How I Spent My 4th of July

No cook out. No fireworks. No fun. We spend our 4th of July - Grant's first 4th of July - in the ER. Again. In the past 10 months, we've not been strangers to the ER. Although it's been a different one each time. This marks Grant's third trip to an ER. This time it was Wake Med's Children's ER, who knew they had one just for kids? I didn't, but it's nice to know.

It all started with a pimple. We thought it was a pimple. We'd noticed some small ones on Grant's back in the vicinity of his butt. Friday I noticed one rather large one in the middle of his butt cheek. By Sunday it looked like it was threatening to take over. I joked with my sister that I thought it was so big it might have a face. So, with Husband's help, I popped it thinking it would be much better in the morning. Not so much. We popped it again early yesterday morning and after nap time it was just as bad if not worse. And it was presenting a problem with Grant's mobility and attitude. Husband called the pediatrician's office and left a message with their answering service. An urgent care that does pediatrics was recommended.

First 4th of July - at urgent care
(All pics taken with my phone. I promise I did
not bring the camera to the doctor's office.)

Urgent Care couldn't do anything about it. At first they were just going to give antibiotics and left an ER trip up to us. But upon a brief second exam they said it would be better to take him to the ER and have a surgeon look at it because it may have to be cut and drained and they couldn't do that at the urgent care. So we loaded up and headed to the ER.

The ER wasn't busy. We didn't even have to wait, which was nice. Immediately after checking in they took us back to get Grant's information and we went right to a room after that. They gave us a tiny hospital gown to put on Grant. Ok, I never knew a hospital gown could be cute, but it's kind of adorable on a tiny person.

It didn't take too long for a doctor to come take a look and he knew immediately that he'd have to open it. He told us that it wasn't a pimple but an infection. One that antibiotics alone wouldn't take care of. So in came a nurse who called for reinforcements because she had to get blood and start an IV. Remembering our first experience with Grant and an IV, we were not looking forward to this. One nurse held him down (and was quite good at positioning himself so Grant couldn't move) and the other started the IV. It wasn't pretty but once it was over, Grant was ok. And he did pretty well not playing with it.

He took a little nap and then they came in to set up. We stayed in the room until they sedated him and then we stepped out. Partially because there were 3 doctors and a nurse in there, partially because we both had to go to the bathroom, but mostly because we really didn't want to see them cut into our baby's bum. The waiting room was right outside the door so I headed there after the potty. A very sweet girl named Erin - who, I believe, is there to talk to nervous parents - saw me and immediately came over to see if she could get me a drink. I was about to say no thank you when she started naming off a bunch of stuff so I asked for a pepsi. She brought two because she saw Husband with me, I thought it was very sweet of her. They said the procedure would take 15-20 minutes and it didn't even seem to take that long. The doctor came to tell us that it was over and went fine. Husband asked a few important questions: Will need antibiotics? How often should we change the dressing? Can he have tylenol and/or advil while taking the antibiotics? Are there side effects to the sedation? I asked the doctor: Will he have a scar? Seriously, that's all I could come up with. The doctor looked at me, not for the first time that day, like I was an idiot and basically said that of course there would be a scar. Then he seemed to find his sense of humor and told me "He'll never be a butt model".

We were allowed back in the room in just a few minutes and Grant was really out of it. They said it was important that he recognize us but I really didn't think he did. I think he was only recognizing the fact that he had been through a lot that day and was really sleepy and groggy. Not too long after that he took a little nap. He had spiked a fever right before the procedure (102) and the nurse said she was going to get him some tylenol. He must have been asleep about 30 minutes when she came in with the tylenol. She said she was going to give it to him rectally...silly me, I thought it would be liquid. You know will bring you out of nap real fast? Having a tylenol capsule shoved up your butt hole. That'll do it. Grant didn't cry but he gave her a look like "You could have bought me dinner first". But he did come around real fast so the nurse suggested trying something to drink. I had a sippy cup with me so I dug it out of my bad.

It was very much accepted which was a good sign. He eventually drank the whole thing and we even had to refill it. The fever was slowly coming down and I had food with me so they allowed him to "try" to eat. He wolfed it down. We were discharged around 6:30 and Grant was in a pretty good mood. And by the time we got home he was ready to play.

Like nothing ever happened.

Today brings much improvement. The fever hasn't returned, Grant's appetite is present and accounted for, and his mood - except when being told "No" - has been great. Changing the bandage sucks. Really bad. Grant screams and tries very hard to crawl off the changing table. But I'm getting quicker at it so at least he doesn't scream for long anymore. He even had a bath to clean the area. So far so good. He has to have a check-up on Thursday. Next year, I think I'll just stick with the cook out and fireworks.