Park Nicollet Strikes Back

Last night H started to look like this:

This morning my son awoke looking like this:

So naturally his pediatrician did not have any openings (as if there was any question on that) so we trekked to Urgent Care. It opens at 8am so when we arrived at 8:12am I was thinking we were in the clear. But whenever I see the clinic parking lot look like this:

I know it's not going to be pretty.

As we checked in they told me to expect a 60-90 minute wait. Yes you read that right. 60-90. Because he had a very red rash/hives/possible chicken pox...we had to sit in quarantine.

Pros to sitting in quarantine: Don't have to worry about the coughing, bleeding or vomiting of the other patients. Can sing songs, chat on the phone.

Cons to sitting in quarantine: You're ALONE with your child in a very boring room. WAITING.

At 9:30 I went and asked how much longer I should expect to wait. Shortly after that the nurse arrived and then the doctor....

to find that all is not well with the world because that amoxicillin we got last week...he's allergic.

Our discovery this week is that H is allergic to Penicillin. Many times you don't react to a medicine until the second (or sometimes third) time on it. In this case it was his second time, and day seven.

Hopefully within the next day or so the hives will clear up. He is feeling and acting fine, though he just doesn't look like himself.

*Disclaimer: Park Nicollet did not really strike back and it is of no fault of the clinic's that H reacted to the medicine.

Doctor Doctor

Dear Park Nicollet,

I have been a patient for a long time. I delivered my baby at Methodist Hospital and have loved each doctor I have worked with. While I think I will remain your patient I have decided it is time for Henry to move on.

It frustrates me when I call the pediatrics department to set up an appointment and sit on hold. For long stretches of time.

When I finally get to talk to someone (after hearing the recording tell me about using the website) I then find out that all of the pediatricians are booked. Booked not only today and tomorrow. But all week.

When I put up a stink and you give me an obligatory appointment. I feel relieved.

But when I come in and end up sitting in the urgent care waiting room with people who are coughing loudly into breathing masks. Bleeding profusely from their hands. And vomiting into buckets. I feel my son and I may leave here sicker than we entered.

Finally we arrive in the exam room. Where we wait for the nurse to quit chit chatting with the other nurses about her fabulous weekend. Or what she's having for lunch.

Once she has taken my son's temp and tells me how un-sick he looks. We again wait.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Have you ever sat in an exam room waiting with an almost 10 month old child? Minutes feel like hours.

Finally the doctor arrives.

Looks in one ear.

Looks in the other.

And proudly announces: "It could go either way."

Meaning????

"It could be infected. It might not be infected. I'll write you a prescription and it's up to you if you'd like to fill it. I think we're about finished eh?"

Yes Park Nicollet...We are finished. Once and for all.

Sincerely,

A former peds patient

This post was specifically referring to last Tuesday when I called and took H in because he was pulling on his ear. I did give him the amoxicillin and that seemed to help so all is again well with the world.

Dull

Just when you thought my life was getting boring. Ha!

5:00am J's alarm goes off.

5:30am J leaves for work.

6:15am My alarm goes off. I wake up M. T's alarm goes off.

6:30am H is now awake and looking worse than yesterday..uh oh!

6:35am I walk down the hallway to find T sprawled on the couch with a bucket.

Me: "What's wrong?"
T: "My tummy hurts. I think I'm going to throw up."
Me: "Stay put, you're not going to school."

6:40am While making phone calls re: H's hives, M informs me that it is 'Yellow' day at school. She is dressed in pink pants and a pink shirt.

6:45am Dig in M's dresser to find a t-shirt that has yellow on it...the closest I can find for today. She is upset as she has a summer dress that is yellow.

6:50am Find out that I can get a prescription steroid for Henry's hives.

6:55am M is finishing breakfast, T is still laying on the couch, H is eating in his high chair.

6:57am M informs me that she is afraid to go to the bus stop without T because someone could kidnap her and she would never see me again. (Note: Not only has this child been to the bus stop without T but the bus stop is literally two houses away.) However I concede to drive her to school because it is not worth fighting about.

6:59am Jump in the shower. H is buckled in the high chair, T is still laying on the couch. M is brushing teeth and hair.

7:01am Both T and M come running into the bathroom because the phone is ringing.

7:05am I get out of the shower, get dressed.

7:07am Come out to find that T is now miraculously better and eating breakfast.

7:08am The bus drives by...so now I have to drive both kids to two different schools. M is coughing and I tell her she needs cough medicine before school.

7:15am Kids get backpacks ready, coats, boots on. Get H ready.

7:20am We are all in the car, M is still coughing and informs me that she doesn't have a snack in her backpack.

7:21am I run in and get a snack.

7:22am We are pulling out of the driveway. T informs me that he doesn't have a lunch and that he was supposed to bring a note home that his lunch account is running low.

7:30am Arrive at T's school. Stop and write a check for lunches.

7:40am Arrive at M's school. As she gets out she tells me that I forgot to give her cough medicine. I tell her to drink lots of water and she informs me that her teacher will not let her.

7:50am Arrive at pharmacy to get H's prescription filled. Find out they do not open until 9am.

7:55am Arrive at a different pharmacy and find out it doesn't open until 8:30am.

8:04am Drop some of the kids things off at their mom's house.

8:10am Realize that I can drop the prescription off in a drop box at the pharmacy that opens at 8:30am.

8:15am Arrive at home. Bring H in, set him on the bathroom floor while I dry my hair.

8:25am Read H a book, he doesn't want me to put him down. Hold him and rock for awhile.

9:00am Get everything packed up for the day. Get H in the car.

9:10am Stop to pick up prescription. Because this is his first time at this pharmacy, fill out and sign lots of papers.

9:30am Arrive at daycare and explain the hives and medication plan...

9:45am Arrive at school. T is on his way back to class from the nurse with his tummy ache.

10:00am Working...

10:30am T walks into my office and starts gagging and telling me that he is going to throw up...I hand him a recycle bin...he continues to gag.

10:40am T is now laying under a table in my office shivering with his coat and snowpants on.

10:50am T has to go home from school sick...his mom picks up since he was going to her house after school anyway.

11:00am After T is picked up I call to check on H, he is ok. I still think I should call the doc to make sure but this proves to be worthless since his regular pediatrician is now 'out' the rest of the week. The urgent care doc he saw yesterday is out until Friday...and even if I wanted to see another doc, the notes from Tuesdays visit haven't been dictated yet so there is currently no record of the visit.

The rest of the day was less eventful...when I picked H up at 2:00 his rash had already started clearing up and he looked much better. Though still not 100% clear, he's on his way to recovery...yippy skippy.

T spent some time throwing up this afternoon at his mom's house and M is still coughing...

Dull?

I think not...