Another Sick Day

Thursday Afternoon at around 3 pm my daughter awoke from a nap, screaming. She is not the type of child that cries when she is not feeling well. For example, when she was about 18 months old she began to run a fever she never cried or complained, but I took her to the doctor anyway. The doctor informed me that she had one of the worst ear infections he had seen in a while. So when my daughter screams in pain, she is really hurting.

I immediately call the doctor and set up an appointment for Friday morning at 9:45. I give her a double dose of Motrin and some ear drops. In about 30 minutes she calms and settles down. I call my boss and inform her of the situation. I then worked about 30 minutes typing up lesson plans to email to my colleague.

At about 11 pm Thursday my daughter begins to have secretions coming from her right eye. I don't know what is causing this for sure, but I guess it might be an eye infection. Friday morning at 9:30 I walk into "The Clinic" in Claypool Hill, VA. She has an appointment to see Dr. Thompson. When the nurse calls us back, my daughter begins to cry, looking at the nurse she says, "I don't like doctors!" The nurse laughs and I prepare for the fight.

The doctor walks in and she explodes; screaming, slapping, and kicking. He gives her a once over and announces she has a pretty bad ear infection and conjunctivitis(pink eye) in both eyes. He writes two prescriptions and sets up an appointment in two weeks. I pay my $15 co payment and travel to Walmart.

I drop off the prescriptions and walk around to wait. I go to retrieve them only to find out that although I have insurance, my part is going to cost me $60. It's no wonder many people have to choose between medications and food. Her eye drops were $20 and her antibiotic was $40 which is about half the full cost.

I get home at around 11:30 am, now the fun begins; figuring out how to get the drops in her eyes. I finally realize how its going to be have to be done. Here is the process:

• First I lay her in the floor on her back
• Then I straddle her pinning her arms to her sides
• Holding her head with one hand I place one drop in one eye
• Then take both hands to force her eye open so they can go in
• Finally I repeat the process with the other eye

The entire time she is fighting me and screaming. I don't really blame her, I can't stand eye drops either. I have to go through this process 4 times a day until the drops are gone.

Today she is much better, no secretions from her eyes, other than when she is crying when it comes time for her drops. She has not run a fever or complained with her ear. I guess I might be able to work tomorrow.