Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

As many of you know from previous posts, Taylor and Boston have been sick the past week or so, Taylor being more so than Boston. She ran a fever for almost a week and then it miraculously disappeared when Curt left to go out of town. I figured she was on the mend and that it was just a matter of time before she was better. On Saturday, we decided to take the kids to the park. It was a nice day, in the 60s, and the wind wasnt blowing (very rare that happens here!) Taylor was still a little under the weather but we thought the fresh air might do her some good. We didn't stay long and then ran to the store. When we got home I could tell she wasnt doing well and took her temperature to find out the fever was back. By this time is was 4:30 on a Saturday and the only place for walk-in patients was closing at 5. I rushed over there, only to wait to about an hour and half to see a nurse practitioner. She listened to her chest and then looked at me and said she was almost positive she had pneumonia. I was shocked. Here I thought she was getting better, and I drag her out to the park to play! Anyway, she ordered a chest xray that I would have to wait until Monday to get and also prescibed medicine for pneumonia just to get her started. By the time I was finished it was about 6:30 and all the pharmacies in town were closed. Thats what you get I guess when you live in nowhere, New Mexico. I had the medical supply store drop off a nebulizer, but since I had no medicine it was pointless. We put her to bed hoping she could make it until the pharmacy opened in the morning. She woke up at 11:30, burning up and showed me where she had thrown up in her bed. I immediately started stressing and decided to take her to the emergency room. Curt gave her a blessing before we left and he stayed home with Boston. We had to wait almost an hour before getting a room and I explained that I thought she had pneumonia but I couldnt get any medicine for her. The doctor left and in came a nurse telling me they had to start and IV and take some blood, not what I expected at all. It was like 2 oclock by this point and Taylor hadnt slept at all. The nurse had me wrap her in a sheet and hold her down to the bed while they did the IV. It was horrible having to watch her scream and hold her down with all the force I had. She kept saying Let Go, and "I be all done!" It was all I could do not to break into tears. They started her on fluids because she was dehydrated and we waited. Each time a nurse would come in she would freak out and start crying. It broke my heart to see her so sick. She was so afraid to fall asleep and wanted to make sure I wasnt leaving her. They took chest x-rays only to confirm that it was pneumonia. They started her on some antibiotics and gave her some Motrin for her fever. She was so out of it and kept asking to go home and see daddy. The charge nurse came in around 3 to tell me there was a glitch in the computer and they had to draw more blood. Taylor of course, was not happy and cried and screamed all over again. Each time she would fall asleep, a nurse would come in and she would wake up. They had to give her a suppository and take her temperature rectally, which she again screamed through. Finally at about 6:30, they came in and told me they were letting her go home, but that I had to watch her carefully since she was sick enough that they could have admitted her. They wanted to send her home where she would be more comfortable and hoped that rehydrating her and getting some antibiotics in her would help. I was exhausted by this point but was happy to go home. She slept on and off that day but was so traumatized by what had happen that she wanted to be held constantly. Curtis was amazing, and took care of Boston and cleaned the house while Taylor and I slept. She is doing much better today, although the antibiotics make her have diarhhea.
Now on to Boston. Because of Taylor's condition, I decided it would be wise to take Boston in just to have him checked because of his cough. Curt stayed home from work this morning while Boston and I went to the walk-in clinic. I got there about 10 and they told me it would be a 2-3 hour wait! Of all the luck! I was just glad I had Boston and not Taylor, we would have never had made it. After almost 2 hours, we saw the doctor and found out her has an ear infection. Lovely, I know, but at least it wasnt worse. They put him on an antibiotic and told me to keep him suctioned out. Needless to say, I am exhausted. Never again do I want to have to see my daughter go through so much, especially when she cant understand why. Hopefully we are on the uphill and now all we have to do is ride it out and hope for the best. Living here has not only made me wish we were closer to family, but has also made me miss the wonderful pediatrician we had in Cedar City. Im hoping for a good nights sleep sometime in the near future, but with Boston up coughing most of the night, I suppose it will have to wait. I'm just glad the stress of the hospital is over and that we didnt have to take her back. This was definitely the most terrible, horrible, very bad day/night/week, that I have yet to have with kids, but Im sure there will be more to come. Thats just the way it goes!