God is listening!

Through a stressful and very worrysome week, I can honestly say that I have experienced God in a very real and personal way. My week started with Cade running 100.6 fever all of Sunday evening and night. I decided to take him on to the doctor Monday morning, only to be sent home with a diagnosis of "something viral, maybe" because Cade had no fever and he looked and sounded good.

Monday night, Cade ran 103 fever all night long. You talk about a worried mama! I called my mother-in-law (thank you God for her!) who is an extremely accomplished nurse for the last 20+ years and told her Cade's symptoms. She asked me to get him to take a deep breath and cough hard. When I did, he started to cry and couldn't get a deep breath. He said his "side and back" hurt. Helen said it sounded like pleuracy or pneumonia.

From all the trouble I had out of Dalton on Monday's doctor visit, I knew better than to take him back the very next day! So, I called and asked my stepmom, Sylvia to keep Dalton while I took Cade back to the doctor. She graciously headed straight here!
I called the doctor back and was told that a "nurse would call me back". Well, my motherly insticts kicked in and I didn't wait for a call back. I took him and walked into the doctor's office and told them that I felt he needed an x-ray and could have pneumonia. They worked him in and did get an x-ray and a white blood cell count.
The doctor came in the room minutes later and said Cade did have pneumonia, even though they still couldn't hear any crackling or anything wrong with his breathing. Helen had told me that sometimes you just couldn't hear the pneumonia, you could only see it on an x-ray.

I brought Cade back home and Sylvia stayed with Cade and Dalton while I got his prescriptions filled. Cade was so lifeless and his fever was so high, I was extremely worried about him. I had been praying and had asked my best friend Jessica to pray and some church friends to pray. I hadn't completely lost my mind, but I was on the verge. This may sound silly to most people, but to those who understands how worry can overtake you and steal your rationality, that is how I was feeling. Irrational. Cade had already had a steroid shot at the doctor and the doctor was confident that he would be fine with antibiotics, but I was still SO worried!

So, anyway, I got back from Walmart and Sylvia went on home. I tried to give Cade the first dose of one of his two antibiotics. He threw it up. I tried a second time. He choked and gagged and threw that one up too! I knew I wouldn't have enough for the 5 days I was supposed to give him this medicine now, so I called the doctor to ask what I should do. As I was on the phone, on hold, Cade starts yelling, "Mom, Dalton is pouring something all over the floor!" I ran into the living room to find that Dalton had poured the last three doses of Zithromax all over the carpet!

Well, that was about all I could take and I just started sobbing! I walked into the den, away from the boys, and tried to catch my breath, but I was so worried, so angry with Dalton, and so exhausted from no sleep, that I couldn't stop crying. I called Keith and I guess I sounded as bad as I felt, because he just said, "I'm coming home. I'll be right there." Keith actually left work to come home and comfort me and help with the boys. Now that's an amazing husband and daddy!!!

Cade did finally (after I went and got a new prescription) take his medicine for Keith. I guess one dose of the Zithromax paired with the steroid was a perfect combo, because he started acting completely normal by late Tues. night. He got a great night's sleep and woke up Wednesday feeling great!

We went to get his sats checked at the doctor's office Wednesday morning. After waiting 25 minutes, I went to ask what was taking so long. The receptionist then told me that the doctor needed to see Cade after all and do a full blood workup! I wasn't able to wait to be worked in because Keith had a meeting to get to and he was keeping Dalton. So, I scheduled a check-up for this morning at 8:30. I basically worried about Cade's white blood cell count (this is why the doctor wanted to check him again the very next day) which was at 31,000 (the normal being 4,000-12,000) all day yesterday and until I got the call that it was back to normal today at 5:00. So, everything is good and nothing to worry about, right? Not necessarily...

Cade and I were fixing to eat supper and we started to pray. Cade said his prayer and then I prayed thanking God for the food, for Cade feeling better, and then asked for God to protect Dalton from getting the pneumonia and that God would give me wisdom to know if Dalton was showing any symptoms. Literally within the hour of praying that, I was holding Dalton and noticed that his forehead felt warm. Oh, no! I checked his temperature and it was 99.4- are you serious? Immediately, I made an on-the-spot diagnosis of pneumonia. I was just sure of it! So, I called Keith and told him I was fixing to take Dalton to Med Serve and asked if he could come home and watch Dalton. He said he would be here soon and I finished eating and started getting Dalton's bag packed to head out.

I was ready to go, all I needed to do was change Dalton's clothes, which he had gotten all muddy from playing outside earlier. As I grabbed him to change his clothes, I noticed a dirty diaper. Not just any dirty diaper- it was a "teething-style dirty diaper". Ok. Wait a second... My mind started thinking a little more rationally... A teething diaper, a low-grade fever, a runny nose for the last several days... YES! He is just teething! All the symptoms fit and I immediately felt peace about it. I had asked for wisdom and within the hour, God had listened and answered my prayer! Now that's a great feeling and a huge blessing in the middle of such a tough week! Thank you God that I matter to you, that you listen when I pray to you, and that I don't have to worry because you are in control and have my (and my family's) best interests at heart!