Last Friday (as in the 22nd...not this last Friday), I was stressed...
No.
Stressed is putting it mildly.
Well...I was multi-tasking like a pro (homework/cleaning/laundry/etc) because we were having Lilly's birthday party on Saturday...when one thing seemed to topple my awesome tower.
As I was quickly tossing Lilly's laundry into the dryer, I feel something hit my toes with each handful I throw in there. I stop and realize it is on my hands. Gel gunk! What the hell is this? After a minute, I assume that Lilly accidentally put a toy in her wash. I grab an extra laundry basket and start putting the clothes into it. The gel is on EVERYTHING...and it is in both the washer and dryer and on the floor. A short while in, I realize what the culprit is...A PULL-UP!!!...Lilly is back to wearing them at night.
Ever wash a Pull-Up?
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See All That White Bead-Looking Stuff???
That is After I'd Shaken the Clothes |
After all the clothes are in the basket, I quickly try to clean the machines out and the floor as best as I can. Gross...awful...what the hell do I do?!?! I run to my computer to Google...as I assume I am not the first Mom to do this... I'm on the verge of tears because I have SO MUCH to get done in the next few hours and this is CERTAINLY not something I need to deal with right now.
My phone rings and it is Mom.
"Hi... I just wanted you to know that I'm with your brother and we are at Urgent Care..."
I don't think my brother, who doesn't like going to the doctor, has seen once since 1974...when he was born...
"They think he might have to have his appendix out..."
*tears*
She tells me they are waiting for official word, but will keep me posted. I ask if she can call me back with some good news, instead.
I decide to get as much of the Pull-Up cleanup done while I am waiting to here. I run 3 HOT empty loads in the washer while I take the clothes outside for a good shakedown (in the Winter...in Minnesota...my neighbors probably really think I am a nut...). I start running those puppies through the wash a couple times and try to finish some cleaning. Oh, and while all this is going on, my phone rings again.
It is my Mom again.
"It is his appendix. He is having a CT and they are scheduling something for today."
I call my husband and tell him that it is my brother's appendix and he has to have surgery and we are probably going to have to cancel Bean's party... I don't know what else to do, so I keep cleaning. And my phone rings again.
It is my brother.
"Just letting you know that I'm on my way to the hospital. I guess they are waiting for me..."
Good, God...
I call Lee and tell him that we are going to the hospital as soon as he gets home. He gets home a half hour early, we officially decide to cancel the party, we pack up, we go get Bean, and I call Mom to tell her that I will be dropped off at the hospital to wait with her and the other two will head to my sister's house (or as I liked to call it in my head this weekend "home-base").
We get there, I find Mom and she tells me that things went well, he is closed up and in recovery, but it was really bad. I will spare the details because, that is a tale for
my brother to tell. He was in PACU for what seemed like forever, but eventually we got to see him and he was doing very well :) He needed his rest, so Mom and I headed back to "home-base" and crashed for the night.
We were up and headed for the hospital in the morning (this time with my sister in tow). He was doing well when we got there and was told that he could go home around three if lunch went well. I forced him to order some food, yada yada, and he was out of there by 2. We got him home and I stayed with him while Mom and Tammy ran to get his prescription and some food he could stomach. I took his temp and it was a little high with all his moving around, but he crashed on the couch and got some sleep. My brother-in-law came over to hang out with him while the three of us ladies went back to Tammy's house. We were just getting ready to eat some delightful chicken tacos made by my husband when my phone rang...and it was my brother-in-law.
"His temp is 104.9..."
I yelled, "It's what?!?" I had told him to make sure he takes it when he woke up. I told him to call the hospital number ASAP, as it said to do so if it went above 101.
I got off the phone and told everyone what was going on. Mom and I were in the Jeep on our way over there quicker than I remember...and we hit every. single. red. light. We got there and his temp was just under 103. They told him to go to Urgent Care, which was closed by now, so then he was waiting to hear back from his surgeon. I thought we were going to head back to the hospital, but the on-call surgeon told him to relax a bit, take some ibuprofen and give it a few hours. Luckily, after a few hours, his temp was around 101, which was good enough. By morning, he was even lower, so he was all good, but still...quite a scare. He is okay and, given some time, will be back to "normal" again...haha...my brother...normal...haha...
Lilly's party is rescheduled for this weekend, so NOBODY is allowed to drop any organs or anything again!
XOXO
