Boy, do I feel silly for complaining yesterday about my boring, slow-paced life. We ended up spending the evening at the local urgent-care clinic, tending to another round of boy injuries. Bringing up boys is a never-ending adventure!
Ken and I had just gotten dinner ready and were going to call our 2 boys in when our neighbor burst through the door with a sobbing, pale Craig (our 8-year old), holding a bloody cloth against his head. When he told us a few minutes later that he felt dizzy and cold, we knew we had to get him some immediate medical attention.
As best as we can piece together from the boys' excited recap, it seems that they and their two friends from down the street were sort of pole-vaulting across a rock-filled gully when Craig fell flat on his back (and head) onto the rocks. Yes, pole-vaulting. They got this great idea to use big sticks to leap across the ditch. As Jamie (our 12-year old) said, "It was awesome - it felt like you were flying!" Except, of course, that they don't have wings, so when our little daredevil Craig tried "Mega Gully", he ended up on his back with the wind knocked out of him.
On the plus side, a bleeding head wound and possible signs of shock get you a free pass through the waiting area at the clinic. I think the staff was also simply impressed by the range of wounds Craig was sporting - scratches, scrapes, and cuts all over his arms, legs, and back. Fortunately, he looked worse than he was. The doctor diagnosed a mild concussion and put a couple of stitches into his scalp. There were a couple of moments of confusion when I tried to explain that the huge bruise on his left arm was from last week and had already been x-rayed. Craig passed his middle-of-the-night pupil tests (that was fun) and actually feels pretty good today, other than a mild headache.
My mother thinks we have two very accident-prone children, but I have come to learn that this is life with boys.
Besides, I have a bizarre sort of perspective on this, thanks to our boys' struggles with CFIDS. I'm actually grateful that my boys are both feeling well enough to run, climb, play, and even pole-vault just like any other kids. An ocassional trip to the ER seems a small price to pay for such a blessedly normal childhood.
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
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