Thursday

I kept Jonathan home from school today. He woke up really early this morning, crying because his eye was hurting him. I thought it was probably just an eyelash in his eye, so we got him a cool washcloth and had him hold it over his eye. He eventually fell back asleep, but Anna was up coughing and with a fever a lot last night also. So! I made Anna an appointment, since she has been a little sick since Saturday. It's been wierd, I keep thinking she's better and then she seems worse again. While we were getting Anna checked in (she weighs 26 lbs with her clothes on!) the nurse noticed Jonathan's eye and said she was going to go pull his chart. He weighed 47. 5 lbs with his clothes on. It was very convenient that the Dr. was able to see them both at once. Still 2 copays, but at least I did not have to drag them in there at separate times. Anna has an ear infection (her first one in (almost) 3 years!) and needs breathing treatments for her cough. So she left with three prescriptions. Jonathan has a bad form of pink eye. I would have never guessed since he had no stuff coming out and the white of his eye looked clear to me. I assumed the redness and swelling was from rubbing his eye. But he has that same look that Anna did about a month or so ago, like someone punched him in the eye. So he is on eyedrops and Augmentin. I asked why Anna did not get oral antibiotics, when she had the oozing and the bloody tears and her eye was also much more grotesquely swollen than his eye. I explained that he had called in drops for us, and then had sent us to the ER with her when I called back later in the day reporting a high fever, bloody tears, and major swelling. From what he said, this type of pink eye can turn into meningitis, and should be treated with both oral antibiotics and eyedrops, and in Anna's case, probably a shot of antibiotics too. And possibly she should have been admitted to the hospital and had a spinal tap. Really good to know! I was very concerned about Anna at the time, and after paying 160 bucks for a Physician's assistant to look in her eye and tell us it was just pink eye, I am both relieved that the eyedrops took care of it anyway, and a little vindicated that my instincts were right. Her eye did look scary, and it was indeed scary, and the Dr. admitted that she did not get sufficient care at the ER. I am very annoyed at the ER, and also very grateful that it went away with just the eyedrops.
I am also glad that Jonathan got in on the appointment today, so we don't wind up back at the ER this weekend, spending close to 200 bucks and getting inadequate care.
Also, I had no idea that Anna had an ear infection. She has been a pickle this week, and maybe this is part of it. She just did not feel well! But it is amazing how even with good insurance, we spent $110 on the kids today between the Dr. copays and the prescriptions. So that is $270 dollars of unexpected medical expenses in the last 2 weeks alone! Merry Christmas, right?
But seriously, it could be worse. I am very grateful that we do have insurance and access to good medical care, and also that my kids will probably be better by this weekend. The Dr. gave me a note for today and told me that Jonathan could return to school by tomorrow, that he would no longer be contagious. I was like, Um, yeah, I am not sending my kid to school looking like this! He will be at home until Monday, as will Anna, thank you very much.