Bandaid of Honor

Yesterday morning I woke with every intention of taking the day easy. I had planned on changing out of my pajamas on two occasions: to drop off and to pick up Robby from school. I was feeling toxic and sore and was looking forward to a much needed day of rest and relaxation.

Of course, none of my plans materialized. I felt like the universe was saying, "We interrupt your R&R with a sick child." The only thing worse than your child being ill is having to care for them when you are sick as well!

Thankfully Robby wasn't running a fever or complaining of a sore throat which are his common ailments. This time his body decided to switch things up a bit and threw him a curve ball in the form of a urinary infection. I heard him yelp with pain when he was using the bathroom and seeing blood in his urine confirmed my instincts to take him to the pediatrician.

Apparently, providing a urine sample when you are a young boy is a wonderful experience. Granting permission to pee in a cup propelled his pediatrician to superhero status. Despite promises that he had "great aim" and against my better judgment, I let him go into the bathroom by himself. It turns out that his aim isn't nearly as precise as he promised, when he presented the sample I noticed that the bathroom looked like a garden hose went wild and soaked everything in its path.  I spent the time waiting for the preliminary results by wiping down the toilet, the floor and somehow the side of the trashcan against the opposite wall.

I was expecting a prescription for antibiotics and to be sent on our way. In addition to the antibiotic script we were given an order for blood work. My heart jumped when I the pediatrician called me into her office and told me that Robby had high levels of sugar in his urine. As a precaution she wanted to get blood work done so that we could definitively rule out diabetes. 

While I appreciate the vigilance, the fact that diabetes was introduced as something that needed to be ruled out terrifies me. I called Scott as I was driving to the blood lab. At that point, Robby was the calmest member of the family as I spent the drive trying to talk Scott out of panic mode into a more tempered response. Needless to say, I wasn't successful!

Robby was so brave getting his blood drawn. I expected him to squirm, cry and scream. I was fully prepared to hold him down Hulk Hogan style so that the blood could be taken. Instead, he simply held out his little arm and looked at me. He calmly talked about the house he built and asked me if I could buy him a new Lincoln Log set so that he could make his village bigger. Considering that he had a needle in his arm and I was prepared to restrain him, buying him a building set felt like a fair request.

After leaving the hospital we went to get his prescription filled and to pick up the Lincoln Logs I promised. He also talked me into a Lego Angry Bird set, a Halloween costume for both him and Charlie Cat, and two glittered pumpkins. Robby showed anybody who looked in his direction the bandage on his arm which, in his mind, has been transformed into a badge of courage. We even had to stop by his school on the way home so that he could show his classmates the bandage and explain that they took out some of his blood. They were all duly impressed!

I'm hoping that we receive the results of Robby's blood work today. I'm not optimistic that I'll receive the results of my tests, but it would be wonderful if I could cross Robby off my worry list for the weekend.  I'm confident that everything will be fine, but this Mom's heart will feel better when I hear it out of the mouth of a professional.  I'll post any information when it is received, so check back and wish us luck!