Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Let’s all go to the doctor’s office and sneeze and cough together


Saturday afternoon, with Emily on a bus from Orlando to Hudson, Laura and I went to a hen party. We stayed overnight with Beth, Caroline, and Ruth, planning to go to a pancake breakfast in the morning.

It seems everyone began with great plans for the weekend. Francis intended to go to Columbus with his dad and a friend, on a very special project. When I inquired, not only had he not gone, he had missed the better part of the school week with the flu.

The hens, however, had a lovely dinner of salmon, scalloped potatoes and asparagus, plus strawberry shortcake for those with room, watched some TV and went to bed, remembering to set clocks ahead. When I woke at eight I found Laura, but no Beth. Laura was looking to see what bed Caroline might have removed to, and I poured coffee.

Soon the five foot detective returned. Aunt Beth isn’t here, Caroline isn’t here, and Aunt Beth’s car is gone. There on the other end of the counter was the note: “Caroline sick at 4 am; took her home.”  Ruth appeared and was brought up to date. On Beth’s written instructions, Grandma Ruth and Laura began wiping down doorknobs with alcohol.

Then the little hen and two grandma hens went to pancake breakfast and ate enough for five hens. We were outdone, though, by the little boy across the table, who went through seven pancakes flat out. Every time we looked up, his reorder paddle was high in the air.

And so we came home, did puddle about things, retrieved Emily at seven thirty, and called it a day.

Come Monday, I was sick. Come Tuesday, sicker. I picked up Laura from her after school job as Mrs. P’s organizer, and no doubt, a sick little girl. I found her sound asleep maybe thirty minutes after supper was finished. I called and cancelled an evening appointment.

All evening, across the hall, I listened to that kid cough that rises from the belly button. In four years Laura has barely been sick. And, at ten this morning we had to keep an appointment we’d waited on four months.

Laura got up as I was about to go to bed. Yes, she still wanted to go to the appointment. She drank a glass of water and went back to bed. I arm wrestled my conscience. Two sick people deliberately walking into a doctor’s office, how awful. On the other hand, another four month wait was an intolerable thought.

This morning I put a dose of cough suppressant down her throat. We agreed on lots of tissues, and ample hand sanitizer, and off we went, being as discreet as discreet about being sick.

This doctor’s office is in a satellite hospital building; like so many being added to the landscape. The hospital is Akron Children’s Hospital, the practice is pediatric. The waiting area is large, and empty when we went in. I felt like the pied piper; they came in a stream behind me.  Crying babies. Snotty nosed toddlers. Coughing everywhere.

I watched, astounded, as mothers wrestled with children. I watched, more astounded, fathers who did not. It seems to be a new world on that score. A diminutive princess, griping her father’s finger, crossing the room. A stout fellow perhaps up to walking, on the hip of his stocky father, just looking. Fathers with baby carriers and no mothers, in line to check in.  Not my daughters’ father, that’s for sure.

We made it through the appointment, through check out and through the first door before I felt the sneeze.  In the middle of the parking lot I was felled by the great sneeze attack; probably ten or twelve in a row. Awful.

Back in the car, a pink faced Laura waved her doctor’s pass. She had no intention of missing jazz band practice. In the olden days I would have said she was taking the cold right back where it came from. This time I decided we can just add Cleveland germs to the Hudson germ pool.

Now it is eight. Laura has been in bed since seven. I am determined to stay awake until nine.




21 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Oh that stinks... then again, it's nature's natural immunity booster! Do all the necessary - but most especially... REST... hugs and healing vibes. YAM xx

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  2. Oh, am I ever glad I'm not in the vicinity of you gals.

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  3. Good though that perhaps you got through most of the school year and winter without too much of a sickness, but sorry the germs caught up with you and Laura now. I think I would have done the same thing, try to make it to the appt as best as I could, especially after that long of a wait for an appt. Hope all feel fine so very quickly!

    betty

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  4. Well done, making it to that appointment despite how you both felt. And now it's behind you. I hope you can say the same for the 'flu in record time. Take care, rest, drink lots of fluids!

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  5. I heard that the flu arrived late this year. Hope you all feel better soon.

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  6. I have just a couple more weeks before I have surgery, by then it will have been six weeks. They have told me that I can not be sick in any way, it has been truly a battle to keep away from colds and flu. I did catch a bad cold from my granddaughter but that was at the start of this ordeal. I hope you can give those germs the old brush off soon and feel good soon.

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  7. Gosh! Everybody seems to be coming down with a cold this month. Sigh... Keeping my fingers crossed for all of you and myself.

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  8. Oh my, everybody sick with cold. I had that and just got over it. it seemed like it was going away after 3 days but the cough lingered and lingered. I hope for the young ones it goes away much quicker, and for you too my dear. I like the photo of all the young people smiling.

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  9. Get well soon! Your description of the doctor's waitingroom is exactly the reason why I don't sit in a doctor's waiting room - as far as I can avoid it.

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  10. Last week I sat around watching a cold, and then what looked suspiciously like a small bout of flu, descend on my husband. There I sat, smug with the last bits of my teacher antibodies, until two days later I began clogging up.
    I hope this finds you better today.

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  11. I guess it was winter's last hurrah - a blizzard of sickness. Hope you all feel better soon.

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  12. You are a tough lot over there Joanne. All get well soon - it will work its way through you all.

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  13. I fought that cold for weeks here. Finally over the cough! Good luck to you two and get well soon!!

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  14. I avoid the doctor's office like the plague. My should is killing me and Mac keeps threatening to take me to the doctor, but I keep saying no, people will cough on me.

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  15. I too avoid the doctor's office - especially during flu season. Our doctor does have masks out on the counter to put on as you check in, but I prefer to sit outside the office on the few chairs there - if there's no avoiding the visit. Hope you gals get well soon!

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  16. Sure glad I can't pick this up from blog reading. Wishing you a quick recovery.

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  17. Hope you are all feeling much better very soon.

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  18. Oh, my goodness, I hope I stay healthy for as long as possible. Ugh, getting sick is for the birds. Get well soon, all of you.

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