It's not swine flu people!

Last night my son's girlfriend wasn't feeling well, so I took her to the hospital ER to have her checked out. Now we have suspected she had a bun in the oven again, since she was about 2 months late and the home pregnancy test came back positive right around Christmas time.

I walked into the ER area and sat down. All over the place there are signs saying that if you have a cough, fever, etc... you need to wear a mask. Now while I have had none of that, my nose has leaked more than my kitchen faucet and I've been gasping for air like a fish out of water these past few weeks. I've got a sinus/upper respiratory infection and the Z-pack I got wasn't touching it, which I have to admit, was pretty darn strange. In addition, the frigid subzero temperatures we've had have made me feel like a cold blooded mammal instead of a warm blooded one. Just touching my hands or feet, or even the tip of my nose and you'd have thought I was bitten by Edward and turned into one of the undead...I was just SO COLD!

Upon arrival, I am watched cautiously by the nurses in the triage area and the desk clerk. I take Kleenex after Kleenex out of the box provided on the table and blow with the force of a Mt. St.Helens eruption after a long dormant period. Had I been the late Mr. Jackson, I most certainly would have blown off the entire end of my nose while trying to get a good, deep breath of air. Other patients quickly moved a few seats away, while trying to ignore my complete misery. By then, my breath was coming hard and I was panting like I was on the delivery table having my son all over again. My eyes were weeping and nose was leaking and I just wanted to sleep. I was just...miserable.

Eager to get me the heck out of the waiting room, the triage nurses decided that my son's girlfriend was a priority, and we were called in shortly after arriving. I am sure everyone breathed a big sigh of relief when I left. Had I even sneezed or coughed, I know the ER waiting room would have been shut down for the night due to a biohazard. And I just know the guy from housekeeping with the disinfectant spray bottle and gloves in his hand that passed me on his way to the waiting room was a pure coincidence... NOT!

Upon arriving in the ER area, the nurse looked at me and asked me to sit on the table. She seemed a little embarrassed when I told her I wasn't the patient. Within a few minutes the physician's assistant came in and began chatting. I was seated to the side of her, dabbing at my eyes and nose with the box of Kleenex I'd stolen from the waiting area. I figured since I'd touched it, it'd be thrown out anyways, so brought it along just to be safe.

Out of the corner of her eye, she kept watching me. Finally, she turned to me and asked me if I was okay, and if I was crying. She probably figured I had a good reason to cry, since this is the second child of a 15 yr old mother and 17 yr old father, both babies themselves. I explained to her that I was sick, but I had it under control and pulled the Z-pack from my purse.

She even paid me the ultimate compliment when she told me that I looked sicker than most of the patients in the ER, and that I should check myself in because my Z-pack wasn't working. I mean, who doesn't want to look genuinely sick when they head to the hospital...lol. Except that this appointment was not about me, and I wasn't there to get treated.

After some blood tests and an ultrasound on my son's girlfriend, the pregnancy was confirmed. Sometime towards the end of August, another little grandchild will be arriving. Definitely not planned, but I will do my best to make sure the little one is cared for. I've spoken to my teen son and mentioned a possible neutering if he even attempts going for a third one. I've even told him to look up the definition of Eunuch in the dictionary, as that could be his potential future if he so much as THINKS about sex after the next baby is born.

On the way out of the hospital a few hours later, the inevitable happened. I felt a sneeze coming on. A big one. It happened just as I hit the waiting room area, without warning. I had barely enough time to cover it with my hand as I sneezed loudly and with enough force to scatter my germs all over the immediate area. As I passed the waiting room desk clerk, I could see she was getting her mask ready...and I was almost out the door when I heard on the intercom: "Housekeeping to the ER waiting area..."

So here I am still sick and miserable as heck, nose leaking, sinus pressure in my face, and wondering when I will be over it. In the meantime, life goes on. If I don't post for a bit, I'm most likely in bed with a Kleenex shoved up my nose and Vick's vapor rub on my chest, trying to get some much needed sleep. Hope to be posting more again soon!