The two boys in my life have had some medical traumas lately. Here’s the run-down:

Saturday – We spent a lot of day outside as it was a warm day for November. Around 1:30 PM, my husband noticed a big welt-like thing on Ephraim’s buttcheek (excuse my language, but how else do you say that?) I assumed he had gotten a sting or bug bite outside. I called the on-call doctor, and when she called back and asked if it was only on his bottom, I pulled his pants down and he had these huge welt/hive things all up and down his legs. She said she couldn’t nail down what had caused it, but he was most likely having an allergic reaction to something and to start giving him Benadryl every 6 hours.

By Tuesday, the hives had not gone away. They would go away for a little while right after giving him Benadryl, but then they would come back. Plus, Ephraim also had a really bad runny nose and cough. So I decided to take the day off and take him to the pediatrician. When we got to the pediatrician, he had ONE spot on his leg and that was it. I had deliberately NOT given him is Benadryl so she could see the rash. ONE spot!!! I was told that she had no idea what caused it and that as far as his nose/cough, he just had a cold. (So I just paid you $35 to tell me nothing?) By 6 pm, he was covered from head to toe in hives!!! Of course that would happen.

Steven and I decided that it could be the change in pull-ups brands from Saturday. He had been using Target brand, but we bought Huggies brand and started him on those – get this – right before we noticed the hives on Saturday. So we went back to Target brand and his hives have gone away and stayed away. Guess there’s something he’s allergic to in those Huggies!

Wednesday: Around 9:30 I got a call from daycare saying that Ephraim had a 99.5 fever and was pretty listless. At 10:30 his temp had not changed, and she said they’d be eating lunch and going down for nap soon, so not to worry about picking him up. So I just picked up the kids after work, but already had a plan to keep Ephraim home the next day.

About 10 minutes after we got home (this was around 3:50), I got a phone call from Steven. He sounded calm, but he told me he’d had an accident on his bike and he had gashes in his forehead and nose and was going to the emergency room. In my head I was freaking out, but I tried to think clearly. I called my mom and she agreed to take off work early and meet me to get the kids. That was a lifesaver (thanks, Mom!). I was at Skyline less than hour after Steven called me. When I went in, both his principal and headmaster were there waiting for me. His principal said, “I just want to warn you that his face looks pretty bad and is really swollen.” I had kept my cool up until that point, and I almost started crying then, but I held it together and went in to see Steven.

His face did look pretty bad. His forehead and nose were really bloody, and his nose was swollen to twice its normal size. His lips were swollen and bloody, too. His tooth was chipped. But other than all that, he was okay. He was sitting up and talking. He was still my Steven.

He had had an accident on his bike and hit the ground face first, scraping and cutting his forehead, nose, and lips. He had to have four stitches in his upper lip, but the damage to his forehead and nose was basically chunks of skin ripped off, so they couldn’t sew that up. Over two hours later we finally left the hospital and went to pick up the kids. I decided to stay home Thursday to take care of him (and Ephraim).

Wednesday night was a hard night for Steven – it was hard for him to get comfortable enough to sleep, plus when we got home he took the bandages off and finally really looked at his face up close in the mirror. But today, over 24 hours later, he is feeling better and looking a little better. Some of the swelling has gone down. He decided to go back to work tomorrow.

I spent a lot of today dealing with insurance issues instead of taking care of Steven. I got him breakfast and helped put bandages on and that was about it. However, I took his broken glasses to his eye doctor (still under warranty and can be replaced for free – woo hoo!), got him a dentist appt for his teeth, and found a plastic surgeon for him to see next week. I also spent a lot of time on the phone getting mad at the insurance company because I could not get my questions answered. In the end, I think it has all worked out. I am so glad it was not worse and glad that my husband is okay.

All that said, the title of this blog is a reference to a summer TV series Steven and I enjoyed called Royal Pains. It was about a doctor who sort of stumbled into a job as a personal doctor to people who live in the Hamptons. Dr. Hank basically works 24-7 and shows up at your home whenever you need him. I needed him this week!