Unpleasant Taste of Parenthood

So I'm dragging today after a quite unpleasant night.  Unpleasant for me, horrifying, nerve-wracking, distressing, terrifying for others.

I ended up working kind of late last night.  I was actually pretty much shutting down programs on my computer around 6:45 when I called my husband to get his status.  He's usually done with work right around 6, and usually home before 6:30 and he usually calls me on his way.  But I hadn't heard from him.  He said he was in the middle of something and was going to stay at work to finish it up, another half-hour to an hour. 

My response was "perfect."  I had plenty more to do, so I decided I'd just keep on working.  Well, then I realized our company is rolling over to a new benefits system, so all that open enrollment stuff has to be done over on the new system.  I usually skip open enrollment since I don't use the health insurance here (I'm on hubby's now, but that may change next year and we may each get our own).  But I had to do a W4, all my personal info, life insurance, supplemental life, accidental death and dismemberment, and long-term and short-term disability elections. 

That meant I had to get my brother's SSN since he's the secondary beneficiary on my stuff, and just a hole bunch of other crap like that.  Navigating a new website, trying to compare what I had on the old plan, etc.

Finally around 7:35 hubby was on his way home, and I shut it down and went home.  It was close to 8 when we got home, so we both made quick separate dinners (I had leftover spanish rice and some frozen taquitos (garbage), he made a mix of tuna, tomatoes and onions).  And then we made dessert (greek yogurt with fruit, honey, granola), and pretty much went straight to bed.

My plan was to be up around 5-something to run 2 miles with my vest on, and then to meet my next-door neighbor to walk a few miles and still be home by 7 to get to work. 

Hubby's plan was to be up at 3:45, go for a solo run, and get to work around 6 to start working (!! yikes!!). 

So going upstairs to get ready for bed at 9 was already later than we'd like (plus time to brush teeth, lay out workout clothes, etc.).  I was out cold before 10, and I think he was too.

Phone call on the land line at 11:45.  That's NEVER good news.

Hubby read the caller ID and I told him who it was (friend using her work cell phone).  He answered and I could kind of hear, but she wasn't making sense really and neither was he.  It was almost like they were both asleep. 

I grabbed the phone and I realized she was crying hysterically.  I couldn't understand what she wanted, except that something was wrong with her son (my godson, who just turned 3 a couple months ago).  Finally I was able to elicit that he wasn't moving and couldn't talk, and she was at the hospital with him, and she wanted me to go to her house to stay with her daughter so that her husband could come to the hospital.

I was dressed and out the door in less than 3 minutes, and probably set a personal land speed record driving to their house, and her hubby barely said a word to me.  He basically said he'd put out blankets, their daughter was sleeping and hopefully would keep sleeping, help myself to the fridge and the remote, and he was out the door.  Clearly panicked. 

I texted for a while with my friend and found out her son had been gotten sick twice the night before and during the second episode, had some kind of seizure. His father was holding him up near the toilet, and suddenly he shook and went limp and became unresponsive and glassy-eyed, so they called 911.  And then my godson had another seizure either with her in the ambulance or at the hospital. 

As the hours ticked by, she let me know the Cat scan appeared normal, so likely no tumor in his brain.  The x-ray of his lungs showed only a mild viral infection.  They were getting ready to do a spinal tap.  They had no explanation.  My thought (though I didn't want to say it out loud to her and make her panic), was meningitis. 

So of course I thought that meant I should probably set my cell phone alarm to go off about every 15 minutes in case I fell asleep so I could get up and check on their daughter to make sure she was sleeping, breathing, and not vomitting.  As a non-parent, I was very certain I didn't want one to go down on my watch!  And I was thinking if it was meningitis, there was a chance she'd have it too. 

She was fine every time I checked on her, and my friend's husband came home around 5 when their son had finally become somewhat coherent. 

Now as the day has gone on, he seems to be okay.  Thery're doing an EEG and then releasing him today, and saying they are treating it like a febrile seizure, but since he didn't have a fever, that's not what it actually was.  She's going to have emergency meds at home in case it happens again.  She said he still has some trouble on the right side of his body, but they said he should be fine within another 24 hours.

What a major stress!  I can only imagine how scared and panicked my friend was.  I'll gladly yawn through the day today and be happy I could help in the smallest way.  But right now, I'm glad I don't have kids and don't have to worry about stuff like that.  I get my solid slight about 360 nights per year (and for the most part, those remaining 5 nights are my own fault).  My life is pretty much just the way I want it, few crises, few illnesses, mostly filled with things I want to do...  Selfish but true.  Different strokes for different folks I suppose. 

Random tired thoughts today...