Well 2015 has been interesting so far.
One week into what was supposed to be all about getting back into a routine, with school and all, turned into a LOT of well…..
First day of school ended with Adam telling me that he was not feeling well at all. He was clammy and said his kidney’s ached. I got worried. So I called out doctors office. Now this is a practice with a number of doctors, general and specialists. Our family doctor retired and the one we asked to take on the family only works out of that office a couple of days a week, so the kids have actually not seen him in a long time. I asked the gatekeeper/reception is my son could see anyone, and the answer was a big no. Even after explaining the symptoms, she was not going to squeeze my son in to see anyone. So. I asked if they had a walk-in that they recommended. Nothing.
I found this attitude very sad. My own doctors practice and you have no recommendations in the area about who we should try to see? Nothing except head to the ER? This is why our health care falls apart.
I spent today calling and visiting walk-in clinics (will explain shortly) and not ONE was able to see us. All full. THIS is a huge problem. Too many people are relying on walk-in clinics instead of being able to book time with their own GP, if they even HAVE their own GP. And if you can’t even get into a walk-in, the next resort is the ER and this is why our ER’s are falling apart. The system is not working.
On Monday, I decided that Adam wasn’t sick enough yet to warrant the ER, and decided to monitor and called our doctor’s office and asked if anyone could see him the next day. We were lucky to get to see their new GP. After punching him in the kidney’s and looking him over she started to think KIDNEY STONES!!! We were hustled away to get antibiotics just in case of infection and to schedule an ultrasound, which we were lucky enough to get that same day.
We didn’t hear back about the results but he has been passing small stones. ULP.
So total mom fail #343895649 One reason for kidney stones is basically too much pop. Yup. I let my kids drink too much pop and now my 12 year old has kidney stones. I am so rocking the responsible parent thing aren’t I?
I don’t think anything prepares you for the reality of parenting. Of just how MUCH you are responsible when it comes to keeping other people not only alive, but thriving. I honestly find the juggling of keeping 3 kids happy, confident and fed and fed the right stuff all the freaking time, exhausting and things like this are a real punch in my gut.
I have watched Adam really change this year. At 12 he is starting to show the man he will be. He is more focused and more aware of the world and the people around him. His work habits at school have improved and he is seeing the importance of balancing responsibilities vs fun and friends and his social status. Heck he cut his hair without being bullied into it! This is a huge deal. I am hoping that this kidney stone issue will not foresee future health issues for him. I will have to work all the harder at instilling healthy living……which frankly fills me with trepidation.
Because really……I let my daughter wear earrings so long that the skin GREW OVER THE BACKINGS!!! EWWWWW. Sigh.
Yep. Caity had mentioned that the little earrings she had been wearing since around Boxing Day I think, were while not bugging her, had noted that the skin felt flakey around them. I only glanced in passing and her ears didn’t seem to be red or inflamed and she said they didn’t hurt and that she was still dabbing them with alcohol. I assumed they were okay. I guess not. So mom fail #343895650.
Sigh.
We got one of the earrings out just fine. But the other one. I managed to pull out the front bit, but the back. Well it is right in there. There was a sliver of open bloody skin at the back, but I couldn’t grab the tiny backing. So now it is in her lobe. You can see it when you shine a light through.
Why do these things happen at awkward times? On a Friday night dealing with a girl prone to high anxiety, this was not cool. Hence today’s journey to the various walk-in clinics in the area. After that. I just sat back and thought okay. I can’t get it out. But the ear isn’t infected. It just has a large piece of metal in it. Not ER material in my opinion. So we made the call to just wait. I will book in with ONE of the doctors at our practice and see when we can get them to yank that sucker out.
Thursday might be fine since she is supposed to be going to Whistler that day for her first school ski trip, but her anxiety is running way too high and I do not see this happening at all. Which is really a shame.
Because you see, due to all the mom guilt I carry for being such a total failure, I really want my kids to have chances at experiences I never had. I want my kids to get to ski. We live in a ski city. They should be able to enjoy all that this part of the world offers. I don’t ski. We don’t have that sort of money and I never had a chance as a kid living in council housing in Scotland. I want more than I had for my kids. But the long day away from home is really troubling her and I don’t see that any of the offered solutions will assuage her.
My mom guilt is in overdrive because I have an anxious child and this looks like a hurdle too big yet for her to manage.
2015, you are doing my head in already.
Leave a Reply