Saturday -Needing Medical Assistance

We left the house at 8:00 am to get to the ball fields by 8:30.  William had a game at 9:00, Jonah at 10:00, Robbie had a game at 2:00.  William won his game and so they played at 1:00.  Jonah won his game so they played at 4:00.  William won his game and his next one was at 3:00. 

I had seen both William and Jonah's debut in the morning.  That afternoon, I headed over to Robbie's game, but was called back to William because he was coughing so bad.  I started pumping him with his inhaler.  Victor bought him a hot dog and water.  Nothing seemed to be working.  William's team was missing two players and if I kept him from playing, they would have to forfeit the game.  Victor asked me to sit in the dugout with William during the game to make sure he was OK.

Meanwhile, Robbie lost his game and had returned to William's game.  Jonah's game had started and I sent Robbie over to represent our family and support Jonah.  Wouldn't you know it - JONAH HIT A HOMERUN!!!  This is fantastic right?!?  Well, yes, it is, but I felt so guilty because I missed it.

William's eyes were bloodshot from coughing so much.  I knew we needed a doctor ASAP and a fellow mom suggested we take him to the clinic at WalMart in Bryant.  Made sense, it was close, (Jonah's team won so they played again at 8:00) and they accepted walk-ins.  So off we go during the break.  Would you believe the Nurse Practitioner heard William coughing and refused to treat him because she said he was too sick?  I wanted her to look at Jonah too, but she said since she would not see William, there was not point in seeing Jonah. 

Now the panic sets in because we only have one car and Jonah has a game and we are in the wrong town!   Plus, the nurse started throwing out words like pneumonia and flu (William did not get a flu shot this year).  I don't usually worry about him being sick, but if William gets pneumonia, he might have to stay in the hospital because of his asthma.  I started racking my brain about who I should call to come pick me and William up to take us home so I could get our other car. Victor assures me that he has plenty of time to take me home and get Jonah back in time for his game. 

So William and I are now off to Children's Hospital After Hours Clinic.  I called ahead to get an appointment. As always, the doctor at Children's was far less than alarmed by William's cough.  He just sat back in his chair and told me his lungs were clear.  He does however, bring in a respiratory therapist to administer an inhaler to William.  The conclusion of the visit - the inhaler I had been using to pump William with all day was empty.  Yes, I said EMPTY.  The inhaler we have does not have a counter on it to let me know it is out.  The inhaler makes all the appropriate noises even when empty, so I really had no way of knowing.  I tend to agree with the diagnosis because after William received the treatments at the clinic, his coughing decreased significantly.  I now have an inhaler with a counter on it.