Tuesday, January 12, 2010

1-11-2010 Monday - Am I A Bad Mother?

Have you ever felt like a bad mother???
Well, reality struck hard yesterday as I took my girls to the doctor. You see, with five kids, you never really know which injury to take seriously... You have to go through the weeding out of the whining, crying, being too tired, and if it's REAL pain process. And then you still wait so you can take the lump sum together for a group doctor visit! Otherwise, I would be making a visit every other week to some form of doctor - be it an Opthamologist, ENT, Orthopedic, or Neuro Surgeon! So, yesterday was our day to go. You see, we had filled our quota of 3 certifiable medical reasons to make our way to see Dr. Melahoures. I love his office because you can get just about anything done there. He has a hearing test booth, x-ray machine, eye exam area, and a mini lab all in one office. And he's not afraid to prescribe medication. It seems like I have to beg and plead any time I go to the pediatrician nowadays! (Does anyone else feel like this???)
Injury #1 - Last Friday night Shera was carrying our dog, Sasha, down the stairs, slipped and fell down 4 steps, sliding down her back and jamming her shoulder. She cried a lot, but it was bed time and we crossed our fingers it would be fine in the morning. Now Shera is a very sensitive little girl and yearns for the cuddle factor. So when she complained about her arm and shoulder over the weekend, we would love her up and she'd get out of doing her chores.
And then Sunday night came...
Injury # 2 - If any one knows our little Noel, then you are aware how she is the accident prone one in our family. Noel has cracked her skull in two places, has had countless sprains, knee injuries and stitches 3 times - but should have about 5 times (more neglect!). Apparently, she had a few bad falls on the slopes 3 weeks ago (no one told me about) and she has not been able to use her left hand.
Injury # 3 - This happened back in September. Noel's cute little hamster (NOT) bit her when she was trying to break up a fight with Shera's hamster. It was a pretty nasty chomp on her right middle finger, but we put on good 'ol Neosporin and wrapped it up. A month later, it seemed okay except some funny bumps had appeared. Jeff, being the official squeezer in the family, took care of it and again, more Neo. A week later, the skin started peeling around it. A rebirth of new skin? Okay, I'll accept that... But then she went and rubbed it up against an old wooden Cola crate and got a bunch of splinters in that exact spot. She pulled out what she could and put on Neo again. A couple of days later, Noel told me that her finger had still been hurting and she thought there were some splinters in there festering. I took her to the dermatologist (she had some funny bumps and another rash on her skin which made 3) and they pulled out the rest of the splinters and gave her another ointment of some sort. We thought it was getting better by December, and then it took a turn for the worse - but we were out of town (major Dr. pain then) and so busy, we put it off until last Sunday night...
Sunday night: Noel shows me her finger - swollen, bright red, and little bumps on it. I told her it's time to go to the real Dr. now and we would do it in the morning. Shera was holding her shoulder and asked "Can I go too?" How many kids ask to go to the doctor? Sigh...
Monday morning: Six x-rays later - no broken bones, but Shera's in a sling for a week with no P.E. for 10 days. Noel has a brace on her wrist for 1-2 weeks. They were checked for diabetes because of how dry their skin is (it's fun getting poked! ) but luckily they didn't. They just have really dry, cracking hands and they need to put more lotion on. Noel is on antibiotics for her finger with a recheck on Thursday. The doctor scolded me and said she should have been on meds right away. Her finger was so bad he had an x-ray done to see if the infection had gone to the bone. Luckily, it hadn't or he would have sent her to the hospital for an IV and up to a six week visit! Oh, and she may have permanent joint mobility issues too! So, for any of you moms who think you are not up to par - just think of me!!! P.S. Don't worry, I know I'm not a bad mom - sometimes I just feel like I am!!!

Here are Les Invalides...

Noel has to soak her finger in warm salt water 20 minutes 4 x a day.

5 comments:

Alyssa Griffeth said...

What a funny story!! Poor girls...Hope they feel better soon. DON'T feel like a bad mom though! I'm sure I would have done the same thing. :)

Nicki said...

I was intrigued by your post title cause I knew it wasn't true and I'm glad that you don't think you're a bad mom afterall! Those poor girls... especially Noel's finger!

Mike and Shelby said...

Wow, what a story! Lauren so far has been easy since she isn't too much of a crier...I know when she cries, she hurts. But Brooke, on the other hand, cries very easily and I have a hard time telling how hurt she really is! So, I feel for you! It IS hard to know when to take it seriously. And I think it's funny that you have a quota before you go to the doc. :) Hope everyone is on the mend soon!

Fawn said...

What a day. Great post though. It's going to be fun to read when they are in their mid 30's going through the same stuff, haha!:)

Julie said...

oooo...I like your rule of 3!!! Don't feel too bad! I tend to poo-poo all aches, pains, and complaints. I, too, have felt the sting of the doctor's scolding (and I'm a nurse...I should know better!!) But I can't stand it when you finally do bring them in, expose your entire family to the rest of the cooties in the office, and then they tell you it'll be fine!!

Here are my worst offenses:
Eric complained of a head-ache, took himself to the ER, I waved good-bye and said call me if you need a ride home! An hour later, a nurse called to inform me that his spinal tap was done, he had meningitis and was in isolation. I STILL thought she was joking!

I poo-poo'ed a cough that Gavin had as a baby, finally took him to the DR and he said "have you ever heard of RSV? Your son has a severe case."

I feel like my family lives in spite of me...not because of me sometimes!!

Glad that everybody is on the mend over there!!

School Year Highlights!

School Year Highlights!
Drew's drama club went to NYC over the holidays!

Holly's Classical Voice Recital

Noel won Castille Elementary Student of the Year from the Kiwanis Club. She's here with Peter Vidmar - 2x Olympic Gold & 1x Olympic Silver Medal winner.

Church History Tour Easter Break

Church History Tour Easter Break
Palmyra - Joseph Smith's home where he grew up!

We went to Niagara Falls too!

The Angel Game!

The Angel Game!
We got on the big screen!