Yesterday wasn't so good.

She laid around all day, taking 2 adult Advil every four hours. That was hardly touching the pain she had in her spine and head.

I didn't know what to do with her by 3:00, because she had already had more pills than she was meant to take in a 24 hr period, and she was unable to move one inch. Tylenol doesn't really help her either . . .

I called her regular doctor's emergency line (the pediatrician neurologist left on vacation on Friday), as well as the Children's Hospital nurse line. The emergency doctor on-call did not respond, and the nurse line questioned what was happening with her. In the end, she told me to call an Ambulance, and have her transported to the closest hospital. I would have preferred to drive her myself, but she couldn't walk or stand up, even WITH pain killers maxed out.

The ambulance drivers left us sitting in the hallway in ER, and after 30 min someone went and got me a chair. Thank goodness, my legs have gotten progressively numb over this last week. We waited there till about 7:00, in the main throughfare, and by then she couldn't stand the pain any more (the pills we had given her had worn off). They gave her something, and said they were going to try to get her over to the pediatric area so that she could get in queue to be looked at by a doctor.

With the pain-killer in her, she was able to get into the wheelchair, but that didn't last for long. We were sitting in the pediatric area, and she was was in WAY too much pain to sit up for longer than about 5 min. After about 30 min, I approached a nurse to ask if there was ANYWHERE in the hospital she could lay down. I didn't care about the wait, but she just couldn't sit up any longer.

The nurse was a complete *$&%# and said "no, she just has to wait her turn". I tried to explain that that was fine, so long as she could lay down somewhere . . . but she said they were "too busy, and there was nowhere to put her".

I guess I kinda' lost it at that point.

I told the nurse that she simply could not sit there any longer, and if they couldn't find somewhere for her to lay down, I would have to take her home. Honestly, I didn't know how I was going to get her home, or what I was going to do once I did . . . but I couldn't let this go on indefinitely.

I went and called her dad, and asked him to come take her to Children's Hospital in the city. He was on his way, when I went back and layed her on the ground in front of a bookshelf. The nurse came by and said "you can't lay her there either ... she is going to have to sit up until her turn". I helped my daughter to her feet, and we left the pediatric area for the main ER.

We were waiting there . . . OMG that was hard to see her like that!!! . . . and I approached the guys that had helped in the Ambulance waiting area for the first 3 hrs. I asked what pills she had taken, because I needed to know what to tell them at Children's, and I also wanted to give her more Advil if it didn't conflict. The guy couldn't believe they couldn't find somewhere for her to lay down, but he gave me the name of the pill anyway. The (&^%^ nurse saw me talking to him.

So we were waiting in the ER recieving area, when the nurse came out and said "we found a bed for her". I was SO MAD, I wanted to leave anyway . . . but common sense prevailed, thankfully.

I took her back there, then went outside to have a cigarette and wait for my ex. By the time our ride showed up, I had a complete breakdown. Honestly, I don't think I have ever cried that hard in my life!!

They gave her morphine, sent us home with more + a rx for Tylenol 3 and instructions on how much we can drug her over the next 24 hrs. If she isn't better by this evening, she is to go back to Children's for a blood patch.

What a freakin' day.

Cherie