Thursday, July 7, 2011

Ouch!

Theron has been getting allergy shots for a little while now, and we're past the initial period where we just wait and see how he tolerates a single dose. Oh, no. Now his dosage increases with every visit, which means they're just filling the syringe a little more each time. Considering how badly this stuff burns, I wasn't surprised that Theron actually cried this time. It did, however, break my heart. He's been so stoic, even when getting injections in, or very close to, already bruised skin. (Two shots, twice per week, in the backs of his upper arms only gives them so much room to work with.)

Today was his breaking point and I can't say that I blame him. He had at least three of the nurses in tears, too. He's always been so good about his shots and has invited every nurse out for ice cream at least once (and two he tried to move in with, oy vey). I think his breakdown was so unexpected that it caught them off guard. It certainly did for me. Maybe it's easier for them to ignore when they know the kid will scream and cry and fight them. Who knows?

There's a catch 22 in all of this, which is that the kids leave in one week to visit their father. This is the first year that we've had to try and coordinate a doctor, let alone a specialist, while they're up there. (My insurance will only cover emergencies while they're up there and their father has a very high deductible since he rarely gets ill and the kids have never needed medical attention while visiting.) Their step-mother gave me the name of an allergist up there, which turned out to be the only immunology office in the entire town. Oh, but the allergist that she knew of had retired and left the practice to someone else. Someone who still has not called me back.

Obviously, I don't trust my child's life to someone who can't pick up the phone, or even ask one of a dozen or so people who work with him to do it. Factor in that Theron's actually having reactions now, no matter how minor,and it's a no-brainer. Luckily, his father and I are in complete agreement. So, for the three weeks that the kids are visiting their father, Theron gets a break from his shots. We may have to back up a dose or two, but I'll take that over the alternative any day.

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