Battle scars

What a day. 

The Big Guy's cough of about a month now was stressing me out so I trucked the boys into the pediatrician.  Where I had to assure him like 100x that he was not there for a shot.  The breathing treatments didn't seem to be working and I needed to have his lungs looked at again.

I have never seen the office so empty during the day, not in the entire 6 years we have been there.  No one in the waiting room, just a few people getting seen inside.  Our doctor came in with a med student who was super sweet.  The twins loved her but the Big Guy was not having it and made it clear he didn't even need to be at the doctors. ( I love when my 6 year old diagnoses himself.)  Our doctor assured him he would not be getting a shot (just like I said) and told him she just needed to hear his lungs.  From there they took him to another room to have his breathing looked at on another machine.

Asthma.

Finally.  I knew he wasn't sick - or contagious.  But not knowing what that cough was drove me nuts.  At least now we knew.  My brother was such a severe asthmatic as a kid, I knew what that would look like... but I didn't know it could be like this.  All my guys have had on and off breathing problems, but the Bunny Bee is the one we have always been on that borderline asthma watch with.  Not the Big Guy.  So that was a surprise.

They showed him how to use his new inhalers that we will pick up later and I got a ton of forms and instructions.  The doctor thinks he will outgrow it in a few years which is great and he may only need this in fall and spring - not year round.  From there she asked if the boys had their flu shots yet.  I told her we hadn't gotten the schedule at school for the mist and that's when it happened.

She frowned and said with the new breathing problems, two of them can no longer have the mist.  They need the shot.  And she could do it then and there across the board for all three.  I took a deep breath and said OK as the Big Guy melted down crying and shaking.  Just at the mention of the word.  The twins were all its OK it will only hurt for a minute!  I couldn't believe how great they were taking it!

The nurse came in and the Big Guy flipped out so much they sent another in for reinforcements... so you know, it was the usual 3 of us holding him down to get one shot.  As he screamed bloody murder.  Then the twins realized they would be getting shots too and they flipped.out.  I had to grab them one by one so I just went age order and grabbed the Bunny Bee - who was swinging his fists at me like he was in a boxing ring, screaming and crying at the top of his lungs. 

Years ago I would have been on the verge of tears and not able to speak.  Now I just accept that this is the way shots for the boys go.  Chaos as usual.  Embarrassing yes, but I can now manage to laugh as I pick up kids and apologize to the nurses.  Again, 3 of us to hold him while he got his shot.  Then the Doodle Bop - who was braced against a chair kicking both legs out at me while screaming noooooooo!  I  managed to wrangle him as they marveled out loud at the strength of the littlest one.  By the time we were all done the boys were still hysterical.  I was suddenly thankful there was no one in the waiting room because they would have scared an entire office full of kids.

The poor med student was practically shoving stickers at the boys on our way out.  The Bunny Bee acted like he was doing her the favor by taking one through his tears.  Some days these kids drive me crazy I swear.  Getting into the truck was just as fun.  They all acted like they had been wounded in battle and needed me to gently put their car seat straps on so their arms didn't get bumped. 

We drove to Dunkin Donuts to get everyone a donut (for their pain) and those boys expected me to unbuckle their car seats too.  No way.  I made them do it.  It was almost hilarious the way they all walked in holding one arm like it was about to fall off.  

And here we are two hours later, the Big Guy holds his arm like its broken.  No matter what he does.  God help me.  Its going to be a long afternoon.