"The Best Day Ever"

Jonathan had to go back to Arnold Palmer yesterday. He had his MRI of his right foot taken on Wednesday and the radiologist here in town called the doctor over in Orlando because he had a stress fracture. I checked Jonathan out of school. I went there to eat lunch with him anyways, and got the call to come over for the appointment on my way in. I told his teacher that I would be checking him out early because his MRI showed a fracture on his foot. She responded with: Well, I am concerned he won't be ready for first grade because he is missing all this school. He is out SO much but I tested him on his sight words this morning, and he did okay, so maybe he will be ready for first grade.
I was completely taken aback. What do you say to this? Remember back when he had the bad virus that made him completely lose his voice for an entire week, and she kept telling me to just make sure he was practicing his sight words? And I was like, um, HOW! He CAN'T speak.
So yesterday, I responded with this: Well, we sort of have to take care of these things.
Ummm, I am SO sorry that my child misses school for doctor's appointments, physical therapy, MRIs, swine flu outbreaks, laryngitis, pink eye, etc. Every single absence has been legit. Also, Jonathan is producing COPIOUS amounts of above-level work every week in reading and math. There is no way and no how I will ever agree that he is not ready for first grade. He is writing, reading, and computing/reasoning very well. He is doing fine socially, he is following all the rules. Not ready for first grade, my boo-tay.
I was already upset with her when I walked in the door because of the bullying incident that took place on Thursday. A few boys started hitting Jonathan with balls on his back and in his face during recess, when he was supposedly under his teacher's supervision. One boy struck him in the face with a ball, and Jonathan's nose started bleeding. It continued to bleed for the rest of recess. Did I receive a copy of a clinic pass? NO. Did I receive a copy of an incident report? NO. Jonathan told me that his teacher told him to just hold his nose and not to pick at it. My child was struck in the face by another child and was not even afforded the common decency of a friggin tissue when his nose started bleeding. The only reason I knew about this was that I noticed Jonathan's nose looked swollen and there was some dried blood inside his nostrils, and there was blood on his shirt sleeve. I should not have to play CSI to find out that my kid had a bloody nose at school. I don't give a damn if it just starts bleeding on his own, he should be sent to the clinic, and I should have some documentation in his backpack that he went to the clinic. My primary job as his parent is to keep him safe. I can't be at school with him. That is why I expect certain procedures to be followed. I expect attention to be paid. I expect communication. I am VERY angry about this. I understand that boys will be boys but this was NOT handled appropriately AT ALL.
Anyways, it is Friday, and I am checking him out of school to take him over to Orlando to see about his fracture, heaven forbid he lose that crucial instructional time. He may never recover. He may never reach his full potential as a human being because of this. Kindergarten is just that serious. As we walk out of school, Jonathan tells me that he is so happy that his wish has come true. He wanted me to come and check him out of school. (Every night lately he has asked me to "houseschool" him and every morning lately he is tearful and asks me if I can just come and work at his school. This breaks my heart.) I told Jonathan he may have a broken bone in his foot, and he is cheerful about this. He is just very glad to have broken out of the big house. We go pick up Anna and meet Daddy at home and get on our way to the appointment.
First we saw the nurse practioner, who was very kind. Then we saw the pediatric orthopaedist, who was not very kind. He was short and terse and impatient with us, and I think he is well-qualified and perhaps was just having a very bad day, since he was very nice last time we saw him. But, the way he treated us this time caused me to fantasize about ripping his bad toupee off his head and stomping on it. Basically he told us Jonathan has mild cerebral palsy, underlying neurological issues that cause contracture in his heel cords and hamstrings, make him walk badly, his right foot is deformed, all of the above screws up the way he walks, causing pain and limping, and now, a stress fracture on one of the weight-bearing bones in his right foot. Literally his foot deformity is inflaming the bone and causing a stress fracture to show up on the MRI. Last time we visited him, about a month ago, he ordered the MRI to rule out tarsal coalition, and said he didn't think Jonathan's problems were neurological in nature. So of course, I questioned him when he brought up cerebral palsy this time... Then he snapped at me, Isn't that what we've been saying this whole time?
Ummm, yeah, I guess SO. I guess that diagnosis was made back in 2006. But we have had various professionals involved in his care vacillitate between a neurological vs. a biomechanical root of all of his problems. Is it any wonder that I am freaking confused? And the bottom line is this: I don't really give a rat's ass if it is neurological in nature. I am not afraid or ashamed of the term cerebral palsy. If that is the diagnosis we go for in order to get Jonathan whatever help we can get him, then so be it. Whatever any doctor says, I know my child. He is bright and capable and will go far in life. I am just sick of all of the indecision and wishy-washiness. I feel like we have been jerked around for 4 years now, and meanwhile, my child has suffered.
The doctor said, We are never going to have answers to your questions.
Well, no freaking crap. But the reason we came to YOU was to get a SECOND OPINION. We have exhausted our options here in our county and we came to him on the advice of our pediatrician.
What does any of this even mean? Basically, nothing... we are just going to take some measures to help with his symptoms. Stretches every day, Advil when necessary, taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, limiting physical activity when symptoms are bad, wearing supportive shoes with cushy inserts, and follow up in 2 months. There is a surgery they can do to lengthen one of the bones in his foot and try to alleviate pressure on the inflamed bone, but we aren't there yet. It would involve general anesthesia, which I am not too keen on. Casts for 6 months. And I am pretty sure, that knowing Jonathan, it would funk up his other leg because of the way he would compensate in his walking, and we would probably wind up in a mess with his other foot.
We left the office. I was in tears, crying on the phone to my Mom. The weather was horrible, tornado warnings, rush hour traffic in downtown Orlando on Friday. We checked into a hotel. Jonathan was thrilled. The kids LOVE to stay at a hotel. This one was really nice, and right near Downtown Disney. We got takeout for dinner and had a relaxing evening. Then Jonathan woke up in the middle of the night with the same horrible coughing that has kept Anna on nebs all week, and a raging fever. Thankfully we had both Tylenol and the nebulizer and meds there. We were up about an hour. He was really scared because he couldn't breathe well, and of course everything is worse at 2 in the morning. Then this morning, I woke up and somehow immediately wrenched my neck. I have been alternating between heat and ice all day and can't turn my neck at all. I can turn it a little to the left but not at all to the right. It is completely locked up. I am having to hold my neck in a way that totally makes my double chin worse. Really not happy. I have been taking Advil and Alleve. It is awful. I am so mad because we are going to the BSO tonight, and I was so looking forward to getting all dressed up with Dave and having a nice night out. But now my neck hurts and I can't turn it.
But, according to Jonathan, today has been the best day ever. Because we got to stay in a hotel, and we went to Downtown Disney. He got to go to the Lego store, Anna to the Princess store. They were both happy campers. So what lesson can we learn from this all? That money can bring happiness? Or at least a temporary distraction from all of our other woes?