He is not sick.....

On Tuesday Trent's preschool/dayhab called and asked me to pick him up because he had thrown up and that he has a low grade fever of 99.  Well I wasn't shocked that he threw up because when he had woken up that morning his sinuses were congested and like most small children he doesn't blow his nose but allows it to drain into his stomach.  And the teacher once again took his temperature as Trent was just waking up which always makes it a little high.

Before Trent had his adenoids out he was constantly congested and throwing up after meals.  But his school always makes him stay home after any incidence of throwing up.  With Trent this is rediculous because he gets sick for many reasons such as getting upset, coughing too hard, eathing chocolate with something that doesn't mix well with it, post nasal drip, trouble with his swallowing or a food adversion...the list goes on.  But this particular time I really tried to convince the dayhab that he truly wasn't sick and that I had expected him to throw up because of his sinus conditon.  They wouldn't listen and insisted that he stay home the next day and return on Thursday if he was symptom free for at least 24 hours. 

This was the worst time for me to have Trent home during the day.  I had to pick up a rescue dog at 7:15 am and an Algebra test at 8:00 am, and two more classes until 12:10, followed by a 12:30 appointment at Children's Hospital for Trent's develpmental testing the next day which I asked to be pushed forward to 1:00 pm.  I knew that to be successful on Wednesday I needed to plan carefully.  So, I made plans A and B (for backup) for Trent's care while I went to school.  My sister was plan A because she had no kids or plans for the morning and plan B was for Gwen (a friend from church we spen a lot of time with) to watch Trent if my sister couldn't.  Gwen works at our church's food bank one day per month and it just so happens that this Wednesday was that day so I decided to go with plan A (dropping Trent by sis's house between 7:30 and 7:45 am) so I wouldn't leave the food bank ladies short handed. 

I should have known that the day wasn't going to go well when I drove by my sister's house at 7:38 am and she wasn't there.  So I called her cell and she said she had to drop her boys off at school since they were having trouble on the bus that she had to take care of (before she would put them back on the bus) and an 8:00 appointment downtown.  She ended up being angry at me because I asked her to meet me at the college (which is about 1/4 of a mile closer than her appointment) because I was going to be late for my exam.  But to keep the peace I ended up driving to my sister and being late for the exam. Then I while taking my exam I got a call from my insurance agent telling me that my homeowners insurance was cancelled while it was supposed to be in underwriting getting a change made.  Then in my third class I got a phone call from Children's Hospital reminding me that Trent had a 2:00 pm appointment with the psychologist.  Oh no, we were double booked!  That isn't supposed to happen now that we are part of the Medical Home Group which is supposed to facilitate all Trent's specialists and medical care to help avoid this type situation.  But because I made the psychologist appointment myself, and not the testing apppointment which I didn't even know it about until Tuesday afternoon, we ended up double booked. 

"Okay, I think I can fix this" is what I kept thinking during the last 45 minutes of my history class.  But when class dismissed and I went outside to look for my sister who was supposed to be waiting outside for me five minutes earlier, I found she wasn't there.  So I called her cell...no answer.  I waited a few seconds and called again just in case her signal was out of range...nothing.  I called again and then again since I know her phone only picks up in town but not well at her house.  Nothing.  Finally I called Gwen's son and asked if he would drive over to my sister's house because I was afraid my sister was sleeping.  So he agreed to go.  A couple minutes later I tried my sister and she answered.  I asker her "where are you?".  She got really mad at me and started yelling.  Blaming it all on me, but in fact she had fallen asleep!

A couple minutes later she calls and tells me she is at the Citgo gas station just around the corner because she is out of gas!  Well I go there to meet her and Trent is really dirty, and has a full pull-up and I'm not talking water either.  So I tell my sister to change Trent while I buy gas and get us something to drink since Trent is really thirsty (I know this because he keeps saying so over and over without stopping). But before I go to get the gas I notice Trent is playing with a new spray-bottle of window cleaner.  As I reach for the glass cleaner I notice that the bottle is 3/4 empty and that Trent had shaken it all over the van, and his change of clothes!  Now his clothes are wet, he is dirty and wearing pj's!  This can be fixed....don't panic...I'll  just hang is pants out of the passenger side window while drive to Little Rock which is about 30 minutes away even though we only have 15 minutes to get there.  Wait!  I only have 15 minutes to get to Children's and find a parking space...it's not going to happen!  I called Children's and told them I was going to be late and they said they could give me until 1:30.  Okay, now I can relax get something to drink, and put gas in both vehicles. 

I'm relaxed now, got my composure and the drinks, paid for the gas and feeling fine.  I put the gas in my sister's truck first then when she pulls forward I can put the remaining balance in my van and off we go.  NOT!!!  After putting the gas in my van I ask my sister to pull her truck forward so I can use the pump next, but my van won't start!  The battery had died in the short time it took for me to call Children's, get two fountain drinks, pay for and pump $5 of gas!  How long could that have been?  Less than 10 minutes I'm sure.  But the battery was DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!  I guess it was from leaving the side door open...I'm not sure but I was not moving.  So I go into this small town gas station where there was at least fout women working and a couple customers and I say "does anyone have jumper cables?"  I am in hearing range and I know they all heard me and no one bothered to answer.  In fact they got quiet.  So after waiting several seconds and getting stressed again out I got bold and said "did any of you hear me...does anyone have jumper cables?!"  They shook their heads and continued to blow me off.  Can you believe it?  People are so different than they were just 15 years ago, they just don't want to be bothered any more.

I call Gwen's son but he has no calbes, so I call Gwen (poor Gwen she's always the one I call when in trouble) and ask is she has jumper cables and she doesn't.  But Gwen asks her husband Jimmy and he does and leaves immediately to come help.  In the mean time my sister asked a neighbor and they came to help.  About a minute later Jimmy pulls up.  But the first guy althogh he thought he knew how to jump my van better than the manual does, and insisted that he did, was doing it incorrectly.   He wouldnt' listen to what I had read and told me that he was doing it correctly and that something else was wrong with my van.  We wasted another 10 minutes or so that way before we left and we thanked him for helping (and I'm ashamed to say...for leaving too).  Jimmy, paying attention to what I was telling the first guy, puts his cables to my van correctly and within a minute or two my van starts.  Yipee, we are on our way.  But we again, only have 15 minutes to get to Little Rock and find a parking space.  Not going to happen, so I call the clinic again but this time they say we have to reschedule and that they will call me.  They haven't called me yet and it's been over 24 hours.....27 hours to be exact.

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but some of these specialist appointments take months to be seen.  And balancing full time college and a toddler with some issues and several pets is not always an easy task.  And this is why I ended up with my head on the steering wheel having a good cry right there at the pump.  And as to be expected no one cared...I really felt overwhelmed and alone at that moment. 

Yes, I know this blog has a very negative tone to it, but I really feel the need to just get it out.  I had such a bad day yesterday and after trying so hard to be on top of things and organized and on time and ect., ect. ect. and in the end being a complete and total failure was just more than I could deal with yesterday.

It can stink being a single parent at times. 

Thursday's Parent/Teacher meeting

We had a parent/teacher meeting last Thursday.  I just wanted to hear what the therapist and teachers had to say about Trent's progress.  They feel he is making good progress, but couldn't really tell me if they think that he is "catching up" with other children the same "birth age".  You know, I really hate asking that!  I mean not only is my child expected to progress, he is expected to progress at super speed to "catch up".  I think that Trent should not be expected to work harder or be expected to "catch up".  At his age four months development is alot still.  Like when we went to the child psychologist she said "wow, you are 3 and 3/4 now".  But this same professional told me to quit adjusting his age, that he is three now and I shouldn't be counting him in monthly increments.  That's funny...isn't saying "3 3/4" measuring in monthly increments?  If not, why did she mention the 3/4 of a year?  And if monthly increments are being used then shouldn't I still be adjusting his age by the same measurements?  The system wants to work it both ways.  They adjust his age when I want to try new medications or when I request a treatment, but when they evalutate him they use his birth age.  Strange how that works.  And WIC and SSI want to count him by his birth age even though he didn't qualify for their services while he was in NICU.  So in essence he gets shorted 5 months (almost half a year's) benefits.  I know I'm ranting, but this double standard stuff really gets under my skin!