White doesn’t instill confidence, you know? He got a shot of Rocephin and instructions to sleep upright with a cool mist humidifier.

Fortunately, we own a cool mist humidifier.

Unfortunately, I’ve been using it in my room. I made the command decision to put Nathan down to sleep on a pallet next to my bed. I had promised Sarah Kate that she could sleep with me while Mr. Andi was out of town (did I forget to mention that part?), so I already had her and both dogs in my bed. The pallet worked for a little while but eventually Nathan ended up in the bed, too. At one point all five of us were laying in a line with our heads together on the pillows. Did I mention it’s a queen?

Wednesday

We returned to the doctor and were blessed with a consult with our regular doctor instead of Bohemian Snow White. He got another shot of Rocephin and a script for a kiddie Z-pak. Because, you know, he’s been so cooperative about taking medicine.

While we were waiting the mandatory fifteen minutes to be sure he didn’t have a reaction to the shot, a tweet pops up on my phone. Hey, that’s cool! BlogHer just amplified one of my posts from a few weeks back! The pleasure was short-lived, however, when one Twitterer took issue with my post and started rapid-fire tweeting me.

I knew that post would be controversial when I wrote it – I just didn’t expect it to be controversial at 2:30 pm on February 27. My phone continued to blow up with tweet alerts while the nurse explained how to use the nebulizer, while I handed over my co-pay and scheduled another apppointment, while I loaded Nathan and the nebulizer into the car, while I drove to the Walgreens for his prescriptions, and didn’t stop until after Nathan and I returned home. And because I’m a glutton for punishment (and I think she called me #duplicitous), I engaged her. I’m quite certain she was celebrating the right to free speech and open debate when all I really wanted was a nap and a cheeseburger.

So, yeah, we are now the proud owners of a nebulizer.

Well, Mr. Andi is proud – or at least hopeful that he’ll be able to use it for his asthma now that Primatene Mist has been banned by the EPA because it might cause global warming (Why, hello there, Soft Tyranny! We weren’t expecting you so soon!) Given how vehemently Nathan has opposed medicine and temperature-taking over the past week, I was not optimistic about the breathing treatments.

Although I wonder how excited Mr. Andi will be…

…when he returns home and finds that the nebulizer is shaped like a blue seal. Oh, and the mask has stickers on it which makes it look like it’s trying to look like a turtle. I can’t remember the turtle’s name, but the seal is Sami. Not Sammy…Sami. I thought at first the S-A-M-I was an acronym for something, but it’s not best I can tell. I guess the makers of Sami the Seal are hoping he’ll one day accompany a pageant contestant featured on Toddlers and Tiaras. Cuz, you know, those girls always have oddly-spelled names.

But I do know that Mr. Andi was pretty pumped about winning $100 at his conference yesterday. Though maybe less excited when I said, “Great! That’ll make a small dent in this week’s co-pays!”

Last night was another largely sleepless night with the dogs and the kids – this time I skipped the pallet altogether. Yes, I know I could have made Sarah Kate sleep in her own bed with Stella like usual, but I felt like I needed a bumper for Nathan so he wouldn’t roll off. Instead, I got a poke in the head when he woke up coughing and crying at 4am. Thank you, Sarah Kate.

It’s now 5am and I’ve thrown in the towel on sleeping anymore tonight, but I’m not getting out of the bed because (a) I don’t want to disturb Nathan and (b) the dogs have each staked a claim on my legs. But the one bright spot in all of this is that Nathan (can you believe it?) sits perfectly still for the breathing treatments Every. Time.

Thank heaven for small favors.