Jun 27, 2007

Max and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day


I'm always complaining to J-P that my life is mundane. I tell him that once in a while I like a little drama to spice things up. After yesterday I changed my mind. I don't like drama. Give me laundry, give me diapers, give me a messy house to clean. That's all I want. I promise I'll never complain about how uneventful my life is again. Here is the breakdown of my day:

5:00 a.m.(like clockwork)- Max wakes up with a swollen, rash covered face.
5:30 a.m.- Screaming ensues as Max's 5th tooth struggles to break through.
11:00 a.m.- I feed Max lunch and his lips swell up bigger than Angelina Jolie's. I call his pediatrician.
11:10 a.m.- The nurse calls back and asks if Max is drooling. I tell her yes and she tells me to hang up and call 911.
11:11 a.m.- I start to cry.
11:12 a.m.- I tell her that he is teething, and explain that he is laughing, playing, and seems ok. She explains that he is in grave danger and that I can't go anywhere without a cell phone and benadryl, and that he needs to see an allergist right away.
11:13 a.m.- I call the allergist and luckily the first available appointment is in the middle of September. I though I would have to wait.
2:00 p.m.- Our air conditioning goes out. Not to worry, it's only 111 degrees.
5:00 p.m.- J-P leaves for San Francisco.
6:00 p.m.- Our house is over 90 degrees and climbing so I pack up Max and drive to our friend's vacant house in Queen Creek to spend the night. On the way I realize I didn't eat dinner. We stop at Subway and I give Max a piece of bread. Poof, two minutes later the Angelina Jolie lips are back. I take him to the car and force some benadryl down his screaming throat.
6:15 p.m.- I rush Max and his expanding lips to urgent care.
7:00 p.m.- They tell me he is pretty sick, he has a fever and some strange virus. They say they can't help me with the allergic reaction and that he needs to see an allergist. I manage to get a prescription for a steroid that "should prevent him from stopping breathing during the night."
7:01 p.m.- I start to cry again. What am I supposed to do, not feed my baby until September?
7:30 p.m.- Max screams for an hour while I wait for his prescription at Walgreens. I call local hotels (queen creek is too far from hospitals) and only smoking rooms are available.
8:30 p.m.- My arms are aching from Max's hour long tantrum in Walgreens. My nerves are frazzled. I don't know where to go. I call Sarah (my sister-in-law) and ask if she and her roommate will let us crash at their place. She can barely understand me because by this point I am sobbing. Gotta love those pregnancy hormones.
9:30 p.m.- Max spits out all of his life saving medicine and screams in protest at Sarah's until 1:00 a.m.
1:01 a.m.- I collapse into bed and call J-P. I tell him to come home right away and that he isn't allowed to go on anymore business trips.

Today is a better day. Max is asleep and after spending a small fortune, we have a whole new AC system. Bring on the monotony!

9 comments:

Shells said...

This is one of my worst nightmares. I hope it is over for you.

Anonymous said...

Oh Mary Ann, that really is a terrible day. I can't believe you are dealing with this while pregnant.

Anna said...

Crazy day! I am glad that Max is doing well and that you have a new AC. Don't forget that my parents live close to the free way, have 2 empty bedrooms, will soon live across the street from a hospital , and have a crib, so if you ever need anything, give them a call. Hopefully we will get to see you when you come to WA in a few weeks! Happy Days!

[M] said...

I was thinking about your parents and was wishing I had their number in my cell phone last night. I just now realized I could have called you guys to get it. My brain was overheated, tired, and not working last night. Thanks for the reminder:)

Aaron & Sara Warren said...

Wow, M-A! That is a terrible day! Is Max doing alright now?

No need to blame it on the pregnancy hormones, I'd cry either way.

Andrea said...

I will read this everytime I THINK I'm having a bad day - how terrible!!

[M] said...

Max is doing ok, he is on a lot of meds...he still has a fever but I think we have the allergic reaction contained. We go back to the doctor today.

Alicia Leppert said...

How awful. Did you ever find out what he was allergic to? How terrifying. I am the exact same way. I hate the monotony of my life until my wish for drama is granted and then I think, "What the heck was I thinking?"

[M] said...

I was able to find an allergist that can get him in Aug 1st (phew), they will do testing then. We have no clue what it could be.