Saturday in the Hospital

I mentioned on Wednesday how our boys were up sick early Wednesday morning. Well, they both stayed sick all day Wednesday. Thursday, they were still pathetic with fever, just sleeping all day. Friday, Calfgirt5 was better, but Calfgrit9 was still out of it. He was maintaining a 102-104 fever, lowering occasionally, with Motrin, to around 100.

Friday, he was taken to the pediatrician. They tested him, but he had no flu or strep. Because he wasn’t eating or drinking much [at all], the doctor feared he was becoming dehydrated. She said if he didn’t “round the corner” by Saturday, to take him to the hospital children’s emergency department so they could set him up with fluids by IV.

Saturday morning, CG9 was no better. He still had a 103 temperature, and still didn’t want to eat or drink anything — he just wanted to be left alone to sleep. We called his doc again, and she directed us to take him to the hospital.

We dropped his little brother off with their grandmother, and we headed for the main county hospital. We arrived at about 11:00, and handled the paperwork, went through triage, and then waited with a pager (like at a restaurant). While waiting in the waiting room, we managed to get him to eat a couple of crackers and take a few sips of water, but he was just lethargic. He did laugh a few times at watching Ice Age on the TV mounted overhead. (This was the children’s emergency department.)

Eventually we got called back to the rooms. The children’s emergency department is very different than the normal, adult version. With all the colors, shapes, and pictures, it looked more like an elementary school (with lots of computers and strange gizmos all around).

The nurses and doctor got us all settled in, and got CG9 set up with an IV drip — he was very brave about it all. (Although having the TV in the room tuned to Cartoon Network helped keep him distracted like a zombie staring at a brain in a jar.) We were going to be there for a while. And we were.

The IV drip finished after 3:30, and CG9 was discharged at about 4:00. We’d been at the hospital for five hours, total. Not exactly how one wants to spend a Saturday.

But after the IV fluids were in his system, CG9 said he wanted a hot dog. Great! He hadn’t eaten anything for three and a half days. We gave him a hot dog.

The rest of Saturday, and all day Sunday, per the doctor’s orders, we kept him drinking water and Gatorade to keep him fully hydrated. His fever went away, his energy came back, and he’ll be going to school this morning. His parents are happy to have him well, again. (And are happy to get him out of the house, back in school, for a few hours each day, again.)

Bullgrit