Mesenteric Adenitis and Wicked Good Slippers

When you come to the end of your rope, you simply tie a knot and hang on, right?

This morning, Quinn woke with an excruciating stomach ache right in the middle of his belly. His cheeks were red, but he didn't feel feverish (thermometer is broke, currently on Wal-Mart list). He said, "Mom, my stomach is killing me." I asked him if he was going to make it to school, to which he replied tearfully, "I can't."

Let me say that Quinn isn't a faker. He never tries to get out of going to school and if he tells me that he is in too much pain or too sick to go, then he really is. (Jake is a completely different story!!!) He said that he wanted to go to Grandma Gerry's house, so Johnny took him there on his way to work. I took Jake to school and headed to work myself.

After a couple hours at work, I called my mom's to check on Quinn. He said that his stomach still hurt bad, but the pain had moved from his belly button to three inches to the right. Alarm bells rang out . . . classic symptoms of appendicitis. I asked him if he felt the pain was bad enough to go to the doctor's office, to which he replied, "Yes." Crap-o-la.

Johnny picked him up and brought him to the doctor's office. I was swamped at work and didn't want to leave since I have had so much time off for Johnny, and this week with my own sinus infection. I left it in Johnny's hands, since he is definitely the more sane of the two of us these days. When I didn't hear back from him after 45 minutes, I thought it was the whole, "No news is good news" scenario.

I called his cell phone.

"Everything OK?" I asked.

Pause. "Well, the doctor thinks it is his appendix. Pam? Pam? Are you OK?"

I basically imploded right there in the control room at work. (Thanks, Boobie, for holding me up!) I could only think of them cutting open my baby and all the terrible things that people in the medical field can come up with when the shit hits their own fan.

Not. One. More. Thing. I. Can't. Handle. One. More. Thing.

So I caught up with them as Quinn was getting ready for his CT. He drank the yucky stuff and we waited. After an hour and a half (!!) they took him back and did his scan. Quinn even managed to make it without passing out from the IV and blood draw, which is HUGE for him. He has had several bad, bad, bad experiences with IVs and labs. Poor baby. So we were finished and waited while they called in the report to the doctor.

They sent us out only with the knowledge that it wasn't his appendix, THANK GOD. Dr. Sisk (not our normal pediatrician -- we are Dan Brier fans!) finally did call us around 8:30 this evening and told us that the lymph nodes in his abdomen are very inflamed, probably from a virus. She called it Mesenteric Adenitis. She said that he will probably have a pretty bad tummy ache for a couple days, and it should resolve by the weekend. My sister, Angie, actually had this a couple times and said that it is terribly painful. He just needs to "lay low". He is very relieved, too, I can tell.

So, it is now almost 10 p.m. and I am finally able to think (relatively) straight.

Earlier I took Jake to soccer practice and had to run a couple errands, one of which included a stop at Wal-Mart. (No, I didn't get a thermometer. I left the list at home!) I am afraid to admit that in my fragile mental state, I went to Wal-Mart in my slippers. I just know I am going to end up as one of those pictures in the "People of Wal-Mart" emails that circulate around. I hope they blur out my face.

OK, but in my slipper's defense, they are really practically shoes. They are the Wicked Good Scuffs from L.L. Bean. Seriously good slippers.

My previous pair lasted for 15 years, I had them longer than both of my kids! I got them for Christmas one year and dubbed them the best darn slippers EVER! But like all good things, their time came to an end and I finally had to toss them. They were completely ripped out and had holes through the bottom sole; they could no longer stand repairs. I told Johnny that it was the only thing I wanted for my birthday . . . Wicked Good Scuffs from L.L. Bean. And that is exactly what I got.

I wonder, though. Will these last for 15 years? They are certainly well built and comfy. If I have these for 15 years, I may actually have GRAND KIDS by the time they give out. My boys will both be done with college. Johnny and I will be retired and living part time in the Bahamas. Griffin will be driving a car and in high school. Grant and Bryanna, Andrew, Josh and Zack will be contributing to 401Ks, and will probably be parents themselves. The rest of the nieces and nephews will be well into their secondary educations. John and Ginger and my Mom and Dad will be older, and enjoying their growing families immensely. Hopefully, all of us will be happy and healthy.

I had no idea that these slippers came with so many hopes and dreams built into them. Maybe that is why I love them so much!

AND! To Jim Craig and the 7th grade football team that annihilated Penn's Discovery Middle School team: YOU GUYS ROCK! The future of Niles Football is looking really good! Congratulations, and thanks again, Jim. You know for what.